Borough council to procure replacement barristers framework agreement

The local authority said the framework would “provide a route to market for the purchase of barristers’ services, where there is demand for capacity or specialist expertise that cannot be met within the council’s in-house Legal Services Unit”.

The contract is expected to run from 7 April 2026 to 6 April 2028, with possible 2 x 12 months extensions to 7 April 2030.

The framework has been divided into two lots:

1. Barristers’ Services for Adults, Children and Education (ACE)
2. Barristers’ Services for Governance, Planning, Property and Litigation (GPPL)

The criteria weighting for bid evaluation are quality (50%), price (40%) and social value (10%).

In February 2022 Bedford appointed ten sets of chambers to a framework worth an estimated £4m.