--- title: "01819 Provision of Video Visits (COVID-19)" ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000626502" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000626502" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000626502.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000626502.json" source: "Public Contracts Scotland" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "SCOTTISH PRISON SERVICE" published: "2020-12-07" --- # 01819 Provision of Video Visits (COVID-19) Buyer: SCOTTISH PRISON SERVICE Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000626502 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000626502) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000626502.json) ## Summary The Scottish Prison Service, located in Edinburgh, has successfully completed the procurement process for the provision of a video visits system designed to enhance family contact for those in its care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This tender, titled "01819 Provision of Video Visits (COVID-19)", was conducted using a limited procurement method without prior publication of a call for competition, given the urgency stemming from the pandemic. The contract, awarded to Unilink Software, has a value of £300,000 and was signed on 18 May 2020. The delivery of the service is planned for all establishments across Scotland, and it will initially operate as a pilot for six months, with the potential for a further six-month extension depending on demand and effectiveness. This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in technology services and software solutions, particularly those focused on remote communication and virtual service delivery. Companies that specialise in secure video conferencing systems or have experience with public service contracts would be well-suited to compete for future similar tenders as the Scottish Prison Service evaluates the success of this pilot programme and considers further requirements for ongoing or additional services to enhance the prison visit experience in a socially distanced environment. ## Notice In response to the Covid-19 situation SPS was required to implement a video visits system to improve arrangements for those in our care to maintain family contact. ### Lot Information Lot 1 The COVID-19 outbreak has had a profound impact on all aspects of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) daily operations. The SPS COVID-19 response plan required a number of prompt decisions to be made to curtail aspects of the prison regime. This allowed SPS maintain effective prison operations on a basic regime whilst implementing necessary social distancing measures to keep prisoners, staff and members of the public safe. This included the temporary cessation of prison visits. This measure limited the ability of those in our care to have face to face contact with family and friends and triggered an urgent requirement for SPS to provide an alternative solution to prison visits. In response to this situation, SPS decided to provide access to secure video visits across all its Establishments. The service will be run as a pilot and operate for 6 months with the option to extend for a maximum further 6 months. SPS will evaluate the demand and effectiveness of video visits in use before advertising any further service requirement. The indicative cost of the solution was expected to be higher than the current EU Threshold but if SPS were to utilise any of the procedures which required competitive tendering, it would be unable to comply with the mandatory minimum time limits and deploy a viable and secure solution expediently. Therefore, due to extreme urgency, this procurement has been carried out under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 regulation 33(1)(c) and 33(3). ### Procurement Information The COVID-19 outbreak, has had a profound impact on all aspects of the SPS's daily operations. In particular, a key issue that resulted from the restrictions was the overriding need to continue to retain operational stability in what are unprecedented circumstances. Therefore, a number of decisions were necessarily made to curtail aspects of the prison regime to reflect social distancing measures. This included the temporary cessation of visits, which stopped the ability of those in our care to make face to face contact with family and friends. This decision gave rise to an urgent requirement for SPS to address this issue, as prison visits play a vital role for those in our care to maintain family contact. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland | | Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401725 | | Notice type | OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Limited | | Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | SME | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 7 Dec 2020 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 18 May 2020 | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | £300,000 | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Complete | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Active | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | SCOTTISH PRISON SERVICE | | Locality | EDINBURGH | | Post town | Edinburgh | | Postcode | EH12 9HW | | Country | Scotland | | ITL 1 | TLM Scotland | | ITL 2 | TLM1 East Central Scotland | | ITL 3 | TLM13 City of Edinburgh | | Local authority | City of Edinburgh | | Electoral ward | Drum Brae/Gyle | | Westminster constituency | Edinburgh West | | Delivery location | TLM Scotland | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | UNILINK SOFTWARE | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 64 - Postal and telecommunications services ### Codes - 64224000 - Teleconferencing services ## Release History - 7 Dec 2020 at 00:00 - Award - OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401725 ## Documents - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401725 01819 Provision of Video Visits (COVID-19) - In response to the Covid-19 situation SPS was required to implement a video visits system to improve arrangements for those in our care to maintain family contact. ## Notice URLs - http:// - http://www.sps.gov.uk - https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000626502 ## 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-r6ebe6-0000626502. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000626502.json.