EPPOC NIPS ACEs Study

Location

Description

The Department of Justice (DoJ) coordinates the Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime Programme which is the Executive’s response to its commitment made under the Fresh Start agreement of November 2015 and the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) document of 2020. It is reflected in the draft Programme for Government / Outcomes Delivery Plan and DoJ Corporate Plan for 2022-25. The Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality, and Organised Crime Programme is a collaborative, Executive-wide approach which has the outcome of ‘safer communities, resilient to paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control’. It was initially established in 2016 as a result of the Fresh Start Agreement as a means of implementing the Independent Panel’s Report on the Disbandment of Paramilitary Groups. To support this goal, and to better understand need to improve service delivery, the Programme seeks to commission a comprehensive study on the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), childhood trauma, and exposure to violence among the Northern Ireland prison population. This research will fill a critical evidence gap, inform rehabilitation and public safety strategies, and support trauma-informed approaches within the justice system.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• None found

Legal Justification

Direct award conditions and permissible justifications are set out under Chapter 3 and Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act. Based on the information provided there may be justification for a direct award on the grounds set out under paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 where the following conditions are met in relation to the public contract— (a) due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. On the basis of the information presented, it may be possible to rely on a derogation in this case (i.e. Para 6 of Schedule 5) due to the fact that the Supplier, under the conditions of the initial study, holds exclusive rights to the underlying data until February 2027, and this proposed follow‑on work requires lawful access and use of that data during this exclusivity period to meet programme timescales and objectives.

Other Information

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