---
title: "Prison Democratic Therapeutic Communities - Integrated Quality Audit Processes"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0519d6"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0519d6"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0519d6.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0519d6.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF JUSTICE"
published: "2026-05-14"
---

# Prison Democratic Therapeutic Communities - Integrated Quality Audit Processes

Buyer: MINISTRY OF JUSTICE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0519d6

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## Summary

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has completed the procurement process for the "Prison Democratic Therapeutic Communities – Integrated Quality Audit Processes" project. This open procedure aimed to contract a supplier to enhance quality audit processes within Democratic Therapeutic Communities (DTCs) operated by His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). With a start date of 27th April 2026, the contract will run until 31st March 2032 and is valued at £720,000 gross. The awarded contract sought services to design and implement a new integrated audit and quality improvement process for 14 DTCs in the United Kingdom. The tender was awarded to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, who will be responsible for conducting clinical audits, assessing compliance with operating models, and facilitating workforce development opportunities.

This procurement presents significant business growth opportunities, particularly for large-scale organisations that specialise in health services, auditing, and educational services. The partnership with MoJ requires a high level of expertise in delivering robust audit processes that align with complex psychological and therapeutic environments. Businesses specialising in clinical performance evaluation, quality assurance, and workforce development across health and correctional services sectors will find this contract well-suited to their capabilities. Moreover, it offers opportunities for suppliers to support shared learning and training initiatives among prison service staff, advancing the quality and reach of therapeutic interventions.

## Notice

Democratic Therapeutic Communities (DTCs) in His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) including Therapeutic Communities Plus (TC+) for offenders with Learning Disabilities (LD) are a recognised offending behaviour programme designed with the aim of reducing reoffending, some having been in existence within the prison system for more than 50 years. They form part of the National Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway, jointly commissioned between HMPPS and NHS England, offering a pathway of interventions for male and female offenders with complex needs. There are currently 14 DTCs operating in the Prison Service; 11 of these delivering the DTC core model within five establishments; and three delivering the TC+ model. DTCs in prisons aim to reduce re-offending through challenging offence-related risk factors. They address the interpersonal problems, attitudes, thinking and emotions of offenders and aim to engage in treatment those who also have additional emotional and psychological needs. DTCs can provide intervention for offenders with impaired psychological functioning and seek to engage offenders who may not be suitable to undertake other accredited Offending Behaviour Programmes. They are an intensive intervention - prisoners will be expected to remain in therapy for at least 18 months and more likely for two years. Therefore, places in DTCs are normally reserved for offenders serving longer sentences, who have a higher likelihood of re-offending, or who are judged to present a high risk of harm to others. DTCs have a strong evidence base underpinning their theoretical model of change that should be delivered in accordance with a set of manuals which have been accredited by the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel (CSAAP). The prison DTCs participate in a mandatory integrated standards-based process of quality assurance processes. These processes require continued development to ensure an effective and appropriate means of measuring the therapeutic environment and the quality of the therapy delivered. The MoJ requires a Supplier to design, develop, deliver and review an integrated standards-based audit and quality improvement process for all DTCs in HMPPS including TC+. The service is to be delivered incorporating a full clinical audit, using specialist auditors, within each cycle that measures each DTC's compliance with the detailed and accredited operating models for reducing reoffending. This review process will provide a measure of the quality of the intervention as a DTC and its clinical integrity; additionally, it will provide an assessment of clinical performance and report to the Correctional Services Accreditation and Advice Panel (CSAAP) in line with accreditation requirements. The Supplier must also be able to provide avenues for shared learning for all HMPPS DTCs, support their overall development, provide workforce development opportunities for training and improvements in the clinical skills and knowledge of DTC staff and facilitate access to relevant knowledge and learning opportunities. Critically, the clinical evaluation and quality improvement processes will need to be delivered through a methodology that is in keeping with the philosophy and values of the DTC model and will support the specific therapeutic and clinical requirements of its operation.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The Authority reserves the right to modify the Contract to extend its duration by up to two (2) years beyond the original expiry date, solely for the purpose of ensuring service continuity. Any such extension will be subject to compliance with applicable procurement regulations and will require written agreement by both Parties

### Planning Information

We are inviting suppliers to register their interest with this opportunity by emailing MoJProcurement.Off@justice.gov.uk.
We will share the specification with you and arrange a 1-1 virtual meeting
This is at pre-procurement stage where we are looking to work with the market to understand capability and appetite for the future tender that aims to be live later this year.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044365-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 14 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 9 Jan 2026 |
| Future notice date | 7 Jul 2025 |
| Award date | 16 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | 26 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2032 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £600,000 |
| Lots value | £600,000 |
| Awards value | £600,000 |
| Contracts value | £600,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## 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 |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 79212000 - Auditing services
- 85100000 - Health services
- 85121270 - Psychiatrist or psychologist services

## Release History

- 14 May 2026 at 12:46 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044365-2026
- 17 Feb 2026 at 12:17 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014261-2026
- 21 Nov 2025 at 16:18 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076175-2025
- 21 Nov 2025 at 16:14 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076172-2025
- 12 Jun 2025 at 09:35 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031786-2025
- 2 Jun 2025 at 12:29 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029148-2025
- 21 May 2025 at 08:55 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023592-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044365-2026
  14th May 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014261-2026
  17th February 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076175-2025
  21st November 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076172-2025
  21st November 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031786-2025
  12th June 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029148-2025
  2nd June 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023592-2025
  21st May 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://ministryofjusticecommercial.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/procurement
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/

## 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-0519d6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0519d6.json.