Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Legal Services to The University of Birmingham
Authority: THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM (Education)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSummary:
The University of Birmingham previously established a framework agreement for the provision of legal services across a range of specialist areas relevant to the Higher Education sector. This framework supports the institution accessing high-quality legal expertise tailored to the complex and evolving needs of the sector.
Scope of Services:
The framework covers the following key work areas:
Information law
Academy sponsorship and governance matters
Higher Education Law, including authority duties, charity law, corporate governance, and compliance
Litigation (contracts, grants, personal injury, negligence, breach of statutory duty)
Land and property transactions (freehold, leasehold), property litigation, and minor agricultural tenancy matters
Commercial law (contracts, procurement, IT, research grants, IP, copyright, overseas operations)
Employment law (contentious and non-contentious), including health and safety, immigration, and pensions
Student-related matters (contractual, procedural, statutory, discrimination, litigation, immigration)
Licensing matters
Debt recovery litigation
Professional regulatory advice on legal practice
Banking, corporate, and spin-out support
Current Legal Services Provision:
The University of Birmingham's in-house legal department, led by the Director of Legal Services, handles a wide range of legal matters including property, contracts, governance, employment, intellectual property, and compliance.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 9 Oct 2025, 11:23 BST
- Last source update
- 9 Oct 2025, 11:23 BST
- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-063621- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05ab63Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Additional Repeat Extension Partial Replacement
- Published justification
The current legal services framework is due for renewal. To ensure continuity of service and allow sufficient time for a comprehensive tendering process, the University of Birmingham intends to extend the existing framework agreement for a further 12 months. This extension is necessary to maintain access to specialist legal services based on expertise, sector-specific experience, pricing, and availability.
A formal procurement process will be undertaken to establish the new framework agreement, ensuring compliance with public procurement regulations and delivering value.
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 9 Oct 2025- Transparency notice published9 Oct 2025, 11:23 BSTUK5
- Contract signature expected9 Oct 2025, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP9 Oct 2025 – 16 Sept 2026 | £600,000 inc. VAT | — | Standstill |
| Freeths LLP9 Oct 2025 – 16 Sept 2026 | £600,000 inc. VAT | — | Standstill |
| MILLS AND REEVE9 Oct 2025 – 16 Sept 2026 | £600,000 inc. VAT | — | Standstill |
| Shakespeare Martineau LLP9 Oct 2025 – 16 Sept 2026 | £600,000 inc. VAT | — | Standstill |
| Pinsent Masons LLP9 Oct 2025 – 16 Sept 2026 | £600,000 inc. VAT | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
5 commercial parties on the notice- Eversheds-Sutherland (International) LLPAwarded supplier
- Freeths LLPAwarded supplier
- Mills and Reeve LLPAwarded supplier
- PINSENT MASONS LLPAwarded supplier
- SHAKESPEARE MARTINEAU LLPAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender