Public bodies name 11 law firms to pensions legal advice panels

The framework was divided into five lots:

1. Full Service (England and Wales): estimated worth between £1.5m and £5m;
2. Full Service (Scotland): £200,000 to £1.5m;
3. Investment Services: £500,000 to £1.5m;
4. Benefits Administration, Employer Bodies and
Governance (England and Wales): £250,000 to £3m;
5. Benefits Administration, Employer Bodies and
Governance (Scotland): £100,000 to £1m.

The successful firms were:

• Burges Salmon (Lots 1, 3 and 4);
• Eversheds (Lots 1, 3 and 4);
• Pinsent Masons (Lots 1, 2, 3 and 5);
• Squire Patton Boggs (Lots 1, 3 and 4);
• Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co (Lots 1, 3 and 4);
• Trowers & Hamlins (Lot 1);
• Osborne Clarke (Lots 1, 3 and 4);
• DLA Piper (Lots 1, 3 and 4);
• Burness Paull (Lots 2 and 5);
• Sacker and Partners (Lots 3 and 4);
• Maclay Murray & Spens (Lot 3).

The framework can be used by Norfolk, Buckinghamshire County Council, the Environment Agency, Dorset County Council, the London Borough of Hackney, City of Edinburgh Council, Suffolk County Council and the London Borough of Croydon.

It may also be used by:

• any administering authorities and any of their participating employing authorities as defined in the Local Government Pension Scheme (Administration) Regulations 2008/239 and the Local Government Pension Scheme (Administration) (Scotland) Regulations 2008 as amended by SSI 2011/349;
• the Committee (the NILGOSC) and employing authorities as defined in the Local Government Pension Scheme  Administration) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 / SRNI 2009/33;
• the Board of the Pension Protection Fund;
• any other administering authority or organisation of a public sector pension scheme or any public sector body that requires pensions related legal advice; and
• any common or collective investment vehicle established by or on behalf of an administering authority or group of administering authorities, local government pension fund(s) or groups of pension funds or companies established by them for the purpose of operating on a collective basis.

The framework was awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender in terms of
quality (weighting 80) and price (weighting 20).