Tender

Prison Operator Services - HMP & YOI Doncaster

• Ministry of Justice

UK4: Tender notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-015972

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-0504ff

Published 17 April 2025, 2:58pm

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Scope

Reference

Prj_14375

Description

This notice launches the procurement competition for the provision of Prison Operator Services for HMP & YOI Doncaster, under the Competitive Flexible Procedure Light Touch Regime of the Procurement Act 2023.

HMP & YOI Doncaster is a Category B Reception and Resettlement prison situated in South Yorkshire. Doncaster houses a male population of up to 1,145 individuals approximately 200 of whom are young offenders aged 18-20.

Prison Operator Services (also referred to as "prison management" in global markets) involves the provision of operational custodial services and Facilities Management (FM) of prisons in England and Wales.

Specifically, a Prison Operator Contract covers delivery of all operational custodial services (including but not limited to education, rehabilitation, training, work, security, resettlement) and FM services (hard and soft) that are required for a prison to hold prisoners, both safely and securely, while providing transformative services that reduce reoffending and maintain the prison to a high standard.

The Authority has procured contracts for the operation of prisons to the private sector since the early 1990s and has long advocated a shared approach to prison operation that includes a mix of public, voluntary and private sector involvement. HMP & YOI Doncaster is currently a Manage and Maintain prison Contract, and the current contractual agreement will expire on 30th September 2026. The Ministry of Justice wishes to guarantee the safe and efficient transfer of services with minimal disruption to staff and prisoners, whilst ensuring the prison is modernised to enable it to be fit for the future.

Details of the procurement can be found in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents which are structured into five volumes and are located in Ministry of Justice's e-Sourcing Portal (Jaggaer).

Volume 1: Introduction, Instructions, Procurement Process and indicative timelines - providing instructions on the completion and submission of tenders.

Volume 2: Bidder Response Criteria - providing details of the Response Criteria Bidders are required to cover in their Bids, together with guidance on completion of Bidder responses against each criterion.

Volume 3: The Draft Contract.

Volume 4: Evaluation Methodology - providing details of the evaluation methodology by which the Bid will be evaluated and the award criteria.

Volume 5: Data Rooms - containing details of the data and information that the Authority is making available to Bidders to assist them in the preparation of their Tenders.

The anticipated duration for the Contract will be 12 years from the operational services commencement date, with an option for a 3-year extension (1+1+1) and contains an option of a break clause at 6 years.

Please see previous linked notices to this procurement:

Market Engagement for HMP Dovegate and HMP Doncaster Competitions - Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-045726

Market Engagement for HMP Doncaster Operator Competition - Site Visits -Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-046f21

Total value (estimated)

• £387,000,000 excluding VAT
• £464,400,000 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Contract dates (estimated)

• 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2038
• Possible extension to 30 September 2041
• 15 years

Description of possible extension:

1 year + 1 year + 1 year

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

• 75231230 - Prison services
• 75231210 - Imprisonment services
• 75240000 - Public security, law and order services

Contract locations

• UKE3 - South Yorkshire

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Participation

Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation

Yes

Technical ability conditions of participation

Yes

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Submission

Enquiry deadline

28 April 2025, 12:00pm

Submission type

Requests to participate

Deadline for requests to participate

2 May 2025, 12:00pm

Submission address and any special instructions

https://ministryofjusticecommercial.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html

Tenders may be submitted electronically

Yes

Languages that may be used for submission

English

Award decision date (estimated)

