Court Appointed Intermediary Services Tender, Closing 27th Apr
Summary
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has published a tender notice for Court Appointed Intermediary Services (CAIS), re-opening two framework agreements: the Managed & Approved Service Provider (MASP) framework and the Approved Service Provider (ASP) framework. Services will support vulnerable defendants, parties, and witnesses across criminal, civil, family, and tribunal jurisdictions in England, Wales, and Scotland. The procurement is conducted under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 Light Touch Regime.
What changed
The MoJ is re-opening procurement for Court Appointed Intermediary Services following the original award under the light touch regime. Two separate framework agreements are being established: the Managed & Approved Service Provider framework (MASP), requiring providers to manage multiple simultaneous bookings and nationally deploy intermediaries, and the Approved Service Provider framework (ASP), for experienced intermediaries supporting bookings on demand. The procurement follows the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 Light Touch Regime.
Affected parties include experienced intermediaries, intermediary service providers, and organisations capable of recruiting, training, and managing intermediaries to support vulnerable individuals in court proceedings. Providers should note the restriction preventing simultaneous participation in both frameworks. The contract period runs from 20 July 2026 to 31 March 2029, with frameworks reopening at six-month intervals.
What to do next
- Submit tender before the 27 April 2026, 5pm deadline
- Note that service providers cannot hold positions on both MASP and ASP frameworks simultaneously
Archived snapshot
Apr 13, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Published date: 13 April 2026
Open opportunity - This means that the contract is currently active, and the buying department is looking for potential suppliers to fulfil the contract.
Watch this notice Print this notice Closing: 27 April 2026, 5pm
Contract summary
Industry
- Law-courts-related administrative services - 75231100
Location of contract
North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South West, Scotland, Wales
Value of contract
£0
Procurement reference
tender_176932/1566813
Published date
13 April 2026
Closing date
27 April 2026
Closing time
5pm
Contract start date
20 July 2026
Contract end date
31 March 2029
Contract type
Service contract
Procedure type
Open procedure (above threshold)
What is an open procedure (above threshold)? Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.
This procedure can be used for procurements above the relevant contract value threshold.
Contract is suitable for SMEs?
Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs?
Yes
Description
This notice relates to the re-opening of framework agreements originally awarded following a procurement exercise conducted under the light tough regime, following a process similar to the open procedure.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is inviting tenders for the provision of Court Appointed Intermediary Services (CAIS), to support vulnerable defendants in the criminal jurisdiction and vulnerable parties and witnesses in the civil, family and tribunal jurisdictions. These services will be provided in courts and tribunals in England and Wales and tribunals in Scotland.
Intermediaries facilitate impartial communication to enable complete, coherent and accurate communication between vulnerable people and the courts/tribunals. Intermediaries may be instructed to provide an assessment of a person's communication needs, and provide recommendations on measures that could be put in place by the court to support vulnerable people, young people, children and other individuals who may need assistance during court proceedings. The intermediary may also be required to attend hearings to provide such assistance and support.
For the avoidance of doubt, the MoJ is only seeking tenders in relation to intermediary services that currently fall outside the remit of the MoJ Witness Intermediary Scheme (MoJ WIS). All requests for intermediary support for witnesses in criminal cases will continue to be managed via the MoJ WIS.
More information
Additional text
The MoJ invites tenders for Court Appointed Intermediary Services to support two existing framework agreements: the Managed & Approved Service Provider framework (MASP), and the Approved Service Provider framework (ASP).
The MASP framework seeks providers with the ability to manage multiple simultaneous bookings, and the capability to recruit, train and manage intermediaries to support a range of vulnerabilities, for deployment nationally.
The ASP framework seeks experienced and qualified intermediaries to support bookings on demand.
There is no limit to the number of service providers awarded a place on either framework, however a service provider may not hold a place on both the MASP and ASP frameworks simultaneously.
The MoJ is managing this procurement in accordance with its general obligations under UK law and specifically in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCRs) and the Light Touch Regime contained within Regulations 74 to 77.
The framework agreements are dynamic frameworks and a hybrid of a framework agreement and dynamic purchasing system. As such, the framework agreements will be re-opened at six month intervals for the admission of new service providers who qualify against the selection and award criteria outlined in the procurement documents.
How to apply
Follow the instructions given in the description or the more information section.
About the buyer
Contact name
Commercial
Address
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
England
HMCTSCommercial@justice.gov.uk
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Watch this notice Print this notice Closing: 27 April 2026, 5pm
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