Published date: 30 November 2020

Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.


Closing: 16 December 2020, 12am

Contract summary

Industry

  • Justice services - 75230000

Location of contract

Any region

Value of contract

£500,000 to £2,000,000

Procurement reference

tender_255690/903189

Published date

30 November 2020

Closing date

16 December 2020

Closing time

12am

Contract start date

14 January 2021

Contract end date

31 July 2021

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (above threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements above the relevant contract value threshold.

This is an accelerated procedure.

Justification

The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent suspension of Housing Possession Cases resulted in a significant number of cases being affected. To provide additional support to those parties affected, Ministers have made it a priority to Pilot a dedicated mediation service to support possession claims as they progress through court; encouraging settlement without a hearing where possible, helping to sustain tenancies and reducing the burden on the court system.
The resumption of such cases has given rise to an urgent need for the supply of Possession Mediation Services as soon as practicably possible, ideally by the start of 2021. This does not give the MOJ sufficient time to comply with the standard open procedure timescales for this procurement. The MOJ considers this to be a state of urgency which it has duly substantiated. Accordingly, MOJ is using the accelerated time limits permitted under the PCR 2015 (regulation [27(5) for the open procedure in respect of this procurement.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes

Description

MOJ are looking to procure and pilot a dedicated mediation service to engage with Possession claims as they progress through court, and facilitate settlement without a substantive hearing where possible. This service aims to help further promote compromise to the benefit of all parties, sustain tenancies and manage capacity in the court system,

The scope of services includes:

- Arranging for remote mediation sessions with parties referred to the service. Mediations to be conducted by a team of mediators with appropriate skills (to be detailed in the Tender Requirements) relevant to the delivery of mediation in possession cases;

- Management of these mediators to deliver a professional standard so that the parties involved are clear about the options open to them and any commitments they take on;

- Provision of an appropriately skilled flexible workforce to enable fluctuations in volumes to be managed efficiently; and

- Working effectively with stakeholders including MOJ, HMCTS, MCHLG and any Independent evaluator appointed to ensure the Pilot operates smoothly.

More information

Links

Additional text

Transparency:

HM Government requires that tender documentation issued by government departments for contracts exceeding 10 000 GBP over the life of the contract are published online (www.gov.uk/contracts-finder) for the public. The resulting contract shall also be published. The Authority may use its discretion to redact information to protect key commercial interest or on prescribed grounds. Therefore, bidders who wish information not to be published, if successful, should secure agreements with the Authority prior to submission. These could cover key commercial interest, trade secrets and commercial interests which would be prejudiced by publication, all following the test in Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1178/commercial-interests-section-43-foia-guidance.pdf).

Only documentation related to the award will be published. The prescribed grounds for redaction are:
(a) national security;
(b) personal data;
(c) information protected by intellectual property rights;
(d) information which is not in the public interest to disclose (following tests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000);
(e) third party confidential information;
(f) IT security; and
(g) Prevention of fraud.

Freedom of information (FOI):

The Freedom of Information Act came fully into force in 2005. If any organisation considers that any information supplied by them is either commercially sensitive or confidential in nature, this should be highlighted and the reasons for its sensitivities specified. In such cases the relevant material will in response to FOI requests be examined in the light of exemptions provided for in the Act.

About the buyer

Contact name

Ministry of Justice

Address

102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
England

Email

HMCTSCommissioningandCommercial@justice.gov.uk