12 March 2026

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Award criteria

Name	Description	Type
(1.1a) Safety	The Bidder is required to provide a detailed solution for how they will design and deliver a safe regime and environment.	Quality
(1.1b) Decency & Prison Culture	The Bidder is required to provide details regarding how they will ensure that there is a clean, decent and positive environment for all those who live and work there. This should include fostering... supportive, effective, and rehabilitative relationships that enable/ facilitate risk reduction both whilst in custody and on release. The Bidder must demonstrate their clear vision regarding the culture they wish to create, why this is important to the outcomes that they want to achieve, identify how they will monitor key risks to achieving this culture, and implement clear plans to mitigate these. They should have sufficient monitoring, communication, and engagement processes in place to support the culture they wish to create throughout the lifecycle of the contract.	Quality
(1.1c) Security	The Bidder is required to provide a detailed solution on how they will seek to both understand their key security risks and take a strategic approach in managing them through a range of methods,... including procedural and physical security, with adequate assurances provided.	Quality
(1.2a) Health, Wellbeing and Substance Misuse	The Bidder is required to provide a detailed solution how they will: • Facilitate a comprehensive healthcare provision commissioned by NHS England and delivered by contracted service providers in... accordance with national specifications. • Provide wellbeing services that are complementary to those provided via NHS commissioning. • Enable addiction recovery support services that are complementary to those provided via NHS commissioning. • Support the integration of Physical Education and Catering services into health and wellbeing delivery.	Quality
(1.2b) Approach to Regime & Purposeful Activity	The Bidder is required to describe their approach to the design and delivery of the regime for HMP & YOI Doncaster, including a detailed solution for the provision of Tier 1 and 2 Purposeful Activity... Offer. As part of its detailed solution, the Bidder must demonstrate effective: · Enabling of the education service; · Provision of skills and work opportunities to prisoners to maximise successful resettlement and employment upon release · Enhancement of inter-personal, social or life skills.	Quality
(1.2c) Reducing Reoffending	The Bidder is required to provide a detailed solution on how they will: • Design, deliver, monitor, review and refine their rehabilitative activity offer to provide the best possible outcomes for... prisoners in line with the most recent evidence-based research. • Ensure that all prisoners are appropriately risk assessed (in terms of risk of serious harm and risk of re-offending?) and supported to reduce their risk level and maximise their opportunities to effectively resettle and reintegrate back into the community upon release. • Tailor their solution to meet the assessed needs of the individual, the different cohorts and those with specific needs.	Quality
(1.2d) Remand	The Bidder is required to outline how it will meet the needs of prisoners who are on remand.	Quality
(1.2e) Transfer, Release & Resettlement	The Bidder is required to outline a detailed solution for preparing prisoners for resettlement, release, or transfer and how they will work with other establishments, Probation Service, HMCTS and OSPs... to ensure continuity of care and services and continued sentence progression post-transfer/release.	Quality
(1.3a) Equalities	The Bidder is required to provide a detailed solution on how they will ensure consideration of all groups (prisoners and staff) with specialist needs, what specific approaches they will take to meet... those needs, and how they will ensure equality of access and outcomes through a range of activities, including staff recruitment and training, delivery of D&I events and monitoring and actioning of inequality trends.	Quality
(1.3b) Digital Solution	The Bidder is required to outline a detailed solution for digital services.	Quality
(2a) Core Day, Heatmap, Profiles and Staff Roles/ Headcount	The Bidder is required to complete the relevant templates listed in the Response Criteria to demonstrate how a safe, decent and secure operating environment will be consistently achieved and how the... regime will be delivered.	Quality
(2b) Resource Management & 'Business as Usual' Staff Management Approach	The Bidder is required to demonstrate a detailed solution on how all resources will be managed to ensure sufficiency of cover for maintaining a safe, secure, and decent operating environment and... always ensuring continuity of regime.	Quality
(3a) Increasing supply chain resilience and capacity	The Bidder is required to describe the specific, measurable, and time-bound commitment their organisation will make to ensure that opportunities under the contract deliver the Policy Outcome:... Increasing supply chain resilience and capacity. The Bidder is required to demonstrate how they will create a diverse supply chain to deliver the contract including new businesses and entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutuals.	Quality
(3b) Workforce Health & Wellbeing	The Bidder is required to describe the specific, measurable, and time-bound commitment its organisation will make to ensure that opportunities under the contract deliver the Policy Outcome: Improve... Health & Wellbeing. The bidder is required to demonstrate what is available to support health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health in the contract workforce.	Quality
