East Midlands councils to procure public law children barristers framework worth nearly £9m

The procurement is being led by Derbyshire County Council. The other councils are Derby City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council (pending approval).

The framework contract would see a range of chambers “assist in the provision of legal advice and advocacy services in respect of Public Law Children Act 1989 and other Child Care related matters”.

The joint expenditure for all four authorities is in the region of £1.79m per annum.

The contract will run from 1st April 2024 for an initial 2-year period with options to extend for up to 3 x 1-year periods.

The contract will be awarded on the basis of quality (weighting: 95) and supplier information security (weighting: 5).

In October last year the four authorities named three law firms to a framework worth an estimated £5m to deliver legal services in respect of Children Act 1989 and other child-related proceedings.

The successful firms were:

• Dodds Solicitors
• Stephensons Solicitors LLP
• Straw and Pearce

The contract for the provision of solicitor agents was to run from the date of award for an initial three-year period with options to extend for up to two x one-year periods.