ID 1032027/L8 Legal Services for Strategic Partner Services & School Management System Solution Project

Contracts

• Contract 088373-2026-ID 1032027/L8-1 · Carson McDowell LLPSME

  Signed

  24 Aug 2026

  Value

  £1,850,000

  Period

  10 Jan 2027 — 31 Mar 2028

  Status

  active

  • Change This contract is a call-off contract awarded under Lot 8 of the CPD Framework ID 1032027 for Legal Services and commenced on 11 January 2022 for a period of three years. The contract was subsequently modified to extend its term for a further period of two years until 10 January 2027 and to increase the value to cover this additional contract period. A Modification Notice was published on 10 January 2025 (2025/S 000-000917). It became necessary to further modify the contract until 31 March 2028 and to increase the contract value by 50% of the original contract value (£462,500) to support the ongoing procurement of this requirement. The modification is permissible under Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and met the following conditions: (b) for additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor that had become necessary and were not included in the initial procurement, where a change of contractor: (i) could not be made for economic or technical reasons, such as requirements of interchangeability or interoperability with existing equipment, services or installations procured under the initial procurement; or (ii) would have caused significant inconvenience or substantial duplication of costs for the contracting authority, provided that any increase in price did not exceed 50% of the value of the original contract. For technical reasons, a change in supplier is not possible. The provider has been contracted to provide legal advice and support on this requirement since January 2022 and has developed critical knowledge and understanding that is required to progress the complex strategic procurement exercise. A change in supplier at this stage would have resulted in a loss of expertise and knowledge, adversely impacted project timelines, and led to substantial duplication of costs for the Education Authority. The contract is required to ensure continuity of legal advice and support in relation to the development of critical work. Retaining the existing provider enabled the contracting authority to access consistent, informed and timely legal services based on the supplier's established understanding of the procurement environment and associated risks. The Education Authority issued the PSQ stage to the market on 8 June 2026 via UK4 Tender Notice 2026/S 000-053968, which closed on 17 July 2026. The extension provided the necessary legal support and continuity during the subsequent stages of the procurement process. The additional contract value of £462,500 is required to cover legal services associated with supporting the procurement. The value of the modification has not exceeded 50% of the original contract value and is therefore compliant with the requirements of Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. — Need for additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor/concessionaire: This contract is a call-off contract awarded under Lot 8 of the CPD Framework ID 1032027 for Legal Services and commenced on 11 January 2022 for a period of three years. The contract was subsequently modified to extend its term for a further period of two years until 10 January 2027 and to increase the value to cover this additional contract period. A Modification Notice was published on 10 January 2025 (2025/S 000-000917). It became necessary to further modify the contract until 31 March 2028 and to increase the contract value by 50% of the original contract value (£462,500) to support the ongoing procurement of this requirement. The modification is permissible under Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and met the following conditions: (b) for additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor that had become necessary and were not included in the initial procurement, where a change of contractor: (i) could not be made for economic or technical reasons, such as requirements of interchangeability or interoperability with existing equipment, services or installations procured under the initial procurement; or (ii) would have caused significant inconvenience or substantial duplication of costs for the contracting authority, provided that any increase in price did not exceed 50% of the value of the original contract. For technical reasons, a change in supplier is not possible. The provider has been contracted to provide legal advice and support on this requirement since January 2022 and has developed critical knowledge and understanding that is required to progress the complex strategic procurement exercise. A change in supplier at this stage would have resulted in a loss of expertise and knowledge, adversely impacted project timelines, and led to substantial duplication of costs for the Education Authority. The contract is required to ensure continuity of legal advice and support in relation to the development of critical work. Retaining the existing provider enabled the contracting authority to access consistent, informed and timely legal services based on the supplier's established understanding of the procurement environment and associated risks. The Education Authority issued the PSQ stage to the market on 8 June 2026 via UK4 Tender Notice 2026/S 000-053968, which closed on 17 July 2026. The extension provided the necessary legal support and continuity during the subsequent stages of the procurement process. The additional contract value of £462,500 is required to cover legal services associated with supporting the procurement. The value of the modification has not exceeded 50% of the original contract value and is therefore compliant with the requirements of Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Dispute resolution & review bodies

• The UK does not currently have any such bodies with responsibilities for appeal/mediation proceduresReview body Belfast