Welsh watchdogs to procure suppliers of external legal advice

The Wales Audit Office (WAO) and the Auditor General for Wales (AGW) are to appoint two suppliers to provide external legal advice on a range of topics and issues relevant to their statutory functions.

“The advice required will typically relate to either the WAO’s provision of services to the AGW or the AGW’s statutory work,” the WAO said.

The suppliers will be appointed on a tiered basis. “Both will be expected to provide legal advice and related services when required, but call-offs will always go to the Tier 1 supplier in the first instance and then will be offered to the Tier 2 supplier thereafter should the Tier 1 supplier be unable to provide the services in that instance for whatever reason.”

The requirement, in terms of the main, broad areas of law on which the WAO and the AGW may require advice are:

(a) Audit;

(b) General Public Business.

“These are not separate lots and it should be noted that in practice matters often overlap. The successful suppliers must therefore be able to provide all of the required services under both areas of law,” the WAO said.

The contract is expected to last for 36 months, with the option to extend for a further two years at one-year intervals at the sole discretion of the WAO.