The Ministry of Justice (the "Authority") previously issued a Prior Information Notice (PIN) informing the market that it is considering its strategy for the future delivery of Prison Operator Services in England and Wales, beyond the expiry of the current Prison Operator Services Framework (POSF) Agreement in July 2025.

This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is for the purpose of initiating market engagement activity with regards to Prison Operator Services as referred to in the previous PIN.

The Authority will engage with the market, initially, by way of an introductory webinar via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 27 February 2024 at 10:00, followed by 1-2-1 engagements with interested suppliers.

Background: Prison Operator Services (also referred to as "Prison Management" in global markets) involves the provision of Operational Custodial Services and Facilities Management of prisons in England and Wales.

The Authority has tendered the operation of prisons to the private sector since the early 1990s and has long advocated a shared approach to prison operation that includes a mix of public, voluntary and private sector involvement.

The Authority established the Prison Operator Services Framework (POSF) Agreement in 2019 and appointed six Framework Operators who demonstrated that they had the capability, strategy and understanding to operate new and existing prisons in England and Wales.

The objective of the procurement for the framework was to test bidders 'ability to deliver value for money through the right blend of quality, innovation in service delivery, and price in any prison competed under the framework.

Some of the benefits that have been delivered to date include: - Demonstrating commitment to a clear pipeline of business opportunity by successfully awarding five(5) Call-Off Contracts on time, including during the pandemic at a time of acute pressure on the estate. - Enabling the efficient management and delivery of operator competitions for both expiring PFI/Manage& Maintain prison contracts for new build prisons through its streamlined Mini-Competition process, with appointed Framework Operators eligible to compete in further competitions for individual Call-Off Contracts. - Maximising bidder participation across all competitions by eliminating conflicts (e.g., overlaps in key market activity across competitions) so bidders do not have to choose which prisons to bid for.

The current POSF is due to expire in July 2025, therefore, to build upon these benefits, it is anticipated that another framework is likely to be procured in due course to manage the next phase of a perpetual pipeline of current private prison contracts (as they expire) and new build prisons.

The Authority is now experienced in running operator competitions, implementing extensive learning into our future approach and looks forward to engaging with the market to develop and inform our strategy.