The facilities management requirements of the UK custodial estate are unlike those found in almost any other environment. Immigration removal centres and prisons operate on a 24/7 basis under intense regulatory and public scrutiny. Every aspect of service delivery, from fire safety testing to food provision, must withstand inspection, meet statutory standards and contribute to the safe operation of the estate. Within these contracts, the distinction between hard and soft FM is critical, not only because of the difference in services but because of the way buyers assess value, risk and resilience.

Hard FM in the custodial context covers the maintenance and compliance of the built environment itself. This includes building fabric upkeep, mechanical and electrical systems, plumbing, heating, ventilation and specialist security infrastructure such as CCTV and access control. It is not unusual for facilities to be decades old, meaning fabric repairs and legacy systems require constant attention. Even in newer estates, the requirement for secure containment means systems are often bespoke and technically complex. Buyers expect bidders to have a proven capacity to plan and execute statutory testing and preventive maintenance across all these disciplines without disrupting custodial operations.

Soft FM, by contrast, encompasses the services that directly affect day-to-day life inside facilities. Cleaning, catering, laundry, waste management and grounds maintenance all fall under this category. In prisons and detention centres, soft FM also extends into welfare support services such as stores, logistics and even support to education or healthcare delivery. These are the services most visible to detainees, prisoners, inspectors and the public. Failures in catering standards or hygiene attract immediate reputational damage and political attention. For this reason, buyers scrutinise soft FM solutions with as much rigour as they apply to technical maintenance proposals.

From a commercial perspective, hard FM typically accounts for 15 to 20 per cent of an integrated contract’s value, with soft FM contributing a further 10 to 15 per cent. Together, facilities management makes up around a quarter to a third of the total budget. In large sites such as Heathrow IRC, this equates to £60–100 million over the contract term. While these percentages may appear modest compared with the overall custodial operation, they represent high-value, high-risk spend categories where underperformance can threaten the viability of the entire contract.

The integration of hard and soft FM within custodial contracts is not optional. The Home Office and Ministry of Justice bundle FM within the wider operational agreements for detention centres and privately run prisons. This is because separation would create security risks and operational inefficiencies. A catering team cannot operate independently of custodial staff, just as fire system maintenance cannot be scheduled without security oversight. For bidders, this means FM solutions must be designed with integration in mind. It is not enough to demonstrate competence in each discipline; the solution must show how services will coordinate seamlessly with custodial operations.

Evaluation criteria reinforce this emphasis on integration. Buyers weight quality far higher than price, with typical scoring models allocating 60 to 70 per cent of the marks to service delivery, mobilisation and compliance. Price accounts for only 30 to 40 per cent. This means the strength of hard and soft FM solutions, and the way they are woven into the overall custodial delivery model, will often determine bid success. A low-cost model that does not address the operational realities of running FM in a secure environment is unlikely to score highly.

Buyers will probe bidders on statutory compliance regimes, especially around fire, electrical and water safety. They will test how preventive maintenance schedules will be delivered within secure access restrictions. They will expect detailed plans for catering that cover nutritional standards, cost control and cultural requirements of diverse populations. Cleaning solutions will be assessed against health, safety and infection control standards. Grounds maintenance and waste disposal will be judged not just on cost but on sustainability and resilience. Across both hard and soft FM, bidders must also show how technology will be used to improve efficiency and reporting, whether through asset management systems or compliance dashboards.

The workforce dimension is another decisive factor. In secure estates, every member of the FM team requires security clearance. This makes recruitment and retention a major challenge. Buyers will look for credible workforce strategies, including how bidders will manage TUPE transfers from incumbents, how they will provide specialist training and how they will prevent labour shortages undermining service continuity. Soft FM services such as catering and cleaning, often reliant on lower-wage staff, require particular attention to ensure stable resourcing under the constraints of clearance and vetting.

The sustainability agenda now cuts across both hard and soft FM. The Home Office’s commissioning of the all-electric Campsfield House is a clear signpost to the future. Hard FM teams will be expected to manage renewable energy systems, low-carbon heating and improved building performance. Soft FM services will be judged on their ability to reduce food waste, cut carbon in catering supply chains and implement greener cleaning methods. For bidders, this means sustainability must be embedded in every element of the FM solution rather than presented as an optional extra.

For facilities management companies, the implications are straightforward but challenging. Success depends on building solutions that are credible, integrated and tailored to the unique demands of secure environments. Hard FM proposals must go beyond standard maintenance to demonstrate deep expertise in security-critical systems. Soft FM proposals must show how quality, compliance and reputational risks will be managed daily. Pricing models must reflect the true cost of delivering under these conditions, rather than attempting to win on headline price alone. Mobilisation plans must detail how both hard and soft FM services will be transitioned smoothly, without gaps in compliance or service standards.

The FM share of custodial contracts may sit between 25 and 35 per cent of total value, but it is often the decisive element in bid evaluations. The operational and reputational risks are too great for buyers to compromise. For providers looking to enter or expand in this market, a disciplined focus on both hard and soft FM, delivered as an integrated solution, is the only credible path.

Baachu is uniquely positioned to support providers facing this challenge. With experience across both front-line custodial services and facilities management, we help bidders craft solutions that address the specific risks, compliance requirements and operational realities of secure estates. From bid writing and commercial modelling to mobilisation and operational solutioning, we provide the expertise needed to compete credibly.

For providers preparing to bid on upcoming opportunities in prisons and immigration removal centres, the message is clear: invest now in building integrated hard and soft FM solutions that meet the highest standards of compliance and resilience.

📧 Contact us at hello@baachu.com to discuss how we can help you prepare, position and deliver bids that win in this highly specialised sector.

Check out the new article on UK Immigration Detention and Prison Facilities Management Contracts 2025 here