Published date: 29 July 2025

Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.


Closing: 13 November 2023, 12am

Contract summary

Industry

  • Services related to the detention or rehabilitation of criminals - 75231200

Location of contract

North East

Value of contract

£70,000,000

Procurement reference

tender_277794/1498556

Published date

29 July 2025

Closing date

13 November 2023

Closing time

12am

Contract start date

1 October 2025

Contract end date

30 September 2032

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Call-off from a framework agreement

A mini-competition or direct purchase from a pre-established framework agreement.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

No

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

This notice is for the award of Lot 4: Tees and Wear Group

The Prisoner Education Services (PES) is a UK government initiative with three overarching strategic priorities; improving prisoner numeracy and literacy skills, incentivizing prisoners to improve their qualifications and skills to increase their prospects of finding work on release, and ensuring that Governors and their teams have the knowledge, tools, support and accountabilities that they need to make this work. PES seeks to transform learning in jails as part of a renewed push to skill up offenders and protect the public.

PES Core Education will include teaching and delivery of a two-layered curriculum for independence and for opportunity which meets the needs of prisoners, as well as high quality, timely screening and assessment delivery and tailored and impactful additional learning needs support.

The Ministry of Justice launched the PES Panel to reform how education is delivered across the adult prison estate in England. The first call-offs under this framework focused on Core Education Services, including teaching and delivery of a two-layered curriculum for independence (essential subjects such as English, Maths, digital skills) and curriculum for opportunity, which meets the needs of prisoners. The Core Education contracts also include high quality, timely screening and assessment delivery; tailored and impactful additional learning needs support; and (where applicable) prison library services. The contracts are split into 11 regional lots and aim to provide a consistent, high-quality education offer that supports rehabilitation, reduces reoffending, and improves employability and resettlement outcomes for prisoners.

The procurement was conducted under the Open Procedure in accordance with the Light Touch Regime of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

More information

Attachments

Links

Award information

Awarded date

1 July 2025

Contract start date

1 October 2025

Contract end date

30 September 2032

Total value of contract

£70,000,000

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

LTE Group (trading as Novus)

Address

Whitworth House, Ashton Old Road, Manchester, M11 2WH

Reference

No reference - other

Supplier is SME?

No

Supplier is VCSE?

No

About the buyer

Address

102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
England

Email

Commercial-prisoneducationservice@justice.gov.uk