(3c) Additional Benefits	The Bidder is required to provide its commitments that are in addition to those required by the contract and that will deliver benefits over and above those which results from delivery of the... contract. Those benefits must meaningfully contribute to the delivery of the HMPPS Business Strategy outcomes of: • • Protecting the public • • Reducing reoffending • • Decent and safe prisons (which may include improving the experience of prisoners in custody)	Quality
(4a) Maintenance Services	The Bidder is required to set out a detailed solution to deliver an effective Property and Facilities Management service.	Quality
(4b) Lifecycle Replacement Services	The Bidder is required to set out a detailed solution to deliver an effective Lifecycle Replacement programme for HMP & YOI Doncaster, including how assets will be brought up to the required... contractual standards and the dates associated with these changes.	Quality
(4c) FM Resource	The Bidder is required to set out their approach to resourcing comprehensive Planned Preventative Maintenance and Reactive Maintenance Services, including their approach to the use of subcontractors.	Quality
(5a) Sustainability	The Bidder is required to provide a detailed solution to detail how they will manage the prison and deliver effective service sustainably and with due regard for the environment.	Quality
(6a) Mobilisation & Transition	The Bidder is required to provide their approach to and plans for mobilisation from Contract Award (Commencement Date) covering the Mobilisation and Transition periods as outlined in Schedule 5 of... Volume 3 (Mobilisation and Appendix 1 - Mobilisation, Transition and Transformation (MTT) Blueprint).	Quality
(6b) Transformation	The Bidder is required to provide its approach to and plans for Transformation (as defined in Schedule 5 of Volume 3) and demonstrate how it will transform the services at HMP & YOI Doncaster to meet... the needs of specific cohorts.	Quality
(7.1a) Third Party Contracts	• The Bidder is required to state its compliance to Authority contractual specifications for Utilities. • The Bidder is required to state its compliance to Authority contractual specifications for... Food Services. • The Bidder is required to state its compliance to Authority contractual specifications for Retail. • The Bidder is required to state its compliance to Authority contractual specifications for Staff Uniforms. • The Bidder is required to state its compliance to Authority contractual specifications for Secure Social Video Calling. • The Bidder is required to state its compliance to Authority contractual specifications for Control and Restraint Equipment. • The Bidder is required to state its compliance to Authority contractual specifications for Cleaning and Hygiene Equipment. • The Bidder is required to state its compliance to Authority contractual specifications for Mandatory Drug Testing.	Quality
(7:1b) Completed Schedules	Each Bidder is required to provide details on completed schedules.	Quality
(7:1c) Parent Company Guarantee	Each Bidder is required to provide information for their (and any SPV or Consortium members') ultimate parent company in connection with the provision of a parent company guarantee in the form... provided in Schedule 23 (Parent Company Guarantee) of Volume 3.	Quality
(7:1d) Consortium and Supply Chain Matters	The Bidder must provide all relevant information concerning the way in which the Services will be provided including but not limited to full details of any consortium, Special Purpose Vehicle and sub-... contracting arrangements intended to be used.	Quality
(7:1e) Insurance	The Bidder is required to complete and return the provided template to provide details of its proposed insurance cover and terms.	Quality
(7:1f) Risk Management	The Bidder is required to provide confirmation of compliance with the data storage requirements of the Contract.	Quality
(7:2a) Fixed Price Confirmation	The Bidder should confirm that its Bid Price (NPC of Price per Prisoner Place) represents a fixed price and that there will be no changes to this price during the Preferred Bidder Stage unless there... is a change in Authority requirement.	Price
(7:2b) Payment Mechanism	The Bidder should confirm that its acceptance of the full body of the Schedule 14 (Payment Mechanism) of Volume 3. For the avoidance of doubt, this includes acceptance of the proposed Permitted Level... of Contractor Doubled-Up Prisoners for a specific day and the Lifecycle Reserve Account surplus sharing position.	Quality
(7:2c) Tax and Accounting	The Bidder is required to satisfy itself generally as to its own tax position under existing tax legislation.	Quality
(7:2d) Lifecycle Reserve Account	The Contractor is required to set up a Lifecycle Reserve Account prior to the Services Commencement Date.	Quality
(7:3a) Financial Robustness Test 1	Bidders are required to bid back the Daily Total RRAPP Adjustment (Reduction in Requirement for Additional Prisoner Places) for each RRAPP Band using the Financial Robustness Template provided.... Bidders are also required to set out their approach to calculating the Daily Total RRAPP Adjustment and confirm that their RRAPP calculations are free from error.	Cost
(7:3c) Financial Robustness Test 3	The purpose of this Evaluation Question is to test the cohesion between the Bidders financial proposals and its qualitative responses to the Criteria set out in Volume 2. In doing so the Authority will... consider how responses will demonstrate a robust, sustainable, logical and consistent approach to both its cost build up and its proposals regarding service delivery as per the below.	Quality

