Prison services

Tender description

This notice launches the competition for the provision of employment positions for prisoners within workshops 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 employment positions within workshops inside 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 management, sourcing and delivery of 520 employment positions as part of the providers own economic operations for prisoners across four workshops (including 2 mezzanine areas) inside HMP Berwyn in North Wales. HMP Berwyn will be the largest prison in the UK when fully constructed, and is due to open in February 2017. The first workshop within the prison is currently scheduled to open in August 2017. The successful provider will provide commercially operated workshops similar to working conditions outside of the custodial environment in which prisoners will obtain employability skills. An understanding of the challenges and complexities of managing a large cohort of prisoners with a diverse range of skills will also be required. The successful provider will be expected to interface with the custodial operator and Learning and Skills provider to facilitate an integrated service for prisoners. The successful provider will also be expected to facilitate formal learning and qualifications related to the type of work being undertaken, although the delivery of formal learning and qualifications will be the responsibility of the Learning and Skills provider. The contract is for an initial 5-year term with options to extend for 2 further years and a further exceptional extension option for up to 1 year which can be exercised irrespective of whether the other extension option has been exercised. 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. Prisoners are employed pursuant to prison rules and for the purposes of rehabilitation, and the employment of prisoners is subject to the Prisons Act 1952. Prisoners do not work pursuant to a contract of employment or a contract for services so the employment of prisoners under this tender would be outside the scope of the Employment Rights Act 1996, and prisoners are not workers within the meaning of Article 39 of the Treaty establishing the European Community. Prisoners are outside of the scope of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. Variant bids will not be accepted. Further details of the services will be set out in the procurement documents.