North East councils procurement arm doubles value of next legal services framework to £100m

The Association of North East Councils, trading as the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO), has doubled the estimated value of its next multi-supplier framework for the provision of legal services to £100m over four years.

NEPO had said in May 2023 that its next framework would be worth £50m and consist of a maximum 12 suppliers, but it was subsequently unable to conclude this procurement.

In a contract notice issued this month (5 February) it gave an estimated value of £100m. NEPO has also increased the number of potential providers to 30.

Carl Telford, Professional Services Lead at NEPO, said: “The revised estimate value of the Framework Agreement reflects the potential maximum length of the Solution, the potential for Framework Agreement growth driven by NEPO Member Authority and Associate Member usage, and the demand profile of the projects anticipated to be within its scope.”

The agreement will be a direct replacement for the current 12-lot NEPO513 Framework Agreement for Legal Services, which in September 2019 saw 35 law firms and one barristers chambers appointed. That framework was at the time estimated to be worth £60m over four years.

The closing date for the new framework is 11 March 2024 (12 pm).

The contract is due to start on 3 June 2024 and run until 2 June 2028.