Official UK procurement notice
Legal Services (SBS10531) · UK public procurement notice
Authority: NHS Shared Business Services Limited (NHS & healthcare)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNHS Shared Business Services Limited (NHS SBS) intends to put in place a Framework Agreement for the provision of Legal Services to be used by Approved Organisations for the following proposed Lots, which are under consideration during this preliminary market engagement:
- Lot 1: Governance, structure, transformation & public law
▪Lot 2: Healthcare & mental health
▪Lot 3: Employment
▪Lot 4: Procurement, commercial & contract
▪Lot 5: Property & construction
▪Lot 6: Technology & e-commerce, including IP & media law
▪Lot 7: Corporate finance, audit & insurance
▪Lot 8: Criminal
▪Lot 9: Legal recovery & collection
▪Lot 10: Counsel
▪Lot 11: Multi-disciplinary support
CPV: Legal services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 4 yrs from 10 Nov 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedWhat it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
- “Legal Services (SBS10531)” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How NHS Shared Business Services Limited buys Legal services (CPV 7910): the notice lists UK and non-UK locations
NHS Shared Business Services Limited’s published record is shown without a UK market comparison because the notice lists UK and non-UK delivery areas without one confirmed UK market. Check the notice description and tender documents for the actual site. This notice is a framework or DPS, so only frameworks and DPS are compared. Whole-market view: Legal services (CPV 7910) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
No small-firm winners recorded among this authority’s published awards in this sample.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
The notice lists UK and non-UK delivery areas, so this procedure has no confirmed single UK region; the buyer’s figure reads its other awards, each against its own delivery region.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 151 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Awards are recorded, but published direct routes and bid counts do not establish this buyer’s share.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid3%
2–36%
4–69%
7+82%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS. The notice sets up a supplier panel and a ceiling value; what the work actually costs is agreed later, on each call-off or mini-competition, and those publish as contract notices of their own. The award-vs-estimate record of this market therefore sits on the call-offs; this page shows it on the contracts, not on the panel that frames them.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Our matching links this notice to “LEGAL SERVICES FOR HEALTH (SBS10196)” of this authority, but none of the 18 panel members sit in a category matching this notice.
Lot #1Published estimate£200m
The notice lists UK and non-UK delivery areas for this lot. The figures below use UK market history and may not describe competition across every area.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. Published delivery includes UK and non-UK areas, so the UK model may not describe every area.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BW LEGAL SERVICES LIMITEDEarlier contract | LEGAL SERVICES FOR HEALTH (SBS10196)notice published Oct 2023 | Legal Recovery & Collection | — | Matched as the earlier contract |
| Freeths LLPEarlier contract | LEGAL SERVICES FOR HEALTH (SBS10196)notice published Oct 2023 | Legal Recovery & Collection | — | Matched as the earlier contract |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
What this replaces i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
50% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
50% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (50% title match), the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid
LEGAL SERVICES FOR HEALTH (SBS10196) — held by Hill Dickinson LLP and Sintons (+1 more); no contract end date published.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 5 Jan 2026, 14:28 GMT
- Last source update
- 5 Jan 2026, 14:28 GMT
- Authority reference
SBS10531- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-000354- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area in notice
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05ff70Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
5 Jan 2026 → 10 Nov 2027 · 3 dates- Planning notice published288 days ago5 Jan 2026, 14:28 GMT
- Market engagement255 days ago6 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) is developing a fit-for-the-future framework to support the delivery of Legal Services across the NHS and wider public sector.
To help define the scope and structure of the new framework, NHS SBS is conducting a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise with suppliers. The aim is to gather market insight, assess supplier capability, and test the relevance of proposed lots before finalising the Lot and commercial structure, Specification and launching a formal procurement process.
The existing Legal Services framework is due to expire on 31/07/2027. This PME represents an important opportunity to shape the future of Legal Services procurement and ensure the framework aligns with the market capabilities, national priorities, local needs, and emerging innovation.
The proposed lot structure under consideration includes the following:
- Lot 1: Governance, structure, transformation & public law
▪Lot 2: Healthcare & mental health
▪Lot 3: Employment
▪Lot 4: Procurement, commercial & contract
▪Lot 5: Property & construction
▪Lot 6: Technology & e-commerce, including IP & media law
▪Lot 7: Corporate finance, audit & insurance
▪Lot 8: Criminal
▪Lot 9: Legal recovery & collection
▪Lot 10: Counsel
▪Lot 11: Multi-disciplinary support
PRELIMINARY MARKET ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE
NHS SBS would like to obtain the markets views, suggestions, and proposals during this preliminary market engagement. All submissions will be treated confidentially. Please note, companies are not required to respond to all questions within the PMEQ.
Companies wishing to participate in the preliminary market engagement should complete the Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire (PMEQ) by 12pm on Friday 6th February 2026 via the following link:
portal.us.bn.cloud.ariba.com/dashboard/public/app… ↗
POSSIBLE SUBSEQUENT ENGAGEMENT
NHS SBS may host open virtual forums (such as webinars) to engage further with the market following analysis of PMEQ responses. Within the PMEQ, companies need to confirm whether they would like to participate in such further engagement, and if so, provide contact details for their nominated attendee.
We are committed to working with suppliers who are dedicated to Sustainability and Social Value and there will be a significant weighting on this within the procurement documents.
NHS Shared Business Services Limited (NHS SBS) act in an Agency capacity for and on behalf of its customers (Approved Organisations) - existing and new. These comprise of NHS and social care organisations (whether acting individually, or on behalf of, or together as members of any consortia) along with any other public or private sector bodies which NHS SBS authorises to use the resulting Framework.
Our Approved Organisation list can be found on:
www.sbs.nhs.uk/services/framework-a… ↗
The eSourcing system NHS SBS will use is SAP Ariba. Please note that to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a Framework if invited.
- Today20 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 386 days10 Nov 2027
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published5 Jan 2026, 14:28 GMTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender