Tender

Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) Service

HOME OFFICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

15 Sep 2025 at 17:29

Summary of the contracting process

The Home Office is initiating a public procurement process titled "Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) Service." This tender, under the industry category of social work services, aims to expand the ICTG Service across all Local Authorities in England and Wales. The procurement is currently in the tender stage, with crucial dates set: the enquiry period concludes on 13th October 2025, and the tender submission ends on 30th October 2025. The contract is expected to be awarded by 6th May 2026, with the service commencement starting from 20th May 2026. The procurement follows an open procedure and is detailed through the Jaggaer eSourcing portal. The estimated contract value is £40 million, with potential for optional extensions based on performance. The service delivery covers multiple UK regions, ensuring comprehensive geographical coverage.

This tender presents significant business opportunities, particularly for organisations specialising in welfare services, guidance, and counselling support for children and young people. Businesses with experience in social work and with the capability to meet the statutory obligations for safeguarding children can benefit from participating. Organisations that are small to medium enterprises (SME) or voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE) are particularly well-suited to compete. The ICTG Service is crucial for safeguarding child victims of modern slavery, providing both direct and indirect support, thus allowing organisations to contribute meaningfully to societal welfare while ensuring sustainable business growth. The open and transparent procurement process allows equal participation, encouraging innovative solutions to enhance the service delivery model.

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Notice Title

Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) Service

Notice Description

The Government is committed to tackling the terrible crime of modern slavery. The Modern Slavery Act (MSA) 2015 provides the legal framework for tackling modern slavery in the UK, it gives law enforcement agencies the tools to combat it and sets out our obligations to ensure victims are proactively identified and supported. Since the introduction of the MSA, the first legislation of its kind in the world, successive governments have continued to commit to tackling this crime. The National Referral Mechanism (NRM), a system for identifying and supporting potential victims of modern slavery towards independence, is also an integral part of the Government's approach to supporting victims to recover and reduce risks of re-trafficking. Modern Slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking. Modern Slavery is often 'hidden in plain sight'. Traffickers and exploiters coerce, deceive and force individuals against their will into a life of abuse, servitude, and inhumane treatment. The exploitation can cause severe trauma and can leave victims with complex needs. In human trafficking cases, exploitation can take many forms, including sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery, servitude, forced criminality and removal of organs. The Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) Service has been running since 2017, initially in three sites, and now operating in two thirds of Local Authorities (LAs) in England and Wales. Through this Contract, the ICTG Service shall be expanded to cover all LAs in England & Wales. Delivering the ICTG service is one way that the UK meets its domestic and legal obligations to Child Victims of Modern Slavery (CVoMS), alongside the statutory obligations on LAs to safeguard all children (including CVoMS) in their areas. ICTGs provide an additional source of advice and support for potentially trafficked children, irrespective of nationality or immigration status, and somebody to advocate on their behalf to ensure their best interests are reflected in the decision-making of the Public Authorities involved in their care. An ICTG's advocacy and involvement throughout the decision-making process is intended to ensure the Child is protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation, re-trafficking or going missing, and promote the Child's recovery. The ICTG Service model provides one-to-one Direct Support for Children with no parental responsibility for them in the UK and Indirect Support for Children where there is someone with parental responsibility for them in the UK. In exceptional circumstances, Children with a Figure of Parental Responsibility (FOPR) for them in the UK can receive Direct Support. Referrals into the ICTG Service are made by First Responders (FR) or First Responder Organisations (FRO). The ICTG Service supports Children from the moment they enter the NRM process, providing independent, specialist guidance. If Children receive a Negative Reasonable Grounds Decision or Negative Conclusive Grounds Decision, Support will end, subject to the Reconsideration Requests process and Exit Criteria detailed in this Contract. More information on the ICTG Service can be found in the Data Room, in the Jaggaer Portal following registration.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Two separate 12-month optional extensions, conditional upon adequate performance of KPIs and at the discretion of the Authority.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-059ac1
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056744-2025
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

85310000 - Social work services

85311300 - Welfare services for children and young people

85312300 - Guidance and counselling services

85312310 - Guidance services

85312320 - Counselling services

85312400 - Welfare services not delivered through residential institutions

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£40,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£40,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 Sep 20255 months ago
Submission Deadline
30 Oct 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
19 May 2026 - 20 May 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
2030-05-20

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HOME OFFICE
Contact Name
John Hughes
Contact Email
ictgprocurement@homeoffice.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
Post Town
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
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England), TLL Wales

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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