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DCWW2005 - Legal Services

Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

29 Sep 2026 at 15:23

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

15 Apr 2026 at 16:56

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

30 Oct 2025 at 14:26

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig (Welsh Water) procured external legal services through a multi-provider framework for companies across the Glas Cymru group. The work covers five areas: general legal services; competition law and economic regulation; treasury; insurance; and water-sector regulation and regulatory reform. The group includes businesses outside the regulated water and sewerage operation. Services are for the group’s UK operations, with the procurement associated with Wales. The requirement is for professional, competent and expert advice delivered promptly, offering commercial value and supporting good outcomes for the group. The framework uses fixed fees and hourly rates and is closed, with call-offs made without reopening competition.

The procurement is complete and contracts were awarded on 28 September 2026 following an open competitive flexible procedure involving an invitation to tender and a best and final offer. Awards cover all five areas, with some areas shared between providers. Sharpe Pritchard and Shakespeare Martineau each received an award valued at £2 million for general legal services. Michelmores received £16.31 million across general legal services, competition law and economic regulation, and water-sector regulation and reform; Burges Salmon received £14.31 million across the latter two areas. Ashurst and Linklaters each received £500,000 for treasury, while Clyde & Co and DAC Beachcroft each received £200,000 for insurance. Contracts run from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2029, with two discretionary 24-month extensions. Evaluation weighted technical quality at 70% and commercial terms at 30%.

For firms considering comparable future work with Dwr Cymru and the wider Glas Cymru group, this award demonstrates demand for specialist legal advice across regulated water-sector matters as well as competition, treasury, insurance and general corporate legal work. A credible competitor would need demonstrable expertise in the particular practice area, the capacity to serve multiple group companies, and the ability to provide timely, commercially grounded advice. The framework’s fixed-fee and hourly-rate model makes clear that firms need to price work in