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Heathrow IRC Operator Services

Home Office

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Tender

17 Mar 2026 at 16:08

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

07 Jan 2026 at 16:12

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

22 Sep 2025 at 16:47

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

01 May 2025 at 14:06

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Home Office has initiated a tender process seeking to contract operator services for the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), the largest immigration detention facility in Europe, located in London, United Kingdom. The tender is in the procurement stage, aiming for a procurement specific questionnaire response deadline on the 3rd of March 2026 and tender submissions due by the 20th of April 2026. Valued at approximately £901.5m excluding VAT, this open procurement involves competitive flexible procedure inviting organisations to manage services ranging from security and catering to religious and cleaning services. The current contracting extends from April 2028 to March 2034, with potential extensions extending up to four years.

This tender presents a substantial opportunity for companies specialising in facility management and the provision of comprehensive operational services. With sectors such as education, transport services, and facilities management being pertinent, SMEs could partner with the principal supplier to deliver elements of the required services. Businesses with strong technical capability and economic positioning are encouraged to express interest via the Home Office's eSourcing portal, with strategic engagement in dialogues aimed at understanding relocation risks and procurement timelines. The scale and complexity involved make it ideal for established firms with experience in handling large-scale public service contracts, but also open a pathway for smaller enterprises to contribute through subcontracting opportunities.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Heathrow IRC Operator Services

Notice Description

The Authority is responsible, under statutory obligations including the Immigration Act 1971, the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the Immigration Act 2014, for detaining and/or enforcing the removal of certain persons. Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) is Europe's largest immigration detention facility, providing a contracted capacity of 1093 beds, and is made up of two sites: Harmondsworth (754 beds); and Colnbrook (339 beds). Heathrow IRC accepts around 12,000 detained individuals every year and provides crucial strategic and operational benefits to the Home Office. The Authority is seeking a commercial partner to operate the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre, with the required services including but not limited to: a) security services; b) canteen and catering services; c) special-purpose road passenger-transport services; d) guard services; e) building and facilities management services; f) grounds maintenance services; g) education and training services; h) accommodation cleaning services; i) recreational, cultural and sporting services; j) religious services; k) accommodation services; l) housekeeping services; and m) administration, defence and social security services.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: An initial contract term of 6 years with the option to extend for a period of up to four years, comprising of 2+1+1.

Renewal: Maximum of four years (2+1+1)

Planning Information

• To express interest and obtain the documentation please contact the Heathrow IRC Procurement mailbox: heathrowircreprocurementproject@homeoffice.gov.uk • We kindly request your completed response be returned by 12 noon, 3rd of October 2025 to the Heathrow IRC Procurement mailbox: heathrowircreprocurementproject@homeoffice.gov.uk • When submitting, please include “RFI Response – Heathrow IRC Operator Services” in the subject line. Please note: • This RFI is for information-gathering purposes only. • Any information provided will be treated in confidence and used solely to inform the Home Office’s procurement strategy. • Suppliers are advised that this exercise does not form part of a formal procurement process, and no commercial advantage will be given to those who respond to this notice. • This is one of a series of potential market engagement activities. • The Home Office will contact suppliers who express an interest in this RFI, as well as those who participated in previous Heathrow IRC market engagement activities, to inform them of any subsequent market engagement opportunities. • Any Suppliers who have not engaged in earlier market engagement activities for this procurement will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to receiving the RFI questionnaire. • If you are not able to respond within the timelines stated please let us know.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-050b69
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024238-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

77 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

80 - Education and training services

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

55500000 - Canteen and catering services

60130000 - Special-purpose road passenger-transport services

77314000 - Grounds maintenance services

79710000 - Security services

79713000 - Guard services

79993000 - Building and facilities management services

80000000 - Education and training services

90911100 - Accommodation cleaning services

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98131000 - Religious services

98341000 - Accommodation services

98341110 - Housekeeping services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£901,500,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
£901,500,000 £100M-£1B
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Mar 20265 months ago
Submission Deadline
20 Apr 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
2 Mar 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2028 - 31 Mar 2034 Over 5 years
Recurrence
2032-03-17

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Home Office
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
Postcode Area
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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