Procurement

Procurement at MOJ

Information about procurement at the Ministry of Justice and guidance for small business and third sector organisations.

The Procurement Act 2023

The Procurement Act (the Act), passed in 2023, has transformed public procurement by making it simpler, more transparent, and more conducive to innovation. The Act came into force on 24 February 2025 and applies to competitions started on or after this date. Contracts commenced before this date follow the rules under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015).

It is important that current and prospective suppliers to the public sector know about the changes the Act has brought. Cabinet Office has a dedicated supplier page which contains further guidance and resources.

Doing business with the MOJ

The MOJ works with a wide range of suppliers to deliver essential services that support the justice system across England and Wales. We are committed to fair, transparent, and inclusive procurement practices that offer opportunities for businesses of all sizes and sectors.

Procurement at the MOJ is governed by UK public procurement regulations, with processes tailored to the value and complexity of each contract. We use competitive tendering to ensure openness and encourage innovation, and we are continually working to make it easier for new and smaller suppliers to engage with us.

Where we publish procurement opportunities and contract awards

In line with the Act and PCR 2015, we publish details of procurement opportunities and contract awards in the following places:

Find a Tender

  • Find a Tender (FTS): All public procurement notices and contract awards above the relevant thresholds are published on the enhanced FTS, which now forms part of the UK’s Central Digital Platform (CDP). This includes:

    • planned procurement notices - outlining procurements expected in the future
    • preliminary market engagement notices – inviting early supplier input
    • tender notices - for open and competitive flexible procedures
    • contract award notices - detailing awarded contracts
    • contract performance and change notices - where applicable

Further information go to the CDP guidance page.

Contract Finder

Contracts Finder (CF): This platform is still used for legacy procurements that were initiated under the PCR 2015. These include:

  • contracts awarded under existing framework agreements or dynamic purchasing systems established under PCR 2015
  • below-threshold procurements (typically over £12,000 for central government) that began under PCR 2015

New procurements initiated under the Procurement Act 2023 are not published on CF.

Official Journal of the European Union

Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU): For procurements initiated before the end of the EU Exit Transition Period, contract award notices may still appear in OJEU alongside FTS.

MOJ sourcing portal

MOJ sourcing portal: This online platform is where the MOJ manages its procurement activities across the full tendering lifecycle. It enables suppliers to:

  • register interest in opportunities
  • access tender documents
  • submit bids electronically
  • communicate with MOJ procurement teams

The portal supports both above and below threshold procurements. For tenders under the Act, suppliers responding to above-threshold opportunities must enter a CDP share code during submission.

This supplier guidance explains how to navigate the e-procurement portal and how to respond to tenders. For further information contact the e-Sourcing team at eSourcing@justice.gov.uk or telephone 0845 010 0132.

MOJ Commercial Pipeline

Under the Procurement Act 2023, the department publishes UK1 Pipeline Notices on FTS for public contracts estimated at over £2 million, where a UK4 Tender Notice or UK5 Transparency Notice is planned. UK1 Pipeline Notices cover an 18-month period beginning on 1 April each year.

The UK1 Pipeline Notice allows the department to meet its transparency obligations and provide the public and markets with information on potential opportunities in the future. The notice is published at the preliminary stage of a potential requirement, and therefore the requirements may change over time or may no longer needed. Should the requirement progress to the competitive phase, all relevant notices will be published on FTS.

How the MOJ is supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises

We welcome participation from a wide range of suppliers, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSE). Our aim is to build strong and varied supply chains that reflect the communities we serve and reliably deliver outstanding value to the public.

Our SME and VCSE Action Plan sets out our commitments to small business and third sector organisations, including the steps we are taking to reduce the barriers they may face when bidding for MOJ contracts.

For further information or if you have any queries contact us at SME-Enquiries@justice.gov.uk

Payments and Invoicing

Purchase orders

In many circumstances we have ordering processes in place that we have agreed with our contracted suppliers. Where these aren’t in place, we require orders to be supported by a purchase order before you provide any goods or services to the MOJ. Purchase order numbers need to be quoted on your invoice, and this will avoid any delays to you receiving payment.

MOJ purchase orders general terms and conditions:

Government Facility Services Limited (GFSL) purchase order terms and conditions:

For further information or guidance, contact us by email at: CommercialStandards@justice.gov.uk

Invoicing the MOJ

The following information needs to be provided on your invoice:

  • a unique identification number (invoice number)
  • a valid purchase order (PO) number quoted on the invoice
  • your company name, address and contact information
  • the name and address of the department/agency you’re invoicing
  • a clear description of what you’re charging for
  • the date the goods or service were provided (supply date)
  • the date of the invoice
  • the amount(s) being charged
  • VAT amount if applicable
  • the total amount owed.
  • invoices relating to a PO only contain items covered by PO lines
    (except for postage / courier charges up to £30 which do not need a PO line).

We encourage all our suppliers to email their invoices to us as we work with you to reduce our carbon footprint. This will also contribute to quicker processing times for you.

When emailing your invoice, please:

  • attach your invoice as a .pdf file format, with one invoice per pdf
  • don’t compress or password protect your invoice
  • email size must not exceed 4mb - multiple pdfs can be attached to one email
  • all supporting information should be contained within the pdf as the email itself is disregarded (invoices are processed using scanning software).

