FE institutions and universities name 21 law firms to framework

A consortium of further education institutions, including academies, and a group of universities have named 21 law firms to a multi-million pound legal services framework that will be made available to public bodies across the UK.

The Crescent Purchasing Consortium, which ran the tender exercise, said the framework would meet “the legal services needs of organisations across the entire public sector; covering the whole range of legal services but specifically covering property matters, human resources matters, academy conversion and post conversion and other legal services”.

The CPC was also purchasing on behalf of the North East Universities Consortium. The framework is estimated to have a value anywhere between £1.3m and £140m.

There were 14 lots under the framework, one for each of the following regions throughout the UK, and a single lot covering the entire UK:

  • Lot 1: Legal Services – East Anglia: Bates Wells & Braithwaite; Birketts; DAC Beachcroft: Eversheds; Michelmores.
  • Lot 2: Legal Services – East Midlands: Bates Wells & Braithwaite; DAC Beachcroft; Eversheds; Freeth Cartwright; Veale Wasbrough Vizards.
  • Lot 3: Legal Services – London: Bates Wells & Braithwaite; Bevan Brittan; Bond Dickinson; Eversheds; Veale Wasbrough Vizards.
  • Lot 4: Legal Services – North East England: Bond Dickinson; Burnetts; DAC Beachcroft; Eversheds; Rollits.
  • Lot 5: Legal Services – North West England: Bond Dickinson; Burnetts; DAC Beachcroft; Eversheds; Veale Wasbrough Vizards.
  • Lot 6: Legal Services – Scotland: Anderson Strathern; DWF; Eversheds.
  • Lot 7: Legal Services – South East England: Bates Wells & Braithwaite; Bevan Brittan; DAC Beachcroft; Eversheds; Paris Smith;
  • Lot 8: Legal Services – South West England: Bates Wells & Braithwaite; DAC Beachcroft; Eversheds; Foot Anstey; Michelmores.
  • Lot 9: Legal Services – Wales: Capital Law; DAC Beachcroft; Eversheds; Geldards; Michelmores.
  • Lot 10: Legal Services – West Midlands: Bates Wells & Braithwaite; Bevan Brittan; DAC Beachcroft; Eversheds; Freeth Cartwright;
  • Lot 11: Legal Services – Yorkshire and Humber: Bond Dickinson; DAC Beachcroft; Eversheds; Muckle; Rollits;
  • Lot 12: Legal Services - Northern Ireland: Carson McDowell; Cleaver Fulton and Rankin; Eversheds; Jones Cassidy Jones; King and Gowdy.
  • Lot 13: Legal Services – Channel Islands: Bond Dickinson; Eversheds.
  • Lot 14: Legal Services – National One-Stop-Shop: Bond Dickinson; Eversheds; Michelmores.

All legal services were available under each lot with the exception of academy conversion and post conversion services which were not available under Lots 6, 9, 12 and 13.

The award criteria were the most economically advantageous tender in terms of: (1) price (weighting 40); and (2) quality (weighting 60).