North East councils appoint 36 providers to £60m regional legal services framework

The procurement was led by Newcastle City Council. The other contracting authorities were: Darlington Borough Council; Durham Council; Gateshead Council; Hartlepool Borough Council; Middlesbrough Council; North Tyneside Council; Northumberland County Council; Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council; South Tyneside Council; Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council; Sunderland City Council.

The framework was divided into the following lots:

1. General requirements.
2. Conveyancing.
3. Housing.
4. Family
5. Education
6. Prosecutions
7. Licensing
8. Litigation
9. Insolvency
10. Debt Recovery
11. Highways
12. Employment.

The successful firms were:

• Anthony Collins Solicitors (lots 1, 8, 12)
• ASW Legal Limited t/a ASW Solicitors (10)
• Bevan Brittan (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
• BLM Law (2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12)
• BWL Consulting (2, 8)
• Capsticks (3, 12)
• Clarke Willmott (10)
• Collingwood Legal (12)
• Croftons Solicitors (2)
• DAC Beachcroft (1, 2, 8, 12)
• Davitt Jones Bould (2)
• DWF Law (1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 11, 12)
• Endeavour Partnership (2, 8, 10, 12)
• Forbes Solicitors (2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12)
• Freeths (2, 5, 8, 11)
• Geldards (2, 5, 8, 11, 12)
• Greenhalgh Kerr (9, 10)
• Jacksons Law Firm (2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12)
• Moon Beever (9, 10)
• Muckle (2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
• Nockolds (2)
• Oracle Solicitors (8, 12)
• PG Legal (2, 8)
• Pinsent Masons (1)
• Plexus Law (8)
• Richard Nelson (12)
• Square 1 (2, 8, 9, 12)
• Stephensons Solicitors (2, 3, 4, 6, 12)
• Swinburne Maddison (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
• Tilly Bailey & Irvine (5, 9)
• Trinity Chambers (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12)
• Ward Hadaway (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
• Weightmans (2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
• Wilkin Chapman (9, 10)
• Womble Bond Dickinson (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
• Wright Hassall (6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)

The framework will be available for use by all members of the NEPO central purchasing body.

The contract was awarded on the basis of strength of proposals against the specification (weighting: 70) and price (weighting: 30).