For your information, the day we receive your invoice by email or at our address if you send by post is the date of receipt.

Send your invoice to the following email addresses:

If you have any queries, contact the helpline:

Shared Service Contact Centre Email: MoJ-finance-ap-enquiries@gov.sscl.com 

Telephone: 0845 241 5351

If an invoice is being disputed, we will tell you who to contact with further enquiries. The payment target will be frozen while the dispute is resolved. If your invoice is legitimate and we take over 30 days to pay it, you may have recourse through the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

Payment performance

We recognise the importance of prompt payment and by following our purchasing and payment process you can help us achieve this for you.

Our payment data for the latest financial year is provided below.

From 2020/21, our prompt payment performance data includes all MOJ’s Agencies, ALBs & NDPBs.  Gov Facility Services Ltd, which is a Private Limited Company, is not included: its prompt payment data will be published on the GFSL pages.

2025-2026

Financial year 2025/2026 % of invoices paid within 5 days % of invoices paid within 30 days Total Amount of Liability to Pay (£)
First quarter 87.64% 97.90% 558,114
Second quarter 88.86% 98.09% 472,009
Third quarter 90.54% 98.46% 554,026

2024-25

Financial year 2024/2025 % of invoices paid within 5 days % of invoices paid within 30 days Total Amount of Liability to Pay (£)
First quarter 87.33% 97.65% 744,201
Second quarter 89.11% 97.74% 611,954
Third quarter 89.32% 98.11% 792,873
Fourth quarter 89.43% 98.09% 601,944

2023-24

Financial year 2023/2024 % of invoices paid within 5 days % of invoices paid within 30 days Total Amount of Liability to Pay (£)
First quarter 86.20% 97.25% 621,494
Second quarter 85.93% 96.90% 801,449
Third quarter 86.12% 96.91% 866,799
Fourth quarter 87.30% 97.25% 708,944

2022-23

Financial year 2022/2023 % of invoices paid within 5 days % of invoices paid within 30 days Total Amount of Liability to Pay (£)
First quarter 85.16% 96.88% 545,131
Second quarter 85.85% 96.66% 589,329
Third quarter 86.76% 96.39% 865,016
Fourth quarter 86.17% 96.35% 610,642

2021-22

Financial year 2021/2022 % of invoices paid within 5 days % of invoices paid within 30 days Total Amount of Liability to Pay (£)
First quarter 88.13% 97.85% 434,983
Second quarter 87.22% 97.50% 542,790
Third quarter 86.67% 97.36% 682,186
Fourth quarter 86.44% 97.25% 557,672

2020-21

Financial year 2020/2021 % of invoices paid within 5 days % of invoices paid within 30 days Total Amount of Liability to Pay (£)
First quarter 84.26% 96.49% 380,108
Second quarter 89.95% 97.86% 315,454
Third quarter 87.12% 97.18% 372,914
Fourth quarter 88.16% 97.17% 626,534

2019-20

Financial year 2020/2021 % of invoices paid within 5 days % of invoices paid within 30 days Total amount of liability to pay (£) Amount of statutory interest paid to suppliers (£)
First quarter 85.41% 96.87% 518,023.56 8,860.49
Second quarter 86.44% 96.91% 503,360.70 1,719.07
Third quarter 85.98% 96.71% 391,863.37 2,248.91
Fourth quarter 86.58% 97.24% 490,234.79 10,496.28

Read historical payment performance data for the Ministry of Justice.

Tender and contractual complaints process

We conduct all commercial activity in full compliance with legislation. Complaints are treated with utmost seriousness and addressed in line with our established procedures.

How to submit a complaint

If you have concerns about a current or recent procurement, please submit your complaint in writing to the named contact in the tender documents and send a copy to CommercialStandards@justice.gov.uk

To help us respond effectively, please provide:

  • the procurement reference details
  • description of the goods or services being tendered for
  • contact details of the relevant MOJ commercial contract manager
  • a clear summary of your concern

We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and provide a full response within 10 working days. If more time is needed, we’ll keep you informed.

All complaints are handled confidentially. If you are currently bidding, your complaint will not affect the fair assessment of your tender.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate the matter to the contact named in our reply. Where appropriate, we may refer the issue to our legal services directorate.

The Procurement Review Unit

The Procurement Review Unit (PRU) is set up to ensure public sector organisations embed the changes in the Act into their working practices.

The PRU:

  • checks public sector organisations are compliant with the Act by carrying out investigations.
  • reviews suppliers to decide if they should be added to a debarment list (a list of suppliers banned from bidding for public contracts).
  • Improves consistency: It helps ensure that decisions to exclude suppliers are fair and consistent across the public sector.

The PRU aims to raises standards in public procurement, protects public money from risk posed by suppliers and maintains transparency through the publication of investigatory reports.

The PRU offers three services, each of which has a unique remit.

  • The Public Procurement Review Service looks at supplier complaints about procurements and late payments.

  • The Procurement Compliance Service is responsible for investigating the compliance of public organisations with the Act and providing statutory recommendations or guidance if required.

  • The Debarment Review Service investigates the risks posed by suppliers and investigates whether they are excluded or excludable under the Act and whether they should be debarred i.e. banned from bidding for public contracts.

Go to procurement review unit guidance for more information about the PRU and the services it provides

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