--- title: "Witness Service (2023-2027)" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-972b255c-5769-4cc7-8932-916097bb7601" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-972b255c-5769-4cc7-8932-916097bb7601" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-972b255c-5769-4cc7-8932-916097bb7601.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-972b255c-5769-4cc7-8932-916097bb7601.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "MINISTRY OF JUSTICE" published: "2021-10-01" --- # Witness Service (2023-2027) Buyer: MINISTRY OF JUSTICE Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-b5fd17-972b255c-5769-4cc7-8932-916097bb7601 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-972b255c-5769-4cc7-8932-916097bb7601) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-972b255c-5769-4cc7-8932-916097bb7601.json) ## Summary The Ministry of Justice is planning a procurement process for the Witness Service, which will run from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2027. This existing service provides crucial emotional and practical support to prosecution and defence witnesses in all Criminal Courts across England and Wales, with a budget of £30 million. The procurement process is currently in the planning stage, with an indicative timeline indicating that the competition is expected to go live in December 2021. A supplier event is also scheduled for October 20, 2021, where interested parties can express their interest before the deadline of October 14, 2021. This procurement presents an excellent opportunity for businesses specialising in justice services, particularly those offering support and advisory services for witnesses in legal settings. Companies that focus on trauma-informed care, accessibility, and technological solutions for remote service delivery will be well-suited to compete for this contract. The Ministry of Justice encourages small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) to participate, highlighting a commitment to seeking innovative solutions and improvements in service delivery through market engagement. ## Notice The Ministry of Justice will shortly commence the procurement of a new contract for the Witness Service. The Witness Service is an existing service which will be recommissioned. The Witness Service has operated in all Criminal Courts in England and Wales since 2003, with a combination of volunteers and paid staff providing emotional and practical support to prosecution and defence witnesses to enable them to give their best evidence. The future service will be materially similar to the current model. However, we will also examine options for future improvement through effective engagement with the market. The Ministry of Justice is seeking a provider to provide support guided by the following principles, reflecting our vision for the service: To continue to deliver a service for witnesses attending court - building on the existing model for support and the significant benefits it provides to witnesses. To provide the service flexibility to better respond to new challenges, including pandemic-like scenarios, future use of Nightingale courts, Extended Operating Hours and support witnesses in giving remote and pre-recorded evidence. To improve the service at a detailed level, learning lessons from victim policy in recent years. This will include working to create a more trauma-informed approach, improving the accessibility of the service and improving partnership working with victim advocates. To create opportunities within the service design to test ambitious options for future improvement of the service, including through digital support. Indicative project milestones include: Competition Live - December 2021 Award confirmed and transition commenced - August 2022 Launch of the Future Witness Service (latest) - January 2021 The scope of the service, is being finalised, including through feedback from the market, and will be confirmed in the Contract notice. Please note we are still in the process of obtaining final approvals for this work. Additional information: The Authority plans to hold a Supplier Event on Wednesday 20 October 2021. Suppliers interested in attending the event should confirm their interest by 5pm on Thursday 14 October 2021 by sending an email to the Future Witness Service commercial team at VW.National.Services@justice.gov.uk. The form of response should be limited to the provision of a single point of contact (full company name, contact name, job title, e-mail address and telephone number). The Authority will then issue invitations to all interested parties, confirming the timings and location of the events. Details of interested parties shall be added to the Authority's e-sourcing portal, in order to share information. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bffb2e97-647e-4cd5-96a4-c37aede4bb48 | | Notice type | Planned Procurement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Not specified | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 1 Oct 2021 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 15 Dec 2021 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2027 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £30,000,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Cancelled | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | MINISTRY OF JUSTICE | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1H 9AJ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | St James's | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 75 - Administration, defence and social security services ### Codes - 75230000 - Justice services ## Release History - 1 Oct 2021 at 13:53 - Planning - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bffb2e97-647e-4cd5-96a4-c37aede4bb48 - 1 Oct 2021 at 13:53 - Planning - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/81706b80-99cd-4a35-a657-378c12a71612 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bffb2e97-647e-4cd5-96a4-c37aede4bb48 1st October 2021 - Future opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/81706b80-99cd-4a35-a657-378c12a71612 1st October 2021 - Future opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - http://www.justice.gov.uk Witness Service ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-972b255c-5769-4cc7-8932-916097bb7601. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-972b255c-5769-4cc7-8932-916097bb7601.json.