Official UK procurement notice
Life Signs for Approved Premises
Authority: Ministry of Justice (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement description- Introduction
This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is issued by the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to inform the market of a market engagement for innovative technology solutions to support and modernise justice services across England and Wales. This notice is not a call for competition and does not initiate a formal procurement process.
- Background and Context
The MoJ is responsible for the courts, prisons, probation, and associated justice services. The Department is actively identifying opportunities to adopt new and emerging technologies that can improve operational efficiency, support frontline delivery, enhance safety and security and provide better outcomes for users and staff.
This work aligns with the MoJ’s wider digital transformation and innovation agenda, focused on improving services, increasing flexibility and making better use of data and automated capability.
His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service intends to engage with the market to explore innovative technology solutions that enhance resident safety and wellbeing within Approved Premises. Current safeguarding measures rely on routine staff checks, which are reactive and dependent on human observation. We seek technology that can provide proactive alerts to staff regarding physiological and behavioural indicators of immediate risk.
Each year, many individuals are released from prison with co-occurring mental health issues, substance dependence, and social vulnerabilities (e.g., homelessness, unemployment).
Evidence shows that the first few weeks following release are the highest-risk period for fatal overdose, particularly among those with opioid dependence.
Approved Premises (AP) residents often represent the most complex cases, including those subject to MAPPA and high-risk supervision, yet continuity of care from custody to community remains inconsistent.
CPV: Alarm systems · Software package and information systems · Software programming and consultancy services · Surveillance and security systems and devices
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Planned
- Summary of the Requirement
The MoJ is seeking to explore innovative technology solutions.
Solutions should support timely, informed, and potentially life-saving interventions by:
- Detecting changes in breathing patterns that may indicate medical distress or potential self-harm.
- Identifying behaviours or movements that suggest a ligature attempt is imminent or underway.
Solutions must be remote-first and must not rely on any on-site hardware, specifically;
- Operate via secure remote connectivity (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi or equivalent)
- Be primarily cloud-hosted
- Avoid on-premises infrastructure or physical installation within MoJ estates
- This product should be fully functional and be deployable rapidly (without local configuration or hardware dependencies)
Estimated value: To be confirmed following market engagement.
Estimated duration: To be confirmed following market engagement.
- Market Engagement Activities (Supplier Day, Problem Statements & Spark DPS Registration)
The MoJ intends to undertake structured engagement with the market, beginning with a Supplier Day. This event will:
- provide an overview of the MoJ’s challenges and innovation ambitions
- introduce forthcoming problem statements and question sets, which will be issued to suppliers after the Supplier Day
Suppliers will be invited to respond to these problem statements to help the MoJ:
Gather information on available technologies and implementation approaches.
- Consider indicative costs and case studies.
- Reflect on integration options with existing safeguarding protocols.
Use of Spark Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) – RM6094:
All engagements with suppliers — including the Supplier Day, distribution of problem statements, and submission of responses — will take place via the Crown Commercial Service Spark DPS (RM6094).
Please register via:
- Searching 'Dynamic Purchasing System Supplier Registration Spark DPS' on your browser
- Select the webpage that contains supplier registration and ends gov dot uk
- Scroll to Spark DPS RM6094 (page 2)
- Scroll down on this page and select 'Access as a Supplier' at the bottom
- Select 'Register for an account' and register as a Supplier.
- Suppliers not currently on Spark RM6094 will need to apply for an account.
- Account creation and onboarding onto Spark typically takes 10–15 working days.
- Suppliers are encouraged to begin the registration process as early as possible to avoid missing engagement windows.
- Next Steps – Proof of Concept / Pilot Phase
Should supplier responses indicate that suitable and sufficiently mature technologies exist to meet the MoJ’s needs, the next intended step will be the commissioning of a proof of concept (PoC) or pilot project.
This phase will allow the MoJ to:
- validate the technology in an operational or simulated justice environment
- assess feasibility, performance, and usability
- understand integration requirements and risks
- inform the final scope of any subsequent procurement activity
Further details on approach, timelines and evaluation will be shared through the Spark DPS.
- Indicative Procurement Timeline
- Publication of PIN: 18th December 2025
- Date PIN closes: Friday 30th January 2026
- Supplier Day: Wednesday 4th February 2026 Additional information: Any subsequent procurement will be advertised on Find a Tender Service (FTS) and Contracts Finder.
Participation in market engagement does not confer any advantage in a future competition.
The MoJ reserves the right not to proceed to procurement.
All engagement and communication must take place via the Spark DPS (RM6094).
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Ministry of Justice buys Software programming and consultancy services (CPV 7220), and who usually turns up
Ministry of Justice’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Software programming and consultancy services (CPV 7220) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 41 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid7% / 20%
2–357% / 13%
4–623% / 20%
7+14% / 47%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate56% / 40%
Within ±2%30% / 30%
Above estimate15% / 30%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 7220Published estimate£100k
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 15 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid20%
2–313%
4–620%
7+47%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penrose OptionsEarlier contract | Independent Approved Premises - Londonnotice published Mar 2022 | Penrose Drive IAP | — | Matched as the earlier contract |
| Hestia Housing and SupportEarlier contract | Independent Approved Premises - Londonnotice published Mar 2022 | Hestia Highbury IAP | — | Matched as the earlier contract |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 18 Dec 2025, 16:33 GMT
- Last source update
- 18 Dec 2025, 16:33 GMT
- Authority reference
prj_15662- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-084605- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f9a8Find a Tender
Publisher note: Contact Details Ministry of Justice (MoJ) 102 Petty France London SW1H 9AJ Email: [email protected] CPV Codes The following CPV codes are recommended for this Prior Information Notice: Primary Codes: • 48000000-8 – Software and information systems • 7200000-7 – Software programming and consultancy services • 72212325-4 – Behaviour-recognition software development • 72212482-4 – Cloud computing software development services Safeguarding / Monitoring: • 35121700-5 – Alarm-monitoring services • 35120000-1 – Surveillance and security systems Sensors / Remote Detection: • 35125100-2 – Sensors
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
18 Dec 2025 → 18 Dec 2025 · 2 dates- Tender notice expected314 days ago18 Dec 2025
- Notice published313 days ago18 Dec 2025, 16:33 GMT
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.