Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews

Description

The Home Office is seeking a supplier that will provide locations (specifically rooms and/or booths) primarily that will be attended by asylum seekers to conduct their asylum interviews across the UK however other types of interviews will also be conducted. The services will also include a technology provision and staff to provide support enabling asylum applicants to be interviewed remotely. The content of this PIN, including the nature of services and estimated value, may be subject to change. Lot 1: The Secretary of State for the Home Department is procuring a supplier to provide locations, technology and support staff to allow asylum applicants to be interviewed remotely as part of their asylum-seeking application. Asylum interviews play a crucial role in gathering pertinent information to determine the eligibility of claimants for asylum or human right claims. Once an asylum seeker arrives in the UK, the Home Office processes their asylum application, which includes providing accommodation, and conducting asylum interviews to assess their applications. This interview process is hence integral to the asylum procedure. Other types of interviews will also be conducted in these locations however the requirements will remain largely the same. The supplier must be able to provide a secure and private room/booth, hardware (PCs or laptops with video capability), software, a desk, internet access, and a waiting room, as well as verifying, greeting and assisting the asylum-seeking applicant. Interviews can take up to 2 hours and the service is required daily from Monday to Friday, between 0800 to 1800. Ordinarily interviews will be conducted across this full time period every day. The rooms/booths must be used exclusively for this service. The supplier must be able to cover a range of regions across the UK, with the ability to identify and open new locations at 12 weeks' notice (or as soon as possible) if required. Current interview locations include London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bradford, Leicester, Cardiff, Manchester and Belfast, however the final list of locations will be confirmed once known. It is important that asylum claimants feel at ease in a safe environment to disclose information, as such the interview setting must maintain appropriate levels of privacy and confidentiality. The current Asylum Interviews service is being provided as part of an agreement that is due to expire in September 2024, therefore a new solution is required in advance of the expiry of the current solution