Welsh watchdogs name two law firms to legal services agreement

The Wales Audit Office (WAO) and the Auditor General for Wales (AGW) have appointed two law firms to provide legal advice on a range of topics and issues relevant to the watchdogs' statutory functions.

The successful firms were:

• Acuity Legal
• Bates Wells & Braithwaite.

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

The watchdog said that the contract, which is worth an estimated £182,000, would operate on a tiered basis. Both firms 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 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.