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Justice-wide Intermediary Services - Preliminary Market Engagement

Ministry of Justice

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Planning

09 Sep 2026 at 13:36

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

20 May 2026 at 13:30

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
PlanningUpdate

09 Apr 2026 at 11:04

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

08 Apr 2026 at 13:02

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

28 Nov 2025 at 11:36

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Justice is exploring a single, justice-wide intermediary services arrangement covering the Ministry and the wider justice sector across the United Kingdom. The service would support vulnerable witnesses, defendants and other parties to communicate fully, coherently and accurately, and to understand and participate in proceedings. It is expected to bring together services currently delivered through HMCTS Appointed Intermediary Services Frameworks and the Witness Intermediary Scheme, as well as ad hoc support for His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and the Parole Board. Intermediaries would assess communication needs, report orally or in writing on appropriate measures, and implement those measures at court hearings, interviews, solicitor offices or police stations. This is a services requirement related to court and police activity, with participation intended to suit SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises.

This procurement is at the planning stage and the Ministry of Justice is carrying out preliminary market engagement; it is not yet an invitation to tender. The buyer expects to hold an online Microsoft Teams webinar or live event on 8 October 2026, with further engagement planned afterwards. It estimates that all market engagement will be completed by 26 February 2027, and currently anticipates a subsequent notice on 12 April 2027. The planned arrangement is one lot, expected to run from 1 April 2029 to 31 March 2037, using a framework agreement under the light-touch regime. The estimated value is £220 million excluding VAT, or £247 million including VAT. Engagement is intended to inform the future procurement and does not form part of tender evaluation.

This will suit organisations that provide impartial communication specialists for vulnerable people involved in criminal, civil, family or related justice proceedings. Relevant suppliers should be able to assess individual communication needs, produce clear oral and written reports, recommend practical adjustments and deliver those measures in hearings, interviews and other justice settings. Experience working with courts, police, legal representatives, prisons, probation services or parole processes would be directly relevant. The requirement is broad enough to interest established intermediary providers, specialist communication businesses, charities and social enterprises, as well as SMEs able to contribute through a consortium or supply chain. Businesses can use the planned engagement to explain delivery models, workforce capacity, geographic coverage, quality safeguards and experience across the existing intermediary services being considered.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Justice-wide Intermediary Services - Preliminary Market Engagement

Notice Description

The MoJ is currently exploring the future of intermediary services provision and conducting preliminary market engagement, prior to any procurement process. This notice is published for transparency purposes in accordance with the Procurement Act (2023) and does not constitute the commencement of a procurement. The MoJ is exploring how these services may be delivered across the Ministry and the wider justice sector. Services being considered include those currently provided under the HMCTS Appointed Intermediary Services Frameworks (HAIS) and the Witness Intermediary Scheme (WIS), in addition to ad hoc intermediary services provided to support His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the Parole Board. You can find out more about the current HAIS arrangements at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmcts-intermediary-services#about-hmcts-intermediary-services You can find out more about the current Witness Intermediary Scheme at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ministry-of-justice-witness-intermediary-scheme Intermediaries are impartial communication specialists whose primary responsibility is to enable complete, coherent and accurate communication with vulnerable witnesses, defendants and parties in the justice system, in order to improve the quality of evidence and facilitate the vulnerable person's understanding and participation in the proceedings. The role of an intermediary includes making an assessment and reporting, orally or in writing, about the communication needs of the vulnerable person and the steps that should be taken to meet those needs. It also includes implementing those measures, at a court hearing or interview, for example at a solicitor's office or police station.

Planning Information

The purpose of this notice is to enable suppliers to find out how to participate in an online market engagement event planned for 8th October 2026. This event will take the form of an online webinar or 'live event' using Microsoft Teams. Interested parties are required to register an expression of interest by emailing intermediariesproject@justice.gov.uk Joining instructions will be issued to those that have expressed an interest in attending before 7th October 2026. A recording of the event will be made available via the MoJ eSourcing Portal on or after 9th October 2026. Your details will be held for the purposes of alerting you to market engagement activity, including the publication of information on the MoJ eSourcing Portal. This is the third phase of market engagement relating to Justice wide intermediary services. The MoJ has previously conducted engagement through a market engagement questionnaire and a live event. Materials published to support the first two phases of engagement are available via the MoJ eSourcing Portal, alongside the recording of the previous event. The MoJ intends to take undertake further market engagement following the event on 8th October 2026. The engagement deadline date of 26th February 2027 contained in this notice is an estimate of when we intend all market engagement activity will be completed. To view the recording and supporting information after the event, or to access materials from previous engagement phases, interested parties are required to register an account via the MoJ eSourcing Portal at: https://ministryofjusticecommercial.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html If you are unsure whether you are already registered on the MoJ eSourcing Portal, you can email the support team: esourcing@justice.gov.uk Note that within the eSourcing Portal a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) module is being used as a mechanism for sharing information, and no feedback or responses to engagement will affect your ability to tender for contracts in the future. Responses at this stage are not evaluated or attributed to you or your organisation in future procurement stages. If your organisation does not wish to participate in the market engagement event or subsequent events, this will not prevent your organisation from being able to participate in any subsequent procurement. The information contained in this notice is only indicative of current thinking and is neither exhaustive nor binding and MoJ reserves the right to amend it at the time of issue of any further notices or at any other time. MoJ reserves the right not to proceed with any procurement. Nothing in this notice shall constitute a commitment to procuring. Any and all costs associated with the production of a response to market engagement must be borne by your organisation. MoJ will not contribute in any way to meeting costs of any response. MoJ expects that all responses to this engagement opportunity will be provided by the supplier in good faith, to the best of its ability, in light of the information available at the time of response.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05eaec
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085391-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
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

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

CPV Codes

75231100 - Law-courts-related administrative services

75241100 - Police services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£220,000,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
12 Apr 20277 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2029 - 31 Mar 2037 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
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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