NHS Commercial Solutions to set up £60-120m framework

NHS Commercial Solutions, which represents trusts in the South East and East of England, is to set up a legal services framework worth £60-120m over a four-year period.

The framework, which is being procured by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust on behalf of NHS Commercial Solutions, has nine lots:

  • Lot 1 Primary Care;
  • Lot 2 Mental Health Law;
  • Lot 3 Corporate and Commercial Law;
  • Lot 4 Employment Law;
  • Lot 5 Property Law;
  • Lot 6 PFI/PPP projects;
  • Lot 7 NHS Governance and Public Law;
  • Lot 8 Health Law;
  • Lot 9 Multi Disciplinary Legal Services of the above 8 Lots.

The framework will be made available to NHS trusts in England, including acute, foundation, care, and special health authorities, local authorities and any partially funded or fully funded public sector body.

The notice from Surrey and Borders Partnership said: “The framework recognises that the expertise required will exist both nationally and at local level and aims to be as inclusive as is practicable in order that the client has the most appropriate resource available.”

It also said it intended to use an eTendering system in the procurement exercise and reserved the right to use a reverse auction.

The NHS Commercial Solutions framework is the latest to be announced in the healthcare sector.

In December last year NHS Shared Business Services – a 50/50 joint venture between the Department of Health and Steria – named 22 law firms to its revised panels.

In October 2013 NHS Property Services unveiled plans for a framework worth an estimated £22-42m over four years.