Education and training services

Tender description

The Ministry of Justice (‘the Authority’), intends to tender for the provision of academic learning for probation practitioners in England and Wales. The services to be procured are expected to comprise of: — delivery of the current curriculum framework, including the professional qualification in probation (PQiP), to new learners from July 2021 until June 2024; and — review and re-design of the current curriculum framework; and — delivery of the revised curriculum framework to trainee learners from 2022 to 2025. Trainee learner cohorts currently begin studying with universities on a twice-yearly basis. As currently conceived, the contract(s) would provide for at least six cohorts of learners from the July 2021 intake through to the January 2024 intake (and learning delivery therefore into 2025). This PIN is being issued for market engagement purposes only. Any information provided is indicative only of the authority's current intentions and is subject to change. This PIN relates to the Authority’s intention to procure the following services either combined or as standalone services: The Ministry of Justice is implementing reforms to create a sustainable long-term model for probation services that: provides public protection, visible and credible options for sentencers, deals effectively with individuals who have offended repeatedly and gives the right rehabilitative support to address offending behaviour. This will contribute to Her Majesty’s prisons and probation service (HMPPS) strategic vision to protect the public and help people live law-abiding and positive lives. Given the current reforms in probation and the need to reflect pioneering professional practice we are proposing developing ‘Design and Deliver’ contract(s) for the academic education of trainee probation practitioners that join the National Probation Service in the period from July 2021 to June 2024 (and learning delivery therefore into 2025). Learner numbers are likely to vary year on year however we anticipate that there will be in excess of 1 000 learners nationally completing probation officer training each year. As currently envisioned, the contracts would see providers who are successful in the competitive procurement process: Teach the current specification of the professional qualification in probation (PQiP), for at least the first two intakes of learners under new contracts. Trainees would be begin study in July 2021 and January 2022, with learning delivery through to September 2023 and work with staff in the National Probation Service to review the required learning for qualification to be a probation practitioner (April 2021 through to December 2021). This review may generate new qualifications or proposed changes to the current curriculum framework that would then be delivered in the later years of the contract (2022 to 2025). The Authority will conduct market engagement between June-July 2020 to inform service and contract design. Details regarding the initial market engagement can be found below, additional events may be publicised in due course. If you would like to register to hear more background information about this and receive a market engagement questionnaire, please register on https://ministryofjusticecommercial.bravosolution.co.uk Expressions of interest and market engagement responses to the questionnaire should be submitted to the Authority via Bravo no later than:14 July 2020 12.00 noon,if you wish to participate in the market engagement exercise.