Weighting description

Quality criteria for this evaluation is set out in the ITT documentation under Section 4 of Volume 2.

Volume 4 Table 2 (paragraph 5.8), contains the weighting given to each criterion.

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Other information

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes

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Procedure

Procedure type

Competitive flexible procedure

Special regime

Light touch

Competitive flexible procedure description

1.1 Stage 1: Conditions of Participation

1.1.1 Stage 1 commences with the issuing of this Tender Notice and the publication of the ITT Pack, including the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) which all Bidders wishing to participate are required to complete and return.

1.1.2 The Authority will undertake a review of the completed PSQ, by reference to information held on the Central Digital Platform. Responses to the PSQ will be assessed in accordance with the selection process and any conditions of participation as set out in the Tender Notice, PSQ and described in this document.

1.1.3 Stage 1 will complete with Bidders being notified in writing of whether or not they have been successfully shortlisted to participate in Stage 2 of the Competition. Any Bidders not invited to Stage 2 will be provided with a written explanation of the reasons why they have not been shortlisted.

1.1.4 Bidders should note that the Authority reserves the right to re-assess any response to the PSQ, in the event that there is a change of circumstances that may affect the information submitted previously.

1.2 Stage 2: Invitation to submit a final tender.

1.2.1 Stage 2 will commence with the shortlisted Bidders from Stage 1 being issued an invitation to tender (ITT) for this requirement. The Authority will provide relevant training, issue operational documentation and answer Clarification Questions during the ITT period prior to issuing the Invitation to Submit Final Tender (ISFT) documentation. After this period, it may be necessary for the Authority to make amendments or clarifications to information in the tender documents which will be reflected in the Invitation to Submit Final Tender (ISFT) documentation.

1.2.2 The Bidders final tenders must be submitted in accordance with the requirements described, and in the format specified, as set out in Volume 2 of the ITT documentation, together with any further instructions that may be issued via the Authority's e-Sourcing platform Jaggaer (formerly known as Bravo) from time-to-time.

1.2.3 The Authority will evaluate all final tenders in order to identify the Bidder which has submitted the most advantageous tender in accordance with the assessment methodology and award criteria set out in the Tender Notice and Volume 4 of the ITT documentation.

1.3 Stage 3: Preferred Bidder Stage

1.3.1 Once the evaluation process has concluded the Authority will notify each Bidder by electronic means (through the Authority's Jaggaer e-Sourcing portal) of whether or not they have been successful in the Competition, with the successful Bidder being invited to a Preferred Bidder Stage. This stage will be used to finalise the draft Contract terms and conditions, in accordance with the limitations set out in the Procurement Act 2023. This is outlined in further detail in Section 6 of Volume 1 of the ITT documentation.

1.3.2 The Authority will provide an assessment summary to all Bidders that submitted final tenders to: - inform them whether they have been successful in being awarded the Contract. - provide an explanation of the awarded score of the Bidder's tender against the relevant award criteria, in accordance with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023. - where a Bidder was unsuccessful, provide information in respect of the most advantageous tender submitted, including the name of the preferred Bidder and details of the evaluation of this tender against the relevant award criteria.

1.3.3 Once the assessment summaries have been provided to the Bidders that submitted final tenders, the Authority will also publish a contract award notice on the Central Digital Platform to commence a standstill period of 8 working days.

1.3.4 Following the expiry of the standstill period, Stage 3 will end with the Authority entering into the Contract with the preferred Bidder and publishing a Contract Details Notice on the Central Digital Platform (within 120 days of the date on which the Contract is entered into).

1.3.5 The Authority will publish a copy of the Contract (within 180 days of the date on which the Contract is entered into) which may also be published on the Central Digital Platform Further detail can be found within Volume 1 of the ITT documentation.

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Documents

Documents to be provided after the tender notice

The Authority will be using its e-Sourcing Portal known as Jaggaer to release all documents and communicate to the market.

Registration: The e-Sourcing Portal is an online application that allows all bidders to create and submit their responses to any PSQ and Tenders via the internet.

Bidders instructions to express an interest in this Tender:

1) Login to the Portal at: https://ministryofjusticecommercial.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html with username and password;

2) Click the PQQs/ITTs Open to All Suppliers' link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier);

3) Click on the relevant PSQ/ITT to access the content using the following: PSQ Code - PQQ_486 Project Code - prj_14375;

4) Click the "Express Interest" button at the top of the page. This will move the PSQ/ITT into your "My PQQs/My ITTs" page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only);

5) You can now access any attachments by clicking "Buyer Attachments" in the "PQQ/ITT Details" box instructions on how to submit a Tender will be provided;

6) If you experience any technical problems, please e-mail esourcing@Justice.gov.uk;

7) In the event of system issues please contact the Jaggaer Helpdesk via telephone 0800 069 8630/ 0845 010 0132

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Contracting authority

Ministry of Justice

• Public Procurement Organisation Number: PDNN-2773-HVYN

102 Petty France

London

SW1H 9AJ

United Kingdom

Email: opcompcommercial@justice.gov.uk

Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/procurement

Region: UKI32 - Westminster

Organisation type: Public authority - central government