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Procurement of Criminal Defence Direct Services from 4 May 2026

Legal Aid Agency

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

06 Jan 2026 at 15:00

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

16 Jul 2025 at 11:24

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

23 May 2025 at 10:45

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA), acting on behalf of the Lord Chancellor, is the buying organisation for the procurement of the 2026 Criminal Defence Direct (CDD) Contracts, set to provide 24/7 telephone-based legal advice across England and Wales. The contracts will commence on 4 May 2026, following a dual operation phase, and will run until 31 May 2031. This procurement falls under the services category within the legal industry and is designated as light-touch. The process has reached the award stage as of 6 January 2026, with The Johnson Partnership and Watson Woodhouse Ltd being named as suppliers. The procurement method was open, allowing for an open procedure to accommodate a broad range of interested bidders.

This tender represents an opportunity for firms specialising in legal services to expand their market presence and business scope by securing a contract for providing critical legal assistance to detained individuals. Businesses that can offer flexibility in service delivery, alongside enhanced client engagement and timely advice, are positioned well to compete. The removal of specific office requirements and supervisory ratios offers further room for innovative practices, especially benefiting smaller enterprises with unique delivery models or those interested in servicing niche geographical locations, such as the UKF14 and UKC12 regions.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Procurement of Criminal Defence Direct Services from 4 May 2026

Notice Description

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has launched the procurement process for the 2026 Criminal Defence Direct (CDD) Contracts. These contracts will provide 24/7 telephone-based legal advice to individuals detained at police stations across England and Wales for non-indictable offences. Two contracts will be awarded, with services commencing on 4 May 2026, following an implementation period and a 28-day dual operation phase.

Lot Information

Criminal Defence Direct (CDD) Service Procurement Exercise - Contract 1

Criminal Defence Direct (CDD) Service Procurement Exercise - Contract 1 The Legal Aid Agency (LAA), on behalf of the Lord Chancellor, will run a procurement exercise to award contracts for two providers to deliver the CDD Service from on or around 1 March 2026. Key Details: * Service: 24/7 non means tested telephone-based legal advice for individuals detained at police stations for non-indictable offences. * Contract Award: Two providers will each manage 50% of the caseload (with possible variations). * Duration: 1 March 2026 - 31 May 2031. Procurement Process Updates: From 24 February 2025, all suppliers must use the Cabinet Office Central Digital Platform to share their organisation's information with Contracting Authorities by providing a share code during the procurement process. If suppliers are still unable to create a share code after getting assistance from the Cabinet Office, please email contact: Crime.Contracts@justice.gov.uk. Key Service Changes: The LAA, as part of this procurement, will introduce the following key changes to the CDD Service that align with the move to enhanced flexibility and reducing barriers to support providers in successfully delivering the CDD contract and ensure consistency across similar services. For the new CDD Contract the LAA are: * allowing Applicants to choose the arrangements most suitable for their delivery models and are not specifying the office requirements; * removing supervisor-to-advisor ratios; * removing the requirement for supervisors to be on-site 35 hours/week; and * introducing a new KPI to track client engagement and timeliness of advice

Criminal Defence Direct (CDD) Service Procurement Exercise - Contract 2

Criminal Defence Direct (CDD) Service Procurement Exercise - Contract 2 The Legal Aid Agency (LAA), on behalf of the Lord Chancellor, will run a procurement exercise to award contracts for two providers to deliver the CDD Service from on or around 1 March 2026. Key Details: * Service: 24/7 non means tested telephone-based legal advice for individuals detained at police stations for non-indictable offences. * Contract Award: Two providers will each manage 50% of the caseload (with possible variations). * Duration: 1 March 2026 - 31 May 2031. Procurement Process Updates: From 24 February 2025, all suppliers must use the Cabinet Office Central Digital Platform to share their organisation's information with Contracting Authorities by providing a share code during the procurement process. If suppliers are still unable to create a share code after getting assistance from the Cabinet Office, please email contact: Crime.Contracts@justice.gov.uk. Key Service Changes: The LAA, as part of this procurement, will introduce the following key changes to the CDD Service that align with the move to enhanced flexibility and reducing barriers to support providers in successfully delivering the CDD contract and ensure consistency across similar services. For the new CDD Contract the LAA are: * allowing Applicants to choose the arrangements most suitable for their delivery models and are not specifying the office requirements; * removing supervisor-to-advisor ratios; * removing the requirement for supervisors to be on-site 35 hours/week; and * introducing a new KPI to track client engagement and timeliness of advice

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-052132
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000737-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79100000 - Legal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,360,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,360,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£2,360,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Jan 20267 months ago
Submission Deadline
28 Aug 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
16 Jul 2025Expired
Award Date
6 Jan 20267 months ago
Contract Period
4 May 2026 - 31 May 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Legal Aid Agency
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 9AJ
Postcode Area
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

The Johnson Partnership

Watson Woodhouse Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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