HMPPS Common Awarding Organisations

Across the prison estate, HMPPS and Education Providers (procured by HMPPS) deliver qualifications as part of education, skills, and work provision. The aim is to ensure that prisoners can develop key knowledge, skills, and behaviours through the delivery of qualifications that are recognised by industry experts and the wider community, enabling them to progress towards meaningful outcomes on release, with the long-term aim of reducing reoffending.

In 2016, Dame Sally Coates undertook a review of Prison Education and recommended mandating the use of single Awarding Organisations to deliver services in key subject areas to drive consistency of learning and ensure that prisoners can continue qualifications if they transfer establishments. The Government committed to this in the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper in 2016.

In 2019, the Prisoner Education Framework (PEF) was introduced to deliver core education services across the prison estate. Common Awarding Bodies were procured to support Prisoner Education Framework providers.

In 2021, the Prisons Strategy White Paper was published, this set out the vision for a modern prison estate to create the right conditions to support rehabilitation. A key component in the paper was the commitment to a new Prisoner Education Service (PES) which will:

Prisoner Education Service contracts will commence in April 2025. To ensure consistency in learning, HMPPS will be mandated to use Ofqual Registered Common Awarding Organisations for the following curriculum areas:

This procurement is to appoint an Ofqual registered supplier for each of the above curriculum areas.

This procurement is run under the Light Touch Regime.

The Authority is using the Jaggaer electronic eSourcing Portal (formerly Bravo) for the procurement. The ITT, which is comprised of a number of volumes, is available only in electronic format via the Portal. Bidders must register the names of all contacts requiring access to the sourcing event and should submit queries via the Portal https://ministryofjusticecommercial.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html

Additional information:

Award of contract: The Authority is not committed to any course of action as a result of this Contract Notice. It is not liable for any costs incurred in respect of expressing an interest or in tendering for this opportunity. The Authority reserves the right to abandon, rewind, pause or terminate the procurement and not to award one or more contract(s) at its own discretion. Nothing in this Contract Notice shall generate any contractual obligations prior to the signature of a Contract

Important notice: This Contract Notice must be read in full together with the procurement documents being released for this procurement. Bidders are reminded that participation in this procurement will be subject to the conditions of participation set out in the procurement documents and the eSourcing Portal.