National Witness Service Grant Procurement - Early Market Engagement

Activities include: o Accepting referrals into the service for support ahead of the trial from CJS partners such as Witness Care Units and from the defence as well as self-referrals from witnesses themselves. o Receiving and processing victim and witness information from the CPS who will transfer the List of Witnesses attending Court (LWAC). o Providing emotional and practical support to every witness who wishes to receive it. o Providing advice and information to witnesses about their rights and the process of giving evidence. o Helping answer any questions the witness has about the trial (including questions about special measures). o Meeting witnesses on the day of the trial, acting as a supportive presence. o Ensuring witnesses are kept informed through the day of any delays and relaying important information. o Offering pre-court visits (for example, a tour of the court room) helping witnesses to familiarise themselves with the court building and calm anxieties ahead of the day of giving evidence. o If requested by the witness and approved by the court, accompanying the witness when giving evidence to provide emotional support only. This can be in the court room, at a remote link site or other court-approved locations. o Additional outreach support ahead of the trial may be offered to vulnerable or intimidated witnesses where Witness Service volunteers will reach out to witnesses ahead of the trial, either by phone or through in-person visits, to help them prepare for their day in court, answer questions and provide reassurance and emotional support. • Currently, the WS is guided and informed by The Witness Charter and The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code): • The Witness Charter, published by the MoJ in 2013, sets out standards of care for witnesses to a crime or incident in England and Wales. The Witness Charter applies to all witnesses of a crime and to character witnesses, but not expert witnesses. • The Victims’ Code sets out the minimum standards that must be provided to victims of crime by organisations in England & Wales. • Responsibility for pre-trial and outreach support for witnesses who reside in London was devolved on a pilot basis to the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) from April 2019, under the London Justice Devolution Memorandum of Understanding, with the National Witness Service continuing to provide the on-the-day support to all witnesses in London on the day of the trial. The current value of the existing grant is circa £12 million pa. The total award value/thresholds are subject to confirmation of final requirements/term and will be included as part of the WS Grant competition notice when published. " The MoJ would greatly value engagement on the design of the grant through the completion of a short questionnaire, available through Jaggaer, where a supplier must have a registered account: https://ministryofjusticecommercial.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html The ITT Code is: ITT_8710 - National Witness Service ME There will be a form within the Attachments section with the questions in for you to complete. Please download and submit your response through to the Authority by Message. No further steps will be required at this stage. The deadline for this is the 7th June 2024. Any problems with setting up an account or registering, please contact our Commercial Lead Lucinda Carty: Lucinda.carty@justice.gov.uk Additional information: Questionnaire: Please limit your answers to 300 words per question. The Questions can be found within Jaggaer in the attachments section.