Court Appointed Intermediary Services

Concepts

• law courts
• moj
• intermediary services
• provision of court appointed intermediary services
• service provider framework
• administrative services
• approved service provider framework
• remit of the moj witness intermediary scheme
• intermediary support
• court proceedings

Location

United Kingdom:

Description

This notice relates to a procurement exercise conducted under the light tough regime, following a process similar to the open procedure. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is inviting tenders for the provision of Court Appointed Intermediary Services (CAIS), to support vulnerable defendants in the criminal jurisdiction and vulnerable parties and witnesses in the civil, family and tribunal jurisdictions. These services will be provided in courts and tribunals in England and Wales and tribunals in Scotland. Intermediaries facilitate impartial communication to enable complete, coherent and accurate communication between vulnerable people and the courts/tribunals. Intermediaries may be instructed to provide an assessment of a person's communication needs, and provide recommendations on measures that could be put in place by the court to support vulnerable people, young people, children and other individuals who may need assistance during court proceedings. The intermediary may also be required to attend hearings to provide such assistance and support. For the avoidance of doubt, the MoJ is only seeking tenders in relation to intermediary services that currently fall outside the remit of the MoJ Witness Intermediary Scheme (MoJ WIS). All requests for intermediary support for witnesses in criminal cases will continue to be managed via the MoJ WIS.

Total Quantity or Scope

The MoJ invites tenders for Court Appointed Intermediary Services to support the formation of two framework agreements: the Managed & Approved Service Provider framework (MASP), and the Approved Service Provider framework (ASP). The MASP framework seeks providers with the ability to manage multiple simultaneous bookings, and the capability to recruit, train and manage intermediaries to support a range of vulnerabilities, for deployment nationally. The ASP framework seeks experienced and qualified intermediaries to support bookings on demand. There is no limit to the number of service providers awarded a place on either framework, however a service provider may not hold a place on both the MASP and ASP frameworks simultaneously. The MoJ is managing this procurement in accordance with its general obligations under UK law and specifically in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCRs) and the Light Touch Regime contained within Regulations 74 to 77. The framework agreements will be dynamic frameworks and a hybrid of a framework agreement and dynamic purchasing system. As such, the framework agreements will be reopened at six month intervals for the admission of new service providers who qualify against the selection and award criteria outlined in the procurement documents. Additional information: The MoJ uses an electronic sourcing (e-sourcing) system to facilitate procurement activity. Registration via the portal is free of charge and requires no specialist software to access. Registration can be undertaken at: https://ministryofjusticecommercial.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html

Renewal Options

Framework agreements may be extended for up to an additional 24 months.

CPV Codes

• 75231100 - Law-courts-related administrative services

Indicators

• This is a recurring contract.
• Renewals are available.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** Nothing in this notice shall generate any contractual obligations prior to the signature or execution of agreement or contracts following completion of the tender process. The MoJ reserves the right to reject all or any of the bids for the competition and not to appoint any potential provider, without any liability on its part. Transparency: HM Government requires that tender documentation issued by Government departments for contracts with a value exceeding GBP 10 000 over the life of the contract are published online (http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk) for the general public. In the event a contract is awarded following a tendering exercise, the contract will be published on the contracts finder website, subject to the statutory grounds for redaction as set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The MoJ may use its discretion to redact information to protect key commercial interests or on prescribed grounds. Therefore, bidders who wish information not to be published if successful should secure agreement with the MoJ prior to submission. Only documentation relating to awarded contracts will be published. Key commercial interests, trade secrets and commercial interests which would be prejudiced by publication, following the tests in section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 maybe redacted. http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/docs/foi-exemption-s43.pdf The prescribed grounds for redaction are: (a) national security; (b) personal data; (c) information protected by intellectual property law; (d) information which it is not in the public interest to disclose (following the tests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000); (e) third party confidential information; (f) IT security; or (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.