Criminal Defence Direct Contract 2026
Draft contract documents for the Criminal Defence Direct Contract from 4 May 2026.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
These draft contract documents cover remote advice under the Criminal Defence Direct scheme from 4 May 2026.
The draft contract consists of the following elements:
- contract for signature
- standard terms
- specification
- further documents.
Contract for signature
The contract for signature is the document which gives effect to the contract as a whole. The sample contract for signature has been published for illustration purposes only as contents such as any special conditions vary between providers.
Standard terms
The standard terms govern the commercial relationship between Legal Aid Agency (LAA) and the provider.
Specification
The specification sets out the rules governing the provision of Criminal Defence Direct work.
Key performance indicators (KPIs)
The KPI annex sets out performance measures we expect providers to meet and explains the consequences of breaching these requirements.
IT requirements annex
The IT requirements annex sets out the IT systems and other related processes the provider must have in place.
Implementation plan annex
The implementation plan annex sets out the bespoke arrangements providers will follow to implementation the service by the service commencement date.
Reporting requirements annex
The reporting requirements annex sets out the information that providers must record and report to the LAA.
Resourcing Plan
The resourcing plan annex sets out the staffing arrangements providers have submitted to resource the CDD service.