Prior information notice
This notice is for prior information only
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Secretary of State for the Home Department
2 Marsham Street (2MS)
Croydon
SW1P 4DF
UK
Contact person: Asylum Support, Resettlement and non-detained Accommodation (ASRA) Procurement Team
E-mail: asylumprotection.procurement@homeoffice.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: www.gov.uk/home-office
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
I.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at:
https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews
II.1.2) Main CPV code
75131100
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
The Home Office is seeking a supplier that will provide locations (specifically rooms and/or booths) primarily that will be attended by asylum seekers to conduct their asylum interviews across the UK however other types of interviews will also be conducted. The services will also include a technology provision and staff to provide support enabling asylum applicants to be interviewed remotely.
The content of this PIN, including the nature of services and estimated value, may be subject to change.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
2 000 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
70332200
75130000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Secretary of State for the Home Department is procuring a supplier to provide locations, technology and support staff to allow asylum applicants to be interviewed remotely as part of their asylum-seeking application.
Asylum interviews play a crucial role in gathering pertinent information to determine the eligibility of claimants for asylum or human right claims. Once an asylum seeker arrives in the UK, the Home Office processes their asylum application, which includes providing accommodation, and conducting asylum interviews to assess their applications. This interview process is hence integral to the asylum procedure.
Other types of interviews will also be conducted in these locations however the requirements will remain largely the same.
The supplier must be able to provide a secure and private room/booth, hardware (PCs or laptops with video capability), software, a desk, internet access, and a waiting room, as well as verifying, greeting and assisting the asylum-seeking applicant. Interviews can take up to 2 hours and the service is required daily from Monday to Friday, between 0800 to 1800. Ordinarily interviews will be conducted across this full time period every day. The rooms/booths must be used exclusively for this service.
The supplier must be able to cover a range of regions across the UK, with the ability to identify and open new locations at 12 weeks' notice (or as soon as possible) if required. Current interview locations include London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bradford, Leicester, Cardiff, Manchester and Belfast, however the final list of locations will be confirmed once known. It is important that asylum claimants feel at ease in a safe environment to disclose information, as such the interview setting must maintain appropriate levels of privacy and confidentiality.
The current Asylum Interviews service is being provided as part of an agreement that is due to expire in September 2024, therefore a new solution is required in advance of the expiry of the current solution
II.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice:
12/07/2024
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
The Home Office are seeking input from the market to establish the most effective way of packaging and scoping the procurement for this Asylum Interview Service that ensures the service delivers the highest degree of customer satisfaction while delivering value to the Home Office. It is our intention to invite those suppliers that express an interest in this procurement to a Virtual Supplier Event in March, subject to parties signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement, in order to engage with prospective bidders and provide further information. This procurement will be managed electronically via the Home Office’s eSourcing Portal (JAGGAER).
1. To express an interest, participants must first be registered on the Home Office eSourcing Suite. If you have not yet registered, this can be done online at https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com by following the Register Here Link. Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering and who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so.
2. Once you have registered on the eSourcing Portal, a registered user can request access to the NDA. This is done by emailing: asylumprotection.procurement@homeoffice.gov.uk. Your email must clearly state the exact name that you used to register on Jaggaer.
Title of email: Asylum Interview Service - Expression of Interest
Email to include: Organisation name, Contact name, E-mail address and telephone number.
The Email will be processed and then the buyer will enable the supplier to access a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) via the eSourcing Portal. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done.
3. You MUST have submitted your NDA and registered by 12:00 BST on the 14th of March 2024 to attend the event live. The event will be recorded and made available to those that cannot attend. The date of the Industry Day will be confirmed but provisionally will be the w/c 18th March.
These dates and times may be updated, with messages noting any changes provided via the eSourcing Tool.
For technical assistance on use of the eSourcing Portal please contact the JAGGAER Supplier Helpdesk at customersupport@jaggaer.com or 0800 069 8630 (0800 - 1800hrs).
The Home Office’s intention is to then conduct this procurement using the Open Procedure under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR) to identify a partner to fulfil this service. It is anticipated that the procurement will be launched in April 2024 however this may be subject to change.
The content of this PIN, including the nature of works, services, and estimated value, may be the subject to change
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
27/02/2024