Prison services

Tender description

This notice launches the competition for the provision of Learning and Skills for prisoners at HMP Berwyn, North Wales. These services are categorised as ‘social and other specific services’ in accordance with Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council Article and schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulation 2015 (the Regulations), Section 7 of the Regulations applies. The services will fall under the Light Regime of the Directive. Bidders who initially respond to this notice and successfully meet the Authority's minimum pre-qualification criteria, will be shortlisted (maximum of 4 Bidders) for the next stage of the competition (the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD)) to provide Learning and Skills at HMP Berwyn. The contract will be with the Ministry of Justice operating through the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). The services required will be for the delivery of learning and skills for circa 600 prisoners per day inside HMP Berwyn in North Wales. This will cover the initial assessment of prisoners and on-going delivery of skills, vocational, non-vocational and employability accredited courses appropriate to the prison population. The successful provider will need to demonstrate they share the Authority's rehabilitative vision for HMP Berwyn. HMP Berwyn will be the largest prison in the UK when fully constructed. The learning and skills provision will be required to commence from the date the prison opens in February 2017. This will require the successful provider to fit out classrooms and vocational workshops and ensure all staff are vetted and trained prior to service commencement. The successful provider will need to design a learning and skills service which meets the learning needs of the prison population and reflects the employment opportunities in the resettlement areas prisoners return to following release. An understanding of the challenges and complexities of educating a large and challenging cohort of prisoners and the issues associated with operating within a custodial environment will also be required. The delivery of learning and skills will be through classroom-based activity but also embedded within activities and facilities in the prison. This will include, but not be limited to, providing prisoners learning opportunities within workshops, kitchens, physical education, gyms and libraries. The contract is for an initial 5 year term with options to extend for 2 further years. The anticipated cost is an estimate of the potential value of the contract and in no way indicates an intention of the Authority to guarantee any level of expenditure. The estimated cost range is real in 2016 and does not account for inflation, it includes any possible future changes to the requirement for services and any possible extensions to the contract length. All values should be considered as indicative only. Variant bids will not be accepted. Further details of the services will be set out in the procurement documents.