Planning

Legal Aid Agency's Specialist Quality Mark (SQM)

THE LEGAL AID AGENCY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

23 Jun 2021 at 21:45

Summary of the contracting process

The Legal Aid Agency, an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice, is planning to procure services to administer its Specialist Quality Mark (SQM) scheme, which is a quality standard for legal service providers in England and Wales. The procurement process is in the planning stage and is expected to involve services over a maximum period of five years starting from 1 April 2022, with a total value of £2,500,000. Interested parties are urged to register for an online market engagement session by 7 July 2021, as full details of the tender will be available in the invitation to tender.

This opportunity is particularly suited for businesses that specialise in compliance auditing and quality assurance related to legal services. Companies with experience in assessing and advising on legal practice standards, specifically those familiar with the Specialist Quality Mark and the Law Society's Lexcel standard, will find this tender relevant. Engaging with the Legal Aid Agency could lead to substantial business growth given the ongoing demand for high-quality legal service provision across the UK.

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Notice Title

Legal Aid Agency's Specialist Quality Mark (SQM)

Notice Description

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). It works with providers of legal services to ensure fair, prompt and effective access to civil and criminal legal aid and advice in England and Wales. LAA would like to engage the service of a provider to administer its Specialist Quality Mark (SQM) scheme. The SQM is the organisational quality standard owned by the LAA but delivered under licence and services delivered under contract will be directly chargeable from legal services providers. The purpose of the SQM is to ensure providers of legal services are well managed, provide good levels of client care and have appropriate systems in place to ensure delivery of good quality advice. Compliance with the SQM, or the Law Society's equivalent standard Lexcel, is a requirement for legal services providers that have, or are seeking to have, a contract with the LAA. The service, which involves auditing and assessing legal services providers who apply for SQM accreditation, will be delivered across England and Wales. We anticipate that services under contract are likely to be required for a maximum of 5 years from 1 April 2022. To register to attend an on-line market engagement session, interested organisations should email civil.tenders@justice.gov.uk by no later than 7 July 2021. Full detail of the procurement process will be detailed in the invitation to tender.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) would like to engage the service of a provider to deliver the Specialist Quality Mark (SQM) scheme. The SQM is the organisational quality standard owned by the LAA but delivered under licence. Its purpose is to ensure providers of legal services are well managed, provide good levels of client care and have appropriate systems in place to ensure delivery of good quality advice. Compliance with the SQM, or the Law Society's equivalent standard Lexcel, is a requirement for legal services providers that have, or are seeking to have, a contract with the LAA. The service, which involves auditing and assessing legal services providers who apply for SQM accreditation, will be delivered across England and Wales. The purpose of this Prior Information Notice is to engage with possible providers to discuss various arrangements for the service. Organisations interested in this procurement opportunity are asked to email LAA (civil.tenders@justice.gov.uk) to register to attend an on-line market engagement event. Organisations should register by no later than 7 July 2021. The market engagement session is expected to take place in July 2021. Full detail of the procurement process will be detailed in the invitation to tender.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-02bf8f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014364-2021
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security


CPV Codes

79210000 - Accounting and auditing services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Jun 20214 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
22 Jun 2021Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE LEGAL AID AGENCY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
civiltenders@justice.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 9AJ
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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