The Provision of Recruitment Services for the Government Legal Department

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    "date": "2025-12-16T09:43:22Z",
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    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PGPQ-1671-NQQJ",
            "name": "Government Legal Department",
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                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PGPQ-1671-NQQJ"
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            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "102 Petty France",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SW1H 9GL",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI32"
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            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "bids@governmentlegal.gov.uk"
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    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PGPQ-1671-NQQJ",
        "name": "Government Legal Department"
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    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "GLD will host an event on MS Teams, to receive details of this event and to express an interest in attending please write to bids@governmentlegal.gov.uk - the event will be at 2pm on Tuesday 20th May Following the event, you are invited to make a written submission about your views on our needs. We would ask you to limit this to one document of five A4 pages not including the cover sheet to be submitted to bids@governmentlegal.gov.uk by 2pm on Tuesday 27th May After written submissions, GLD is likely to decide on next steps of its procurement options by July 2025.",
                "dueDate": "2025-05-27T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "016033-2025",
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                "datePublished": "2025-04-17T16:11:56+01:00",
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    "tender": {
        "id": "GLD027 2025",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "The Provision of Recruitment Services for the Government Legal Department",
        "description": "The Government Legal Department (GLD) is pleased to launch this major opportunity to partner with one of the largest and most influential legal organisations in the United Kingdom. GLD is seeking a highly capable, innovative and collaborative supplier to deliver end-to-end recruitment services that will directly support the attraction, assessment and recruitment of outstanding legal professionals for government. This contract represents a unique opportunity to shape the future of legal recruitment across central government and to influence the capability of the UK's legal system at the heart of public service. As the UK's principal provider of legal services to central government, GLD plays a critical role in supporting the rule of law, advising on the policy agenda of the day, leading high-profile litigation, drafting and shaping legislation, and helping government departments deliver essential public services. With more than 3,400 employees-including around 2,600 solicitors and barristers-GLD is one of the largest legal organisations in the country. Our work touches every aspect of public life: from national security and international trade to employment rights, commercial agreements, public inquiries, constitutional matters and major public policy reforms. Through this procurement, GLD seeks a recruitment partner capable of delivering a consistently high-quality, flexible and responsive service that can operate across a wide range of legal and cross-functional professional roles. This includes recruitment campaigns for qualified lawyers, senior legal specialists, commercial lawyers, employment lawyers, planning lawyers, public and private law practitioners, and a wide variety of specialist roles essential to the operation of modern government. The successful supplier will also support the recruitment of early talent, including legal trainees, pupillage candidates, legal apprentices and wider early-career colleagues entering the Government Legal Profession. These early talent routes are vital to the long-term capability of GLD and to the diversity and inclusiveness of the government legal workforce. In addition to legal recruitment, the contract will include optional non-core services to support recruitment into cross-functional professional roles (such as HR, Digital, Finance and Commercial functions), Senior Civil Service (SCS) campaigns, and high-volume sifting or assessment activities where surge capacity is required. The successful supplier will therefore play an important role not only in shaping GLD's legal workforce, but also in supporting the organisation's broader operational capability and leadership pipeline. GLD is looking for a partner who shares our values and aims to deliver recruitment services of the highest quality. We are seeking suppliers who can demonstrate a commitment to excellence, innovation, equality, diversity and inclusion, and who understand the importance of building a transparent, fair and candidate-centred recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. The successful partner will be expected to provide insightful market intelligence, data-driven recommendations, skilled assessment and selection expertise, and high-quality candidate management throughout the process. This procurement also offers suppliers the opportunity to work directly with GLD on long-term strategic workforce planning. GLD is undergoing significant organisational transformation, including enhancements to digital platforms, modernisation of HR systems, and the development of a national delivery model (\"A National GLD\") that reflects GLD's growing footprint across the UK. Our recruitment partner will have a front-row seat in shaping how talent is identified, attracted and selected for one of the most respected legal employers in the public sector. The successful supplier will be able to work collaboratively with GLD to introduce best-practice improvements, modern recruitment technologies, AI-enabled approaches (where appropriate), refined assessments, inclusive hiring practices and evidence-based attraction strategies that resonate with the modern legal talent market. The contract term is 48 months, with the option to extend for up to 24 further months in 12-month increments. This provides suppliers with the stability and longevity to embed high-quality services, introduce meaningful innovation, and build deep relationships with the organisation. GLD values partnership working and is looking for a supplier who can act as a genuine extension of our internal recruitment team-bringing external expertise, insight and agility to complement GLD's strategic HR and operational functions. TUPE may apply to this contract. GLD will make anonymised staffing information available to shortlisted bidders to support due diligence and pricing considerations. Compliance with data protection, confidentiality requirements and the highest standards of information governance will be essential for all bidders wishing to engage with TUPE information. The successful supplier will be required to: * Deliver high-quality recruitment and assessment processes across all core legal and early talent routes * Provide targeted attraction strategies, particularly for hard-to-fill and specialist roles * Design and deliver high-quality assessments with regular analysis of adverse impact * Provide insight, MI and market intelligence to support strategic decision-making * Offer surge capacity for high-volume or urgent campaigns * Deliver optional services for cross-functional professional recruitment and Senior Civil Service roles * Operate in compliance with Cabinet Office controls, Civil Service Recruitment Principles, GLD systems and data governance requirements * Continuously improve services throughout the contract through innovation, technology, candidate experience enhancement and collaborative partnership working This is a prestigious opportunity for a supplier to work at the heart of the UK legal system and support one of the country's most respected legal organisations. We welcome bids from suppliers who can bring creativity, capability, robustness and a genuine appetite for partnership. GLD is committed to running a transparent, fair and open competition in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and encourages all interested suppliers to engage actively, ask questions early and submit a strong, compelling and high-quality tender. To express an interest and seek all the procurement documents please request this from bids@governmentlegal.gov.uk",
