---
title: "Heathrow IRC Operator Services"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-050b69"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-050b69"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050b69.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050b69.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "HOME OFFICE"
published: "2026-03-17"
---

# Heathrow IRC Operator Services

Buyer: HOME OFFICE  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-050b69

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## Summary

The Home Office has initiated a tender process seeking to contract operator services for the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), the largest immigration detention facility in Europe, located in London, United Kingdom. The tender is in the procurement stage, aiming for a procurement specific questionnaire response deadline on the 3rd of March 2026 and tender submissions due by the 20th of April 2026. Valued at approximately £901.5m excluding VAT, this open procurement involves competitive flexible procedure inviting organisations to manage services ranging from security and catering to religious and cleaning services. The current contracting extends from April 2028 to March 2034, with potential extensions extending up to four years.

This tender presents a substantial opportunity for companies specialising in facility management and the provision of comprehensive operational services. With sectors such as education, transport services, and facilities management being pertinent, SMEs could partner with the principal supplier to deliver elements of the required services. Businesses with strong technical capability and economic positioning are encouraged to express interest via the Home Office's eSourcing portal, with strategic engagement in dialogues aimed at understanding relocation risks and procurement timelines. The scale and complexity involved make it ideal for established firms with experience in handling large-scale public service contracts, but also open a pathway for smaller enterprises to contribute through subcontracting opportunities.

## Notice

The Authority is responsible, under statutory obligations including the Immigration Act 1971, the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the Immigration Act 2014, for detaining and/or enforcing the removal of certain persons. Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) is Europe's largest immigration detention facility, providing a contracted capacity of 1093 beds, and is made up of two sites: Harmondsworth (754 beds); and Colnbrook (339 beds). Heathrow IRC accepts around 12,000 detained individuals every year and provides crucial strategic and operational benefits to the Home Office. The Authority is seeking a commercial partner to operate the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre, with the required services including but not limited to: a) security services; b) canteen and catering services; c) special-purpose road passenger-transport services; d) guard services; e) building and facilities management services; f) grounds maintenance services; g) education and training services; h) accommodation cleaning services; i) recreational, cultural and sporting services; j) religious services; k) accommodation services; l) housekeeping services; and m) administration, defence and social security services.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: An initial contract term of 6 years with the option to extend for a period of up to four years, comprising of 2+1+1.

Renewal: Maximum of four years (2+1+1)

### Planning Information

• To express interest and obtain the documentation please contact the Heathrow IRC Procurement mailbox: heathrowircreprocurementproject@homeoffice.gov.uk
• We kindly request your completed response be returned by 12 noon, 3rd of October 2025 to the Heathrow IRC Procurement mailbox: heathrowircreprocurementproject@homeoffice.gov.uk
• When submitting, please include “RFI Response – Heathrow IRC Operator Services” in the subject line.
Please note:
• This RFI is for information-gathering purposes only.
• Any information provided will be treated in confidence and used solely to inform the Home Office’s procurement strategy.
• Suppliers are advised that this exercise does not form part of a formal procurement process, and no commercial advantage will be given to those who respond to this notice.
• This is one of a series of potential market engagement activities.
• The Home Office will contact suppliers who express an interest in this RFI, as well as those who participated in previous Heathrow IRC market engagement activities, to inform them of any subsequent market engagement opportunities.
• Any Suppliers who have not engaged in earlier market engagement activities for this procurement will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to receiving the RFI questionnaire. 
• If you are not able to respond within the timelines stated please let us know.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024238-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 20 Apr 2026 |
| Future notice date | 2 Mar 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2028 - 31 Mar 2034 |
| Recurrence | 2032-03-17 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £901,500,000 |
| Lots value | £901,500,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Active |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | HOME OFFICE |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 4DF |
| 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

- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services
- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)
- 77 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 80 - Education and training services
- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services
- 92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services
- 98 - Other community, social and personal services

### Codes

- 55500000 - Canteen and catering services
- 60130000 - Special-purpose road passenger-transport services
- 77314000 - Grounds maintenance services
- 79710000 - Security services
- 79713000 - Guard services
- 79993000 - Building and facilities management services
- 80000000 - Education and training services
- 90911100 - Accommodation cleaning services
- 92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services
- 98131000 - Religious services
- 98341000 - Accommodation services
- 98341110 - Housekeeping services

## Release History

- 17 Mar 2026 at 16:08 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024238-2026
- 7 Jan 2026 at 16:12 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001203-2026
- 22 Sep 2025 at 15:47 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058665-2025
- 1 May 2025 at 13:06 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018437-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024238-2026
  17th March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001203-2026
  7th January 2026 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058665-2025
  22nd September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018437-2025
  1st May 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.gov.uk/home-office
- https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-h6vhtk-050b69. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050b69.json.