Invitation to tender - Independent review and evaluation of the Horizon Project restorative justice programme

The Restorative Justice Council is inviting Expressions of Interest from suitably qualified evaluators to undertake an independent review and evaluation of the Horizon Project restorative justice programme. The contract will be held by RJC Nexus, the Council’s wholly owned trading subsidiary.

This is an important opportunity to contribute to the Restorative Justice Council’s learning, accountability and ongoing development of a complex, participant-led programme operating in the context of significant and prolonged organisational harm.

The Stage One tender information pack is now available to download. Expressions of Interest must be submitted by 5.00 pm GMT on Friday 20 November 2026.

About the commission

The Horizon Project restorative justice programme provides opportunities for people harmed by the Horizon and Capture IT systems to identify and pursue outcomes that matter to them through voluntary, participant-led restorative processes.

Depending on each participant’s choices, needs, readiness and safety, this may include preparatory work, direct or indirect restorative dialogue, written questions and responses, acknowledgements, explanations, agreed commitments, relational wellbeing support and follow-up of outcomes.

The independent review will provide impartial, evidence-based scrutiny of:

• programme implementation;

• participant experience and participant-defined outcomes;

• organisational engagement and accountability;

• relational wellbeing support;

• the Support Fund;

• practitioner wellbeing;

• safeguarding, governance and quality assurance; and

• the wider learning that can inform restorative responses to organisational and systemic harm.

The central principle is to do no further harm. Safety, voluntariness, informed consent, participant voice, relational accountability, trauma-informed practice, clear boundaries and organisational responsibility will therefore be fundamental to the commission.

Who we want to hear from

Expressions of Interest are welcomed from suitably qualified:

• individuals;

• organisations and consultancies;

• academic institutions and research teams; and

• partnerships or consortia.

Individuals may apply independently or as part of a wider team. Consortium applications are also welcome where leadership, accountability, roles, decision-making, quality assurance and subcontracting arrangements are clearly defined.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate relevant capability across areas including:

• independent review and evaluation;

• restorative justice or restorative practice;

• organisational or institutional harm;

• trauma-informed and ethical research;

• participant involvement;

• safeguarding;

• governance and accountability;

• information governance; and

• complex public-interest programmes.

We are particularly interested in applicants who understand why evaluating a restorative programme in the context of the Horizon scandal requires a distinctive approach. This includes navigating institutional mistrust, power imbalance, confidentiality, participant autonomy, psychological safety and the risk that evaluation activity itself could cause further harm.

Scope, duration and budget

The anticipated evaluation period is four and a half years.

The initial contract will cover Year One only, with a maximum available budget of £57,000 excluding VAT. Subject to annual review and commissioning, a further three and a half years may be commissioned at the same annual value. The full indicative budget for the potential four-and-a-half-year evaluation is £256,500 excluding VAT.

Year One is expected to begin on 1 February 2027. Indicative deliverables include mobilisation and inception arrangements, development of an evaluation framework, review of the pilot project, baseline and early implementation assessment, participant feedback arrangements, interim learning and Year One reporting.

The successful Year One provider will be treated as the preferred provider for subsequent phases, but any continuation will remain subject to satisfactory delivery, annual review, affordability, programme development, participant-safety considerations and continued value for money.

A proportionate two-stage process

This procurement is being conducted in two stages.

Stage One is a screening and pre-qualification process. It is intended to identify applicants with the relevant experience, capability, independence, safeguarding arrangements, ethical competence and understanding of the Horizon context. Approximately four to six of the strongest applicants are expected to be invited to submit a full tender at Stage Two, subject to the quality, affordability and suitability of the submissions received.

Applicants are not required to submit a detailed evaluation methodology or fully costed proposal at Stage One. Instead, the submission is designed to establish whether the applicant has the insight, experience, capacity and ethical judgement required to undertake the commission.

What is required at Stage One?

The main Expression of Interest response must not exceed ten A4 pages. Applicants will also need to provide:

• up to three examples of relevant previous work;

• a response of no more than 750 words to the Horizon capability question;

• evidence of safeguarding, ethical and data protection capability;

• the required mandatory, independence and conflict-of-interest declarations;

• an indicative cost range; and

• a secure link to a recorded presentation of no more than five minutes from the proposed lead evaluator, or an approved accessible alternative.

The full tender guidance explains the submission requirements, eligibility criteria, assessment process, scoring framework, timetable and important procurement conditions.

Key dates

Stage One tender issued: 15 October 2026

Deadline for clarification questions: 30 October 2026

Clarification responses issued: 6 November 2026

Deadline for Stage One Expressions of Interest: 5.00 pm GMT on 20 November 2026

Stage One outcome notification: 2 December 2026

Stage Two Invitation to Tender issued to shortlisted applicants: 7 December 2026

Stage Two tender submission deadline: 5.00 pm GMT on 15 January 2027

Anticipated contract award and commencement: 1 February 2027

These dates are indicative and may be amended, paused or withdrawn by the Restorative Justice Council. The procurement and any resulting contract will be administered through RJC Nexus, the Council’s wholly owned trading subsidiary.

Download the guidance and submit an Expression of Interest

If you have the relevant experience and share our commitment to independent, ethical, trauma-informed and participant-centred evaluation, we encourage you to read the full Stage One tender information pack below. 

Expressions of Interest must be submitted to Horizon@restorativejustice.org.uk with the subject line Stage One EOI: Horizon Project Independent Review. The deadline is 5.00 pm GMT on Friday 20 November 2026.

Clarification questions must be sent to Horizon@restorativejustice.org.uk by 30 October 2026. Responses of general relevance will be shared consistently with all applicants.