COMMS-Family Advocacy Service for Bereaved Families following a Death in Prison Custody

Scottish Government
Scotland
Open procedure
22 July 2026 to 21 July 2027

Independent, trauma-informed advocacy and specialist representation for eligible families following a death in prison custody. The service must coordinate local delivery consistently across Scotland, remain independent of statutory bodies, support families through complex post-death processes, and monitor service quality and outcomes.

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Awarded value: £450k; As published
Published: 9 December 2025
Awarded: 22 July 2026; AdvoCard
Contract length: 12 months; Ends 21 July 2027

What the contract covers

Service contract

Provision of independent, trauma-informed advocacy and specialist representation for families bereaved following a death in prison custody across Scotland.

Manage, administer and coordinate the delivery of high-quality advocacy support to all eligible Service Users who request support following a death in prison custody

Lot	Estimated value	SMEs
Lot 1	Not stated	Not stated
Lot 2	Not stated	Not stated

Terms and requirements

Contract type: Service contract
Procedure: Open procedure
Initial term: 12 months
Extensions: 12 months + 12 months
Longest it can run: 36 months
Contract dates: 22 July 2026 to 21 July 2027
Certifications asked for: None stated
Lots: 2
Suitable for SMEs: Not stated
Category: Services
CPV codes: 98000000

Services in this contract

Victim and witness support servicesMain service£1.9m typicalIndependent family advocacy for families bereaved by a death in prison custody

Lifecycle

Published
9 December 2025
Contract awardedto AdvoCard
22 July 2026
Contract starts
22 July 2026
Contract ends
21 July 2027

The buyer

Scottish Government

Type: Locked
Contracts, 24 months: Locked
Recorded value: Locked
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Witness support contracts, 24 months: Locked

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The supplier

AdvoCard

Contracts won, 24 months: Locked
Value won, 24 months: Locked
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Main buyers

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Cite this contract

Link: https://bidskim.com/tender/363397/comms-family-advocacy-service-for-bereaved-families-following-a-death-in-prison
Buyer reference: Case/799177
Open contracting ID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000815435
Last checked: 5 November 2026

Scottish Government. COMMS-Family Advocacy Service for Bereaved Families following a Death in Prison Custody. Contract award, 9 December 2025. BidSkim, https://bidskim.com/tender/363397/comms-family-advocacy-service-for-bereaved-families-following-a-death-in-prison (accessed 5 November 2026).