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                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
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                        "country": "GB",
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                    {
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                "relatedLot": "1"
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        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "specialRegime": [
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            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-06-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2030-05-31T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2032-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
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                "hasRenewal": true,
                "status": "active",
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                    "amountGross": 11792452.97,
                    "amount": 9827044.14,
                    "currency": "GBP"
                },
                "awardCriteria": {
                    "weightingDescription": "The Authority will award the contract to the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) using a Price per Quality Point (PQP) model, as described in the Bidder's Guide. All bids must first meet the qualification requirements and minimum quality thresholds. Quality responses will be scored and weighted in accordance with the published criteria. The total tendered whole-life price will then be divided by the bidder's overall weighted quality score to determine the cost per point of quality. The tender with the lowest cost per quality point will be deemed the Most Advantageous Tender.",
                    "criteria": [
                        {
                            "type": "price",
                            "name": "Most Advantageous Tender (PQP Model)",
                            "description": "The Authority will award the contract to the Most Advantageous Tender using a Price per Quality Point (PQP) model. Only bids meeting the qualification criteria and minimum acceptable quality scores will be considered. The whole-life price submitted in the Pricing Schedule will be divided by the bidder's total weighted quality score to generate a cost per point of quality. The tender offering the lowest cost per point of quality will be ranked as the Most Advantageous Tender in accordance with Section 19 of the Procurement Act 2023."
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "price",
                            "name": "Most Advantageous Tender (PQP Model)",
                            "description": "The Authority will award the contract to the Most Advantageous Tender using a Price per Quality Point (PQP) model. Only bids meeting the qualification criteria and minimum acceptable quality scores will be considered. The whole-life price submitted in the Pricing Schedule will be divided by the bidder's total weighted quality score to generate a cost per point of quality. The tender offering the lowest cost per point of quality will be ranked as the Most Advantageous Tender in accordance with Section 19 of the Procurement Act 2023."
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                "selectionCriteria": {
                    "criteria": [
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                            "type": "economic",
                            "description": "Not applicable"
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "technical",
                            "description": "Where specific certifications, standards, or qualifications are referenced, the Authority will accept demonstrably equivalent alternatives."
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                        {
                            "type": "economic",
                            "description": "Not applicable"
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                        {
                            "type": "technical",
                            "description": "Where specific certifications, standards, or qualifications are referenced, the Authority will accept demonstrably equivalent alternatives."
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                },
                "renewal": {
                    "description": "The Authority reserves the right to extend the Contract where it is operationally necessary to ensure continuity of service, maintain stability during periods of organisational change, or secure continued delivery of high-quality recruitment support. Extensions may be exercised to accommodate fluctuations in demand, align with wider strategic workforce planning activity, support transition to new systems or organisational structures, or where the Authority considers that an extension offers the most efficient, effective and value-for-money means of meeting its requirements at that time. Any extension will be made at the Authority's discretion and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract and applicable procurement legislation."
                },
                "hasOptions": true,
                "options": {
                    "description": "These can be seen in the specification but include surge support."
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        "submissionMethodDetails": "Clarifications and submissions must be submitted by email to bids@governmentlegal,gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-legal-department",
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            "electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed",
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        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-01-12T12:00:00Z"
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        "enquiryPeriod": {
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        "awardPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-02-19T23:59:59Z"
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        "lotDetails": {
            "noLotsDivisionRationale": "Our decision is based on proportionality, market evidence, and governance practicality. Supplier engagement revealed significant capability overlap among Tier-1 providers, while smaller firms favoured lotting primarily for SME access. Multiple lots would add complexity and risk thin competition without added value. A single-lot approach ensures integrated data, accountability, and efficiency, while maintaining flexibility for specialist interventions when needed, as well as provision for bigger ticket items such as systems support/ATS (Applicant Tracking System)."
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                "description": "Not published"
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                "id": "A-8443",
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                "id": "A-8445",
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                "id": "077755-2025",
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                "description": "Tender notice on Find a Tender",
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        "contractTerms": {
            "financialTerms": "Note there is a small administrative cost that is related to the discharge of the model contract terms of a PS1 that will need to agreed prior to contract signature."
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        "amendments": [
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                "description": "This notice has been changed to reflect the change in deadline for both clarification questions and the submission date."
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