Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
Telephone
+44 02033343555
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Witness Services (2023-2027)
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 75230000 - Justice services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
We would like to invite interested parties to attend an online Supplier Event which will take place on 20 October 2021.
To express an interest either in attending this event and/or participating in this competition please email: 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).
Section six. Complementary information
six.6) Original notice reference
Notice number: 2021/S 000-024376
Section seven. Changes
seven.1.2) Text to be corrected in the original notice
Section number
II.2.4)
Instead of
Text
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.
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The Ministry of Justice will shortly commence the procurement for the future Witness Service.
The Witness Service is an existing service, which has operated in all Criminal Courts in England and Wales for the last 25 years. The service is highly valued by stakeholders and partners for the independent, emotional and practical support it has provided witnesses over the last two decades to enable them to give their best evidence. Over the life of the new contract, it will deliver critical benefits including:
Delivering on the rights and standards of care for victims and witnesses set out in the Victims Code and Witness Charter.
Delivering the targets set by the Prime Minister through the Crime & Justice Task Force (CJTF) to significantly improve the experience of victims in the Criminal Justice System.
Enabling this government’s plans for court recovery to be realised.
The future service will be materially similar the current model for support. However, we will also prioritise delivering essential improvements in value-for-money and quality of service, as well as testing ambitious options to future-proof the design of the service based on lessons learned in recent years.
The Ministry of Justice is seeking a supplier to provide support to witnesses, guided by the following principles:
To continue to deliver an effective service for witnesses attending court - building on the existing model for support and the significant benefits it provides to witnesses.
To improve the service at a detailed level, informed by current and developing victim support policy. 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 learn lessons from delivery of the support for victims and witnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and test ways to build additional flexibility and resilience into the model for support. This would aim to ensure the service can respond with confidence to future pandemic-like scenarios, use of Nightingale courts, extended operating hours and supporting witnesses in giving remote and pre-recorded evidence.
To work with the MOJ and other Criminal Justice partners to bolster the delivery of a basic level of support for all witnesses, 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 2023
The scope of the service is being finalised, including through feedback from the market, and will be confirmed in the Contract Notice.
Section number
II.1.4)
Instead of
Text
The purpose of this Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to:
(i) Inform the market of a prospective contract opportunity in connection with the procurement for the Future Witness Service;
and
(ii) give notice of the MoJ's intention to request feedback that may be relevant to the procurement strategy that may be adopted by the MoJ.
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.
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We would like to invite interested parties to attend an online Supplier Event which will take place on 20 October 2021.
To express an interest either in attending this event and/or participating in this competition please email: 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).