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COMMS-Family Advocacy Service for Bereaved Families following a Death in Prison Custody

Scottish Government

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

05 Aug 2026 at 11:15

Award Notice
Award

05 Aug 2026 at 11:15

Award Notice
Tender

25 Mar 2026 at 11:02

Tender Notice
Planning

09 Dec 2025 at 11:49

Planning Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Scottish Government commissioned an independent Family Advocacy Service for families following the death of a loved one in prison custody. The service provides specialist, trauma-informed support and representation, helping eligible families navigate complex post-death processes, ensuring they are heard and empowered. The provider must manage and coordinate advocacy support, design delivery around the specification, maintain consistent local availability across Scotland, and operate independently of Scottish Ministers, the Scottish Prison Service, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and other statutory bodies. It must monitor performance, provide robust information to the Scottish Government, improve services where necessary, and treat service users, staff and stakeholders with dignity, fairness and respect. This is a Scotland-wide community, social and personal service.

The procurement has been awarded following an open procedure. AdvoCard was selected for the requirement. Two active awards and two active contracts are recorded, each valued at £450,000, with contracts signed on 22 July 2026. The tender closed on 29 April 2026 at 11:00, with award activity beginning at that time and bids opened then. The contract period is 360 days, with an option for up to two further 12-month extensions, subject to the stated end limit of 31 August 2029. Evaluation was based on quality at 80% and price at 20%, with pass/fail exclusion and selection checks. Four electronic bids were recorded, all from SMEs. Bids had to remain valid for 180 days and be submitted in English.

This procurement indicates demand for a specialist organisation able to deliver independent advocacy after deaths in prison custody across Scotland, rather than a single-site support service. A credible future supplier would need trauma-informed advocacy expertise, strong family support and representation capability, and systems that coordinate consistent delivery across the country. It would also need robust monitoring, reporting and service-improvement arrangements, with staff names and qualifications available. Financial and operational readiness includes a current ratio of at least 1.0, public and professional indemnity insurance of £2 million each, and legally required employer liability cover. Suppliers relying on subcontractors would need resilient supply-chain tracking, prompt payment controls, climate-change planning and evidence that at least 95% of supply-chain invoices were paid on time in the previous financial year.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

COMMS-Family Advocacy Service for Bereaved Families following a Death in Prison Custody

Notice Description

The Scottish Government seeks to commission an independent Family Advocacy Service to provide specialist support and representation to families following the death of a loved one in prison custody. The service will be independent, trauma-informed, and rooted in advocacy principles, ensuring families are supported, heard, and empowered throughout complex post-death processes.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Service Provider must: - Manage, administer and coordinate the delivery of high-quality advocacy support to all eligible Service Users who request support following a death in prison custody. - Design the service to deliver the activities within the Specification. - Put in place systems, agreements and processes to ensure local delivery of advocacy support are consistently available across the whole of Scotland. - Deliver the service independently of both Scottish Ministers, Scottish Prison Service, COPFS, and other statutory bodies. - Monitor service delivery; provide the Purchaser with robust monitoring information; and act when needed to improve services. - Ensure that Service Users, staff and other stakeholders are treated with dignity, fairness and respect. Additional information: The Contract may be extended by two 12-month periods, to a date falling no later than 31 August 2029.

Renewal: Scottish Government reserve the right to extend for up to two 12-month periods to a date no later than 31 July 2029.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f1a6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074068-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£450,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£450,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
29 Apr 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
5 Jan 2026Expired
Award Date
22 Jul 20261 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Scottish Government
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
GLASGOW
Postcode
G2 8LU
Postcode Area
Glasgow
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM3 West Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM32 Glasgow City
Delivery Location
TLM Scotland
Local Authority
Glasgow City
Electoral Ward
Anderston/City/Yorkhill
Westminster Constituency
Glasgow North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

AdvoCard

Further Information

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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