National Audit Office appoints three law firms to £750k panel

The spending watchdog does not have an in-house legal team and has been seeking to appoint experienced advisers who possess a sound track record of providing legal service in certain areas.

The successful firms were:

• Lot 1: British constitutional law: Bircham Dyson Bell.
• Lot 2: Public law: Bircham Dyson Bell.
• Lot 3: General commercial law: Browne Jacobson.
• Lot 4: Human Resources law: Capsticks.
• Lot 5: Local public audit law: Bates Wells Braithwaite.

Bidders were “expected to possess, and be able to demonstrate, authoritative knowledge of the UK public sector; the legal issues it faces and, where appropriate, how these affect the NAO in its capacity as the United Kingdom's principal public sector audit body”.