The next five years will reshape the landscape of facilities management in the UK custodial estate. Between 2025 and 2030, a series of high-value contracts covering immigration removal centres and prisons will come up for renewal. These opportunities will determine who holds influence in one of the most sensitive and scrutinised parts of public service delivery for the next decade. For FM providers, the renewal cycle represents both a challenge and a unique opportunity to secure long-term recurring revenue in a market where contracts rarely change hands.

The most immediate contract in focus is the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre retender in 2025. Covering Harmondsworth and Colnbrook, this is the largest IRC contract in the UK, currently held by Mitie. Estimates place its total value between £200 and £300 million, with facilities management accounting for £60–100 million. The FM element covers both hard services, such as statutory testing and building fabric maintenance, and soft services including catering, cleaning and laundry. With an 8–10 year duration, the Heathrow award will shape FM delivery in the IRC estate for the next decade.

Alongside Heathrow, the Haslar IRC in Hampshire is scheduled to reopen in 2025. This contract will introduce a new operator to the market, requiring the mobilisation of both custodial and FM services. While smaller than Heathrow, Haslar’s reopening is strategically significant, offering a potential entry point for new providers seeking to establish themselves in the secure FM space. The Home Office has already signalled its intent to use Haslar as part of its strategy to expand detention capacity, meaning the contract will carry political as well as operational weight.

In the same year, HMP Ashfield, operated by Serco since 2005, is also due for renewal. Ashfield is notable for its longevity as a private prison contract and its integration of FM within custodial delivery. Its renewal provides an opportunity for bidders to challenge an incumbent with deep experience, but only if they can present credible FM solutions alongside custodial operations.

Looking forward to 2026, the Amey Northern Prison FM contract stands out as one of the largest single opportunities in the market. Valued at £430 million, this is a stand-alone FM contract covering a cluster of public prisons in the north of England. It differs from integrated private prison agreements in that it is focused entirely on facilities management. This makes it particularly relevant for FM specialists who may not operate custodial services directly but have the capacity to deliver large-scale hard and soft FM in secure environments. The scale of the contract, combined with its expiry in March 2026, means providers must already be preparing strategies, partnerships and mobilisation plans to compete effectively.

Beyond 2026, the renewal pipeline extends towards the end of the decade. Serco’s contract for the Gatwick IRCs, Brook House and Tinsley House, runs until 2030, but the procurement process for its replacement is expected to begin well before expiry. This contract is estimated to be worth over £200 million and will be a significant focus of the next renewal wave. In parallel, G4S faces renewals across its portfolio of privately run prisons, including HMP Oakwood, HMP Parc, HMP Rye Hill and HMP Medway. Each of these contracts integrates FM into custodial operations and will require bidders to present robust facilities strategies alongside operational delivery.

What these opportunities share is scale and longevity. Contracts typically last 8–10 years for immigration removal centres and 10–25 years for prisons. Missing a single renewal cycle can therefore mean exclusion from the market for a decade or more. For FM providers, this underlines the need to invest early in preparation rather than attempting to enter competitions at the last minute. The Home Office and Ministry of Justice expect bidders to present mature, tested solutions backed by credible experience, not hastily assembled proposals.

Evaluation criteria also shape the opportunity. Both departments place greater weight on quality than on price, with 60–70 per cent of scores allocated to service delivery, compliance and mobilisation, compared with 30–40 per cent for financials. Providers must demonstrate not only technical competence but also resilience, innovation and integration. Mobilisation is consistently one of the most scrutinised areas, as failures in the early months of delivery create unacceptable risks in secure estates. Compliance frameworks, covering fire, electrical, water, HVAC and security systems, must be watertight. Workforce strategies must show how bidders will recruit, clear, train and retain staff under tight vetting regimes.

For bidders, the implications are clear. Preparing to compete in the 2025–2030 pipeline requires more than generic FM experience. Providers must present sector-specific expertise, realistic commercial models and detailed mobilisation strategies. Those who underestimate the cost of compliance or the complexity of secure estates are unlikely to succeed. Conversely, those who show mastery of the custodial environment and offer credible, risk-adjusted solutions will be well positioned to capture a share of this stable, long-term market.

The scale of the upcoming contracts makes them transformative. Securing the Heathrow IRC or Amey Northern Prison FM contracts would establish a provider as a long-term player in the custodial FM sector. Success in these bids brings recurring revenue, political visibility and influence over operational standards for years to come. Failure to participate or compete credibly risks leaving providers on the margins until well into the next decade.

This renewal pipeline represents the most significant opening in custodial FM for a generation. Providers who want to compete must act now, building the partnerships, compliance frameworks and commercial models that will withstand Home Office and Ministry of Justice scrutiny.

At Baachu, we specialise in helping FM providers prepare for opportunities of this scale. With deep expertise in both front-line custodial services and facilities management, we support clients through every stage: bid writing and management, commercial FM pricing, mobilisation planning and operational solution design.

If you are preparing to bid for contracts in the 2025–2030 renewal cycle, we can help you compete with credibility.

Contact us at hello@baachu.com to position your business for success in the UK custodial FM market.

Check out the Who Runs Prison Contracts article here