The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Kenneth Clarke)
I am today announcing that the Government have awarded four new contracts for the prisoner escort and custody services to Geo Amey PECS Ltd ( a joint venture between the Geo Group Ltd and Amey UK plc) and Serco Ltd.
This follows a competitive tender conducted in accordance with Public Sector Procurement Directive (2004/8/EC). Geo Amey PECS Ltd and Serco Ltd have offered the best overall bids in terms of quality of service and cost relative to the other bids received and will take over the service from 29 August 2011 for an initial period of seven years.
The award of contracts to Geo Amey PECS Ltd and Serco Ltd enable the MOJ to release significant cost savings, reducing current costs by 20% on current spend.
The scope of services being delivered by Geo Amey PECS Ltd and Serco Ltd include all inter-prison transfers, the movement of prisoners with mental health problems, extradition and cross-border moves. It excludes all category A movements. The final specification incorporates a number of business changes, including improvements to facilitate the operations of the courts.