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Escorting and Related Services
AI Summary
The Home Office is issuing a procurement invitation to appoint a commercial partner responsible for the national Escorting Services contract. This contract encompasses the in‑country and overseas escorting of detained persons, the operational management of residential and non‑residential short‑term holding facilities (STHFs) across the United Kingdom, and the provision of 24/7 escorting to and from international destinations, primarily through air travel. The role also covers the management of key juxtaposed control points in Northern France, including the operation of designated holding rooms at Calais, Coquelles, and Dunkerque, and the integration of movements between UK control zones and these French ports.
The supplier will deliver a comprehensive suite of management and core services, including the operation of an external control centre, continuous performance monitoring, audit arrangements, and complaint handling procedures. Core responsibilities will cover welfare and care of children, risk assessments, regulated use of force, personnel staffing, and training of escort staff; operational control must sustain 24/7 escorting between prisons, police stations, hospitals (with bed‑watch capabilities), STHFs, and immigration removal centres. Overseas escorting will involve continuous escorting from UK detention points to designated overseas destinations, coordinating with flight schedules and providing medical escorts as required. The vendor must also operate and maintain up to 28 24/7 non‑residential STHFs that can hold individuals for up to 24 hours or longer, and three residential STHFs that can accommodate detainees for up to seven days.
The contract must comply with UK immigration and security regulations, meet specified health and safety standards, and include robust performance monitoring and reporting requirements.
Description
Background:
The Home Office is responsible for detaining and enforcing the removal of people from the UK who have no legal basis to remain here. The Escorting Services contract is fundamental to delivering this through the movement of people within the UK, which supports the functioning of the immigration detention / removal estate; the removal of people from the UK, which is predominately via air travel and a mix of escorted (to destination) and unescorted (not escorted to destination). The contract also includes the operation, management and maintenance of Residential Short-Term Holding Facilities and the operation and management of Non-Residential Short-Term Holding Facilities at air/seaports and Immigration Enforcement reporting centres (STHFs). STHFs support the wider immigration detention / removal estate, enforcement activity within the community and protection of the UK border.
Requirement (please note not exhaustive and subject to change):
Management Services – includes operational control centre, performance monitoring and reporting, audit arrangement, and complaint procedures.
Core Services – includes welfare, care of children, risk assessments, use of force, staffing & personnel and training.
In-Country Escorting – 24/7 escorting between locations within the UK. Includes prisons, police stations, hospitals (inc bed watches), STHFs, Immigration Removal Centres. Also includes escort to aircraft for purpose of removal (unescorted) and provision of medical escorts.
Overseas Escorting – 24/7 escorting from place of detention within the UK to designated overseas destination, primarily via air travel with a mix between scheduled and charter flights. Also includes provision of medical escorts and interfacing with the authorities travel service provider.
Non-Residential STHF - the operation and management of designated holding rooms across all parts of the UK. There are currently 28 of these facilities which operate up to 24/7 and can hold people up to 24 hours and beyond in certain circumstances.
Residential STHF – the operation, management and maintenance of RSTHF across all parts of the UK. There are currently 3 of these facilities which operate 24/7 and can hold people up to 7 days in certain circumstances.
Juxtaposed Controls (Northern France) 24/7 escorting services with the UK control zones (Calais, Coquelles, and Dunkerque) and operation and management of 5 (currently) holding rooms at these French ports.
Estimated date of publication of contract notice: 2026-11-09T23:59:59+00:00
Contract location: UK
Engagement process description
This Preliminary Market Engagement exercise seeks to inform the Authority's understanding of the market in relation to the proposed Escorting and Related Services contract. In particular, the engagement intends on gathering non-binding, high-level insights on potential delivery approaches, suggested commercial models and key cost drivers that may influence value for money during the contract lifecycle.
Responses will be used solely to support the procurement strategy development. This engagement does not constitute a request for pricing, quotations and/or tenders and participation will not place any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement process. All information provided will be treated as indicative and non-contractual.
A questionnaire shall be sent to prospective suppliers following the execution of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Supplier will have until the 23rd June 2026 to complete the questionnaire and upload their response to the Home Office's Jaggaer e-sourcing portal.
Please note:
To express your interest in the Market Engagement process, your organisation must be registered on the Home Office eSourcing Portal. If you have not yet registered, this can be done online at https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
To register, you must have a valid DUNS number for the organisations which you are registering and who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so.
Once registered, please search for the following project information:
project_19029 - Escorting and Related Services
pqq_763 - NDA - Preliminary Market Engagement: Delivery and Commercial Models for Escorting and Related Services
Lot: 1
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: En