There are changes ahead with the flexibilities for prisons to purchase delivery from the Dynamic Purchasing System from 1st April 2019. The DPS will give the prisons greater control over the specific services that are delivered so we really want to maximise the opportunities that this can bring by encouraging as many suppliers as possible to sign up. In particular, the DPS is a great opportunity to get some of the more local or third sector suppliers into the market delivering prison education as well as the larger providers. A supplier leaflet giving more information is here.
The Ministry of Justice has organised a Stakeholder event to be held on Monday 2nd July for the Kent Surrey and Sussex area covering the 10 prisons that sit in Lot 8 for the new Prison education framework for potential providers. This will give the prisons the opportunity to discuss opportunities for the future and for you to learn about the DPS and how it will work in the future. The programme for the day is here. The event will be held at the Rochester Conference Centre from 9.30 till 13.00. No need to book – just turn up on the day.
The MoJ will also be attending the SCTP Pre-employment meeting on the 20th June and will give members a brief update. The MoJ has also recently published its Education & Employment Strategy focussing on rehabilitation of prisoners in a bid to reduce persistently high reoffending rates.