Criminal Justice Related Drug and Alcohol Referral Service for Adults

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Warwickshire invites tenders for the provision of a Criminal Justice Related Drug and Alcohol Referral Service for Adults. The PCC seeks to commission an experienced provider to deliver an Arrest Referral Service across police custody settings in Warwickshire, together with associated substance misuse assessment, intervention and referral services.

In addition, the provider will deliver a service within the Leamington Justice Centre courts' setting to offenders who have a history of substance use related problems, the provider will complete court requested suitability assessments for community sentences; and provide information to Court Probation Staff to inform Pre-Sentence Reports. The service will undertake holistic criminal justice substance misuse assessments for individuals in custody who test positive following a Drug Test on Arrest and those who voluntarily engage with the service.

Assessments will consider drug and/or alcohol use alongside offending behaviour, health, safeguarding, vulnerabilities and wider social needs, with the aim of identifying appropriate treatment, support and risk management interventions. The service will also undertake suitability assessments for Community Sentence Treatment Requirements, including Drug Rehabilitation Requirements and Alcohol Treatment Requirements.

The service will maximise opportunities to identify and engage individuals experiencing drug and/or alcohol misuse at a key point of intervention within the criminal justice system. It will provide early intervention, harm reduction advice, brief interventions, and effective pathways into community drug and alcohol treatment and wider support services.

The successful provider will operate as a key partner within Warwickshire's multi-agency response to substance misuse and offending, working collaboratively with Warwickshire Police Custody, Probation, the commissioned community drug and alcohol treatment provider and other relevant statutory and community partners. The service will contribute to improved treatment engagement, improved criminal justice outcomes and the reduction of reoffending in Warwickshire.

The PCC is seeking a provider with relevant experience and expertise in delivering substance misuse and/or criminal justice services, with the capability to provide an appropriately skilled and resilient workforce within police custody and criminal justice environments. The provider will be expected to demonstrate effective multi-agency working, strong safeguarding and risk management arrangements, and the ability to engage individuals with complex needs and support them into appropriate treatment and wider services.

The requirement will be procured as a single contract and has not been divided into lots. The Authority considered whether to separate the custody and court-related elements of the service but determined that delivery through a single contract would provide continuity of service and straightforward, integrated referral pathways.

The contract will be awarded for an initial period of three (3) years, commencing 1 April 2027, with an option to extend for up to a further two (2) years, subject to funding availability. The contract is funded through a fixed budget, subject to applicable funding terms and conditions.

Funding levels may be subject to change during the contract period and any underspent funding must be returned to the Authority and/or relevant funding body. Contract values provided are indicative and dependent on VAT status of successful bidder(s).

How to Register Full details of the service requirements, procurement process, conditions of participation, evaluation methodology, specification and contract terms and conditions and identified risks are contained within the procurement documents on the In-tend Bluelight portal https://sell2.in-tend.co.uk/blpd/home Please see Submission section below on how to register and respond. This procurement is being conducted using a competitive flexible procedure for the award of an above-threshold Light Touch Contract under the Procurement Act 2023.

Preliminary market engagement has been carried out for this contract. We have made available the presentation slides and Q&A from the market engagement in the tender pack on In-tend for information purposes only.

Where there is any conflict between the preliminary market engagement materials and the tender documents, the tender documents shall prevail. The Authority reserves the right to amend the procurement timetable or process where permitted by law, make a future direct award where permitted, manage conflicts of interest in accordance with applicable requirements and its governance procedures, and not to award a contract as a result of this procurement exercise. The Authority reserves the right to award the contract directly under Schedule 5, paragraph 8 of the Procurement Act if the competitive procedure does not result in an acceptable tender.