Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the decision was taken to award the contract to redevelop Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre.

Development of Campsfield is being undertaken in two phases. The commercial agreement with Galliford Try for Phase 1 is a two-stage design and build arrangement. This arrangement was put in place on 24 January 2023 under a Project Partnering Agreement, following the former Home Secretary’s (Priti Patel) agreement to proceed with procurement plans for Campsfield in June 2022. A Commencement Agreement for Phase 1 construction was signed on 29 May 2024, following approval from the Cabinet Office on the 13 May 2024. The published contract award can be found at the following link: Campsfield IRC Phase 1 Refurbishment - Contracts Finder.

A competition for the Phase 1 constructor was conducted between suppliers, using the Strategic Alliance framework, on a “Most Economically Advantageous Tender” basis, which considers both quality and costs. As part of the contracting process, the costs of the contract were assured by a third-party cost consultant appointed by the Home Office and independent of the constructor. The financial business case remains commercially sensitive.

Public procurement is governed by a spends control process managed by the Cabinet Office. Departments have delegated authority to approve procurements within set maximum whole life costs. Where contracts exceed this value, they require Cabinet Office approval to award. The decision to proceed with the Commencement Agreement with Galliford Try for phase 1 construction was approved within the Home Office prior to submission to and subsequent approval by the Cabinet Office on 13 May.