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Preliminary Market Engagement Escorting and Related Services
AI Summary
The Home Office is preparing to appoint a prime contractor to deliver comprehensive Escorting Services across the United Kingdom and Northern France. The contract will encompass 24‑hour escort operations for detained persons, ranging from intra‑country movements between prisons, police stations, hospitals and immigration removal centres to overseas passenger transport via air to designated destinations. In addition, the supplier will oversee all facets of Short‑Term Holding Facility (STHF) management, including non‑residential holding rooms at airports and seaports and residential facilities that may detain individuals for up to a week. The scope also extends to 24‑hour escorting under the juxtaposed control arrangements in Calais, Coquelles and Dunkerque, as well as the operation of five holding rooms in those French ports.
Key service components will be delivered through a structured management framework that includes an operational control centre, performance monitoring, audit arrangements, and complaint resolution mechanisms. Core operational duties will cover the welfare and care of detainees—including children—risk assessment, discipline protocols, staffing, personnel management, training, and the provision of medical escorts where required. The contractor will be responsible for the day‑to‑day running, maintenance, and security of all residential and non‑residential STHFs, ensuring seamless integration with the broader immigration detention and removal estate.
The provider must adhere to UK Home Office security, welfare, and safety protocols, as well as the relevant CPV classification standards for vehicle fleet management, special‑purpose road passenger transport, security services, catering, and education and training services.
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: 2026-02-10T23:59:59+00:00
Contract location: UK
Engagement process description
The Market Engagement exercise seeks to understand supplier interest, capabilities, and approaches to delivering a high-quality and compliant operational service. The Home Office seeks to understand market views on specific topics such as:
Pricing mechanisms
Performance management
Continuous improvement and innovation
Volumes
Staffing
Risk Management
The Market Engagement process will run from the 18th July to 25th August 2025. All participants will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to being given access to the Market Engagement exercise. The NDA will be accessible via Jaggaer.
The stages of the process are as follows:
The Home Office will send prospective suppliers a questionnaire, after the they have signed the NDA, along with a background note. Suppliers will have until the 25th of August 2025 to complete the questionnaire and upload on the Jaggaer e-sourcing portal.
Suppliers shall be invited to a virtual industry day likely to take place week commencing 28th of July 2025.
Suppliers are invited to request a virtual 1:1 meeting with the Home Office. Should Suppliers want a 1:1 meeting, they must indicate their interest to the Home Office at their earliest convenience, and in any event, before the 1st of August 2025.
The Home Office will capture any questions raised in the 1:1 meetings and issue responses to all suppliers for transparency purposes, prior to the engagement deadline.
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 by following the Register Here link. 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_674 – NDA stage - Escorting and Related Services Preliminary Market Engagement
Lot: 1
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: En