Housing organisation names seven law firms to panels worth £1.25m to £60m

The Warrington-based organisation has appointed the firms to the following panels:

• Property: Freeth Cartwright; Brabners; Walker Morris; Weightmans; Stephensons.
• Development: Stephensons; Freeth Cartwright; Weightmans; Brabners; Walker Morris.
• Corporate and Finance: Brabners; Freeth Cartwright; Walker Morris; Weightmans; Penningtons Manches.
• Employment: Brabners; Freeth Cartwright; Stephensons; Walker Morris; Weightmans.
• Housing management: Weightmans; Freeth Cartwright; Walker Morris; Brabners; Stephensons; Anthony Collins.

The appointments were based on the most economically advantageous tender in terms of: quality, technical merit & customer service (weighting 60); and price (weighting 40).

Explaining the very wide estimate for the value of the four-year framework, Procurement for Housing said earlier this year that this was in part a result of the framework being new and the lack of historical data.

It also claimed there was uncertainty over the level of future demand for accessing legal services via a framework because of the pending abolition of Part B classification as a result of new procurement directives.

In April the organisation launched a procurement for a similar framework covering Scotland. This was estimated to have a value of between £250,000 and £25m.