Guidance

General FAQs

Updated 15 June 2021

General

What is the Prison Leavers Innovation Challenge?

The Prison Leavers Innovation Challenge is part of the Prison Leavers Project, which is a new £20m innovation programme led by the Ministry of Justice that aims to develop innovative new solutions to break the cycle of reoffending.

Who is running the programme?

The Ministry of Justice is running the programme in partnership with PUBLIC who are acting as a delivery partner for the challenge.

What is the MoJ?

The Ministry of Justice is a major government department, at the heart of the justice system. The MoJ works to protect and advance the principles of justice, with a vision to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society.

What is PUBLIC?

PUBLIC was founded five years ago to encourage and create greater technology transformation within the government. PUBLIC works closely with both government agencies, and with GovTech innovators and startups, to implement new technology solutions.

If my solution is selected, do I receive financial support?

In the first phase of the project, up to 10 selected companies will receive Government funding of up to £25,000 to prototype their solution, culminating in a Demo Day.

In the second phase of the project, up to 4 selected companies will receive Government funding of up to £350,000, as well as mentorship support, to develop their solution and design a pilot.

What is the application deadline?

The deadline for the application phase is Friday 11 June.

When will I hear if I’ve been selected?

We will aim to contact successful applicants for interviews by Monday 21 June.

What are the timescales for applications, selection and piloting phases?

The application period lasts for 5 weeks from Monday 10 May to Friday 11 June. The Shortlisting phase will last 10 weeks.

The shortlisting phase will comprise of up to 10 selected startups working alongside mentors to develop and deploy their product. If chosen they will then move to the pilot phase.

How many bids do you intend to fund?

In the first phase of the Project, up to 10 selected companies will receive Government funding of up to £25,000 to prototype their solution, culminating in a Demo Day.

In the second phase of the project, up to 4 selected companies will receive Government funding of up to £350,000, as well as mentorship support, to develop their solution and to design and run a pilot.

Eligibility criteria

My company is not incorporated in the UK and European Union, can I apply?

Your company must be incorporated in the UK or European Union, and must be able to deploy resources in the United Kingdom at time of Shortlisting phase.

My company is not a legal entity, can I apply?

No, your company must be a legal entity to apply.

What size companies can apply?

All companies are welcome to apply, however preference will be give to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

How do you define a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)?

Companies that have up to 250 employees are considered to be SMEs for this programme.

Does my proposed solution have to use technology?

Yes, all proposed solutions must be tech solutions.

Does my proposed solution have to be built in-house?

Yes, the developers of your solution must work in your organisation and be available through the shortlisting and pilot phase for continuous development of the solution.

My proposed solution doesn’t apply to any of the challenges, can I still apply?

No, suppliers’ proposed solutions must be within the scope of the challenge

Can I apply to more than one challenge?

As the challenges have different needs and uses, you may only apply to one challenge to ensure your solution is the best possible solution for that challenge.

I don’t have a working solution, can I still apply?

As this is an innovation challenge we expect all solutions to be adapted to suit the needs of the users for the specific challenge, or to be created from scratch. Your proposed solution can build off an existing framework but will need to be further developed and adapted during the shortlisting period to be considered novel.

Can I apply in a consortium?

Yes, but we ask that the leading organisation fits all the eligibility criteria.

Public sector / novelty

My proposed solution has been used in the prison leaver space before, can I apply?

This challenge focuses on novelty and innovation in this space. A solution that has been used in the space will not be accepted without substantial changes.

My proposed solution has already been deployed by a Government entity, can I still apply?

Solution frameworks that have been used by another Government entity may still apply, however we expect to see technological innovation to adapt the technology to the specific challenge and the user needs it aims to address.

My proposed solution has already been deployed by the MoJ, can I still apply?

This programme is looking specifically at novel and innovative solutions. The solution as it is will not be accepted, and would require substantial changes.

What level of cybersecurity does my solution need to have?

Suppliers must have CyberEssentials certification or equivalent certification when working with real data during phase 2, and need to have at least a credible plan to be working towards that accreditation as a condition of being selected for phase 1. A supplier webinar will be held during the application phase at which you can find out more information.

What level of data protection and security is required for my proposed solution?

Suppliers must take reasonable precautions with regard to protection of data, including having a clear data protection policy in keeping with UK data protection laws/guidance. A supplier webinar will be held during the application phase at which you can find out more information.

Assessment process

What criteria will my proposed solution be assessed on?

Solution projected impact (30%); Solution feasibility, including project long-term cost (20%); Measurability of impact (20%); Skills and experience (20%); Price (Weighted 10%). Further information can be found in the additional challenge context pack.

In light of the potentially wide scope of solutions being presented for consideration, we reserve the right to call on subject matter experts outside the core evaluation teams to ratify and inform the evaluation teams’ assessments of projected impact, solution feasibility and price of any proposal. These additional resources will be under the same obligations of confidentiality as the core evaluation team.

