When seeking legal advice on procurement issues, you need a firm renowned not only for its breadth of experience, but also for driving the procurement agenda at national and EU level.
Here at Bevan Brittan, we have a specialist team to advise on all aspects of the procurement regime, and our finger-on-the-pulse industry approach means we help shape solutions in an increasingly complex area.
Our clients include central, regional and local government, health service bodies and the third sector, as well as private sector clients bidding to secure public contracts. We’re vastly experienced at forging partnerships: as representatives of both public and private sector clients (and with more than a third of all local authorities and NHS trusts in England and Wales on our books) we recognise how value can be achieved via collaborations between public and private bodies.
As well as offering a wide range of procurement support services, our clients particularly appreciate our clear, practical support with:
- applying EU procurement rules and using exemptions effectively
- pre-procurement engagement with suppliers
- designing new procurement strategies and models
- producing Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) contract notices
- compiling pre-qualification documents and tender documents
- devising effective selection and evaluation criteria
- negotiating contracts and managing competitive dialogues
- drawing-up framework agreements
- bringing and defending High Court, CCP (to be Monitor) and EC challenges
Reducing bureaucracy, adding value
The EU procurement regime has a reputation – among both bidders and the public sector – for being expensive, complex and heavy on resources. It doesn't need to be. We can help you make better use of existing rules and procedures to procure and deliver your objectives more efficiently.
Local authority clients seek our advice on complex and innovative PPPs, major outsourcing, regeneration schemes involving LABVs, joint venture and shared services arrangements, as well as the more routine issues that inevitably arise on any public procurement.
We act for our Health clients on a wide range of contracts and joint ventures including supplier frameworks, outsourcing, strategic and business transformation partnerships. As well as advising on procurement strategies and support on transactions we act on High Court procurement challenges, referrals to the CCP, ADR including adjudication and complaints to the EC. We also have experience in competition challenges in the sector, a feature that is likely to become increasingly prominent with the Principles and Rules for Co-operation and Competition being given a statutory basis and Monitor assuming enforcement powers alongside the OFT.
To support our clients, we keep on top of legislative and policy changes affecting procurement – such as the right to challenge under the Localism Act, the Health and Social Care Act provisions and the procurement reforms. Our wider procurement team includes colleagues in dispute resolution, construction, finance, projects, employment, IT and regeneration. Our specialist procurement disputes team combines first-class litigation skills with an in-depth understanding of the procurement regime, public law and the case law around it. The team has a wealth of experience in navigating high value complex High Court litigation all the way to trial, but also regularly achieves speedy resolution for clients. The team’s extensive experience includes referrals to the Cooperation and Competition Panel and under Article 226 TFEU.
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