Crime news: invitation to tender for 2015 duty provider crime contracts
Tender continues and existing contract extension offers issued on 27 March 2015 after Court of Appeal ruling.
The Invitation to Tender (ITT) for 2015 Duty Provider Crime Contracts (Duty Provider Contract) is now continuing following the Court of Appeal ruling that the consultation and tender processes are lawful.
All the information available for invited applicant organisations to submit tenders is available on the eTendering portal – see below.
The tender was originally opened on 27 November 2014 but was temporarily suspended when an injunction was put in place by the High Court.
But the tender and associated consultation were ruled to be lawful by the High Court on 18 February 2015 and also by the Court of Appeal on 25 March 2015. This means the tender can now continue.
Tender deadline
The deadline for submitting tenders is now 12 noon on 5 May 2015. This new deadline maintains the 9-week period applicants have to submit their tenders, as set out in the Information For Applicants (IFA).
Applicant organisations should refer to a notice amending the IFA and mandatory attachments to be used in this procurement process. These are published both on our ‘crime tender 2015’ web page on GOV.UK and on the eTendering portal – see below.
Contract extension
The new deadline and timings mean that we will need to contact all 2010 Standard Crime Contract holders to extend the current crime contract to meet the government’s commitment in its response to the Transforming Legal Aid: Crime Duty Contracts consultation.
We’re doing so to ensure continuous service coverage up to when services start under the new 2015 Crime Contracts on 11 January 2016.
Guidance
You should also refer to the crime tender guidance document on GOV.UK containing answers to questions raised by your representative organisations between 27 November and 15 December 2014. These are also available on the ‘crime tender 2015’ page.
There is no further opportunity to ask questions about the content of the IFA or procurement process.
Further information
- Legal aid crime tender 2015 page: containing example duty rotas, IFAs and related documents including the FAQ
- 2015 Duty Provider Crime Contract documents: page containing the contract and all associated documents
- ‘Transforming legal aid: crime duty contracts’: the government’s consultation response
- eTendering portal
- LAATenderingHelpdesk@ventura-uk.com or call 03330 037060 – lines open 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday
- Standard crime contract 2010