Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 7
7
We recommend that the Ministry review its decision to seek partners while the new model...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Ministry review its decision to seek partners while the new model was still being developed and to report to us on whether future procurement processes will prevent the cancellation of proposed new contacts at such a late stage in a process and after potential bidders have put considerable time and effort into nugatory bids. (Paragraph 36) The Unified Model, Sentence Management and Advice to the Courts
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Partly Agreed This recommendation has been partly agreed as the decision to discontinue to Probation Delivery Partner competitions was taken following a review process. We never enter into a procurement with the intention of cancelling it; unfortunately, changes in circumstances sometimes require a change of approach, and all organisations participating in a procurement recognise this risk. This was the case with the cancellation of the Probation Delivery Partner competition, as a result of reviewing the impacts of the pandemic on our ability to deliver a smooth and successful transition. We made that decision as promptly as we could and paused the competition as soon as it was under review to avoid further investment of resources by bidders. We made clear in the procurement documentation, as well as during market engagement, that costs associated with participating in any stages of the procurement process would solely be borne by the bidders. This is standard practice in procurements except in some rare circumstances.