Public procurement
Public procurement in
the UK is worth over £60b annually and accounts for 16%
of the EU economy. The number of public/private partnerships
grows year-on-year as central and local government increasingly
outsource infrastructure services and commission the provision of
public services from private sector providers. The time and
costs associated with running procurements mean that public bodies
must be confident they can safely run an effective procurement
process free from legal challenge. The requirements of transparency
and the Freedom of Information Act place them under additional
public scrutiny.
Since the 1980s we have supported central and local government,
independent public sector clients and private sector suppliers in
creating sound, viable and mutually beneficial business structures
within the public procurement process. Our expertise in
understanding commercial matters and the values and drivers of
public authorities enables us to provide commercial and practical
advice to a wide range of public bodies from central government
departments to regional development agencies, local authorities and
independent public institutions.
As well as advising individual clients, we are leading
participants in influencing policy. We founded and host the
Public/Private Procurement Forum, which brings together senior
policy-makers from central and local government and industry for
frank discussions of current issues.
Our expertise includes:
- advice on selecting the correct procedure
- advice on detailed procedural mechanics such as market
sounding, drafting Contract Notices, PQQs, ITTs and ITNs and Award
Notices
- advice on maintaining effective competition through use
of ethical walls, conflict analysis and NDAs
- training on law, procedures and challenges
- advice on award decisions including “Alcatel” standstill,
de-briefing down-selected bidders
- advice on exceptional procedures including national
security, sole suppliers and accelerated urgent
processes
- bringing and defending legal challenges
- advice on vires, governance and statutory
interpretation
- drafting detailed processes for conducting procurements
using the competitive dialogue procedure
- conducting competitions for setting up framework
agreements
- advising suppliers on how to deal with contracting
authorities