Moreover, the funding available for proposals is finite. As such some otherwise feasible ideas may not achieve funded status due to price or limited potential for return on investment. The decision for funding or otherwise where a proposal has passed evaluation with an acceptable degree of technical merit or potential benefit will be considered as part of the wider affordability decision (total cost of ownership) and with the aim of maximising the overall benefit across the whole programme.

Will I be expected to forecast costs and suggested ROI for the application?

Suppliers must show how their proposed solution impact will impact ROI in relation to measurable outcomes linked to reoffending. Projected long term costs for the solution should be clearly identified and outlined across the length of the project.

Do I need evidence that my solution will deliver the benefit I claim?

We would like to see your rationale or theory of change for why you believe your proposed solution would be impactful, but as solutions must be novel we don’t require a pre-existing evidence base demonstrating impact.

Evaluability

Where can I find information about how my proposed solution will be evaluated, if selected to participate in the programme?

The MoJ’s evaluation team, and their external evaluation partner, will evaluate your solution. The Supplier Guidance outlines the different standards of evaluability, whilst the additional challenge context pack provides more detail on the process of evaluation, the requirements of successful applicants, and administrative data sources which can be used to measure the success of the solutions. Depending on several factors, including the solution’s evaluability, some solutions will receive a more in-depth evaluation, and some a more light touch evaluation.

Will I be expected to work with the evaluators?

Yes, you will be expected to have meetings with MoJ’s evaluation team and evaluation partners, particularly during phase 2 pilot development to ensure we evaluate the solution in the most appropriate way. During the pilot delivery you will be expected to facilitate interviews with prison leavers and project staff as part of the qualitative evaluation.

Do I have to be able to prove the impact of my intervention?

Suppliers should be able to establish a data collection framework for their intervention, have a process to establish the subject group as well as the control group and a clear approach to measure the impact of the solution on the two groups for more complex outcomes.

Do I have to be able to record users’ personal identifiers data?

Yes, you will be required to record and report users’ personal identifiers to the MoJ’s evaluation team so they can evaluate the impact of your solution. See the Evaluation section in additional challenge context pack for more information on required collectable metrics. The exception to this is if the intervention will be delivered to all individuals within a specific locality e.g. prison or probation area. MoJ’s evaluation team will work with successful applicants to determine what data needs to be collected.

Will I be required to provide data to the MoJ?

Yes, if selected at phase 2 you will be required to provide data to the MoJ Evaluation team at 3 monthly timepoints after implementation.

Will I be measured on the proposed impact of the solution?

We will expect you to outline what your proposed solution’s impact measures are in your application and will use these in conjunction with required personal identifier datasets, outlined in the additional challenge context pack, during the shortlisting phase, if you are selected for it SMEs will be asked to select which outcomes are most relevant to their proposed solution, either drawing from the existing list outlined in the additional challenge context pack, or by proposing their own outcomes. These will be used in conjunction with the required personal identifier data points to evaluate the impact of their solution during the piloting phase.

Do I need a site, people or population to trial my technology solution?

Yes, bidders will score more highly if they are able to be specific about their target population, and how they would recruit individuals. The MoJ’s evaluation team will work with selected solutions to further develop the target population.

Is there any guidance on the number of service users that individual SMEs are required or expected to recruit and support during the pilot period?

Solutions with large sample sizes i.e. individuals recruited / delivered to will enable a more robust evaluation at the pilot stage. Therefore bidders will be scored more highly if they are able to deliver their intervention to more individuals.

Other

What opportunities are available after the shortlisting phase?

After the shortlisting phase, the most promising solutions will begin a funded, one year piloting phase.

Is my proposed solution expected to be interoperable with core HMPPS and MoJ systems?

Not all solutions are required to be interoperable with core HMPPS and MOJ systems. Selected solutions will be able to work with technical teams to develop interoperability, if access to these systems would improve the solutions’ impact. It is suggested that solutions consider working with open source code to make interoperability more viable. Due to the sensitive nature of data contained on core systems, suppliers developing interoperable solutions will be required to have a higher standard of data protection and cybersecurity certifications.

Are there any additional security issues we should be considering given the users have committed offences?

Due to the sensitive nature of the personal identifier data points solutions are required to collect, there are specified data protection and cybersecurity requirements solutions must meet, as outlined in the supplier guidance and additional challenge context pack. Additionally, some prison leavers will have license conditions limiting their access to technology solutions and / or the internet, and as a result will be excluded from directly using solutions.

Cohort

Should the solutions target only prison leavers post release or can they start in prison?

Interventions can be aimed at people in prison, although this should be in the period shortly before they are due for release. This is to ensure we are able to sufficiently measure the impact on reoffending rates 6 and 12 months post release.

How recent does a prison leaver need to be?

For evaluation purposes the intervention needs to take place either shortly before or after the individual has left prison. This can be outlined through working with control and user groups

Can you confirm this is for male prison leavers only?

The Prison Leavers Project is primarily focussed on the adult male cohort. However, we are happy to accept bids where the learning could be applied to both male and female prison leavers.

Can our intervention target a specific cohort of prison leaver?

Yes however inclusivity of solutions will be assessed and reflected in the assessment of solutions.