- Home
- Tenders
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Justice-wide Intermediary Services - Preliminary Market Engagement
Justice-wide Intermediary Services - Preliminary Market Engagement
AI Summary
The Ministry of Justice is conducting a preliminary market engagement to explore the future provision of justice‑wide intermediary services across the Ministry and the wider justice sector. This engagement seeks to understand how services currently delivered under the HMCTS Appointed Intermediary Services Framework (HAIS) and the Witness Intermediary Scheme (WIS), as well as ad hoc intermediary services for His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and the Parole Board, might be optimised or integrated. The purpose of this early‑stage consultation is to gather input from potential suppliers before any formal procurement process is launched.
The focus of the procurement is on impartial communication specialists who will facilitate complete, coherent, and accurate communication between vulnerable witnesses, defendants and other parties within the justice system. Intermediaries are expected to conduct assessments of communication needs, provide reporting—either orally or in writing—on those needs, and implement specified measures during court hearings or interviews at court, solicitor’s offices, police stations, and other relevant venues. The role requires a high degree of confidentiality, neutrality and specialised knowledge of the judicial and investigative processes.
Qualified intermediaries must demonstrate competence in assessment, reporting, and implementation of communication support, and must meet the relevant standards and best‑practice guidelines outlined under the current HAIS and WIS frameworks.
Description
The MoJ is exploring how these services may be delivered across the Ministry and the wider justice sector. Services being considered include those currently provided under the HMCTS Appointed Intermediary Services Frameworks (HAIS) and the Witness Intermediary Scheme (WIS), in addition to ad hoc intermediary services provided to support His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the Parole Board.
You can find out more about the current HAIS arrangements at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmcts-intermediary-services#about-hmcts-intermediary-services
You can find out more about the current Witness Intermediary Scheme at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ministry-of-justice-witness-intermediary-scheme
Intermediaries are impartial communication specialists whose primary responsibility is to enable complete, coherent and accurate communication with vulnerable witnesses, defendants and parties in the justice system, in order to improve the quality of evidence and facilitate the vulnerable person’s understanding and participation in the proceedings.
The role of an intermediary includes making an assessment and reporting, orally or in writing, about the communication needs of the vulnerable person and the steps that should be taken to meet those needs. It also includes implementing those measures, at a court hearing or interview, for example at a solicitor’s office or police station.
Estimated date of publication of contract notice: 2027-07-11T23:59:59+01:00
Contract location: UK
Engagement process description
The purpose of this notice is to enable suppliers to find out how to participate in an online market engagement event planned for 29th April 2026. This event will take the form of an online webinar or 'live event' using Microsoft Teams.
Interested parties are required to register an expression of interest by emailing intermediariesproject@justice.gov.uk
Joining instructions will be issued to those that have expressed an interest in attending before 28th April 2026. A recording of the event will be made available via the MoJ eSourcing Portal after 29th April 2026.
Your details will be held for the purposes of alerting you to market engagement activity, including the publication of information on the MoJ eSourcing Portal.
This is the second phase of market engagement relating to Justice-wide intermediary services. The MoJ has previously conducted engagement through a market engagement questionnaire. Materials published to support that first phase of engagement will be available via the MoJ eSourcing Portal alongside the recording of the event.
The MoJ intends to take undertake further market engagement following the event on 29th April 2026. The engagement deadline date of 31st March 2027 contained in this notice is an estimate of when we intend all market engagement activity will be completed.
To view the recording and supporting information after the event interested parties are required to register an account via the MoJ eSourcing Portal at: https://ministryofjusticecommercial.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
If you are unsure whether you are already registered on the MoJ eSourcing Portal, you can email the support team: esourcing@justice.gov.uk
Note that a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) will be used as a mechanism for sharing information, and no feedback or responses to engagement will affect your ability to tender for contracts in the future. Responses at this stage are not evaluated or attributed to you or your organisation in future procurement stages.
If your organisation does not wish to participate in the market engagement event or subsequent events, this will not prevent your organisation from being able to participate in any subsequent procurement.
The information contained in this notice is only indicative of current thinking and is neither exhaustive nor binding and MOJ reserves the right to amend it at the time of issue of any further notices or at any other time. MoJ reserves the right not to proceed with any procurement. Nothing in this notice shall constitute a commitment to procuring.
Any and all costs associated with the production of a response to market engagement must be borne by your organisation. MoJ will not contribute in any way to meeting costs of any response. MoJ expects that all responses to this engagement opportunity will be provided by the supplier in good faith, to the best of its ability, in light of the information available at the time of response.
Lot: 1
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: En