Welsh Government kicks off search for legal adviser to major infrastructure schemes

The Welsh Government is to appoint a law firm to advise on major infrastructure schemes, with an indicative value for the supply of legal services of around £3m over three years.

The first two schemes, which will be delivered using the Non-profit Distributing (NPD) model, are the dualling of sections 5 and 6 of the A465 and delivery of the Velindre Cancer Campus. Other schemes may become available during the lifetime of the framework.

The Welsh Government said it wished, on behalf of Welsh Ministers, to establish a framework with three separate, single supplier lots. These lots are for legal, financial and insurance services to advise on and support the development and implementation of the two NPD schemes, in the first instance.

To support this it is anticipated that the first piece of work required under the legal services lot will be the development of the Standard Form Contract and associated documentation.

In relation to legal services, the Welsh Government added: “The service required is the provision of a full range of legal services to participating organisations procuring infrastructure via an NPD or similar model.

“The current NPD classification review being undertaken by the ONS may require the nature of the services provided under the framework to change during the term of the framework agreement and any subsequent call-off contracts. This includes, but is not limited to, an infrastructure scheme starting as an NPD scheme but subsequently being restructured to follow a different funding model, or vice versa.”

It added that advice would be required, but not limited to, the following areas: Document Preparation, Outline Business Case / Project Development, Pre-OJEU: Approval of project to pre-OJEU issue, OJEU: Short listing of bidders, Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) and Invitation to Continue Dialogue (ITCD) with interim bid evaluation (if applicable), Issued for Tender (IFT) and IFT evaluation, Preferred Bidder: Contract Award, Post Contract Award.

“The supplier appointed to each of these individual Lots will not be guaranteed any business or income as a result of the appointment,” the notice said.

“Nor will the supplier be the sole supplier of either legal or financial or insurance services to the client or procuring authority.”

The deadline for receipt of tenders or requests to participate is 2 pm on 20 July 2015.