Notice Information
Notice Title
Youth Custody Accommodation and Services at Oakhill (Milton Keynes)
Notice Description
About the Youth Custody Service (YCS) The Youth Custody Service (YCS), a distinct part of HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) established in September 2017, is responsible for the youth custody estate in England and Wales. This covers children and young people aged 10-18 who are remanded or sentenced to custody. The youth custody estate currently comprises: * Four Young Offender Institutions for boys * One Secure Training Centre * Seven Secure Children's Homes * One Secure School The YCS commissions and manages outsourced youth custody services, operates public sector youth custody sites and oversees the placement of children and young people across the estate. YCS works closely with central government and local authorities to improve outcomes and ensure that children's voices contribute to service development. Vision and Priorities HMPPS aims to protect the public and prevent victims by rehabilitating those in its care. The YCS applies these principles to its young cohort, with a vision of: "Working together to make sure every child in our care is safe, supported and strives for a better future, to reduce reoffending and protect the public." The YCS seeks to ensure youth custody is a safe, educational and supportive environment, enabling children to address risks, develop positive behaviours, and improve life chances on release. Oakhill Oakhill is currently an 80-bed youth custody facility in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, accommodating boys and girls aged 12-18. The site was established under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract for the design, build, finance, and operation of the facility. This PFI contract is due to expire in June 2029. The YCS intends to commission replacement services for children in custody at the Oakhill site and is exploring options for the future service model and delivery arrangements. Future Procurement The YCS is committed to commissioning high quality services that reflect the complex needs of children in custody. The future procurement for services at Oakhill is expected to seek innovative, evidence-based and multidisciplinary approaches across areas such as care, education, health, and rehabilitation. Further details on the potential scope, structure and procurement approach will be shared and discussed as part of future market engagement activity, as we develop our commissioning strategy ahead of the expiry of the existing arrangements. We want to engage with potential bidders to develop an effective approach that will best meet the needs of children in our care.
Planning Information
Engagement process Through this preliminary market engagement, we aim to understand market capacity, capability, and interest in delivering services that support improved outcomes for children in custody, while reflecting our shared commitment to partnership working, diversity, and inclusion in service delivery. The engagement will: • Inform the market of this potential procurement opportunity; • Enable an understanding of the market's capacity and appetite to participate in a potential procurement process; • Help us to understand barriers to participation and gather insight into potential solutions; • Help us to work collaboratively with providers to understand how services for children at the Oakhill site could be best commissioned and provided; and • Inform the consideration of options for the future commissioning and service model. Preliminary market engagement questionnaire Your views are important to us, and important to our next steps. As part of the engagement process, YCS has developed this questionnaire - the insights gathered will help shape the commissioning requirements ahead of more formal market engagement activities in the near future. This questionnaire is not a call for competition and any future procurement process will be compliant with the Procurement Act 2023. Information submitted will be treated in confidence, will not be individually identified or revealed to third parties and will not prejudice any provider from participating in a future procurement. Any information marked as commercially sensitive will be treated as such. Please identify any information which should not be disclosed because of its sensitivity, providing reasons and the period for which the information will remain sensitive. Please note, issuing this questionnaire and carrying out future market engagement does not commit authorities to commence any related procurement process. Interested parties are requested to complete and submit this questionnaire by 09 January 2026 17:00 GMT If you have any questions, please contact: oakhillproject@justice.gov.uk The questionnaire can be located here: https://forms.office.com/e/eFpSiQKrqT
Notice Details
Publication & Lifecycle
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-05dc24
- Publication Source
- Find A Tender Service
- Latest Notice
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035024-2026
- Current Stage
- Planning
- All Stages
- Planning
Procurement Classification
- Notice Type
- UK1 - Pipeline Notice
- Procurement Type
- Standard
- Procurement Category
- Services
- Procurement Method
- Not Specified
- Procurement Method Details
- Not specified
- Tender Suitability
- SME, VCSE
- Awardee Scale
- Not specified
Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)
- CPV Divisions
55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services
66 - Financial and insurance services
75 - Administration, defence and social security services
79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
80 - Education and training services
85 - Health and social work services
98 - Other community, social and personal services
-
- CPV Codes
55520000 - Catering services
66162000 - Custody services
75000000 - Administration, defence and social security services
75231200 - Services related to the detention or rehabilitation of criminals
79993000 - Building and facilities management services
80310000 - Youth education services
85000000 - Health and social work services
85300000 - Social work and related services
98000000 - Other community, social and personal services
Notice Value(s)
- Tender Value
- £175,000,000 £100M-£1B
- Lots Value
- Not specified
- Awards Value
- Not specified
- Contracts Value
- Not specified
Notice Dates
- Publication Date
- 17 Apr 20261 weeks ago
- Submission Deadline
- Not specified
- Future Notice Date
- 1 Jun 20272 years to go
- Award Date
- Not specified
- Contract Period
- 29 Jun 2029 - 29 Jun 2035 Over 5 years
- Recurrence
- Not specified
Notice Status
- Tender Status
- Planned
- Lots Status
- Planned
- Awards Status
- Not Specified
- Contracts Status
- Not Specified
Buyer & Supplier
Contracting Authority (Buyer)
- Main Buyer
- MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
- 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
- SW1H 9AJ
- 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
- Not specified
-
- Local Authority
- Westminster
- Electoral Ward
- St James's
- Westminster Constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster
Further Information
Notice Documents
-
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035024-2026
17th April 2026 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender -
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029004-2026
30th March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender -
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078733-2025
2nd December 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender -
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071768-2025
6th November 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)
View full OCDS Record for this contracting process
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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