A six-year contract worth £521 million is being advertised by the government for firms to run two locations for people seeking asylum crossing the Channel in small boats.
The Home Office is looking for an operator to manage health care services at both the Manston Reception Centre near Ramsgate and Western Jet Foil in Dover.
According to the tender, published on Friday, tasks would include managing staffing of operations, security and health care facilities.
It’s understood the aim is to provide a safe and secure environment for the Border Force to register and process individuals arriving in the UK on small boats from across the English Channel.
The contract, which is set to start in January 2026, also includes possible yearly extensions for up to four years, which, in total, would add another estimated £102m.
The tender says: “The contract will be subject to break clauses to be applied in the event that, as per UK government policy, the need for the services is successfully reduced over time, with corresponding reductions in the ultimate length and value of the contract.”
The contract is split into two lots – Lot one is for Operator Services, valued at £462.6m, and Lot two is for Healthcare Services, valued at £58.7m.
Last month, the authority unveiled a consultation over plans to create a “more fit-for-purpose” reception centre for asylum seekers at the former RAF base in Manston.
The centre has been used to process those crossing the Channel since January 2022.
In that time, it has been hit with overcrowding, protests and disease outbreaks.
Now, bosses want to create bigger, better facilities at the site.
New buildings would be on vacant land next door to the current centre.
It would include a new reception, staff training facility, parking, CCTV and a waste treatment facility.
At least five old buildings will be bulldozed for new construction.
The Home Office expects work to be complete by 2028.
In March, the Home Office dropped plans for a neighbouring Immigration Removal Centre at Manston.
This is a detention centre controversial among human rights groups, immigration support charities, and those fighting “unjust detention policies” – with seven in use across the UK.
The tender announcement comes as 142 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in two boats following a five-day break without any crossings.
The arrivals on Friday came after four people, including a two-year-old boy, died after two boats got into trouble off the coast of France on October 5 (Saturday).
The Home Office is set to accept a shortlist of four bids for each lot.
The closing date for bids is noon on November 15, and those bidding for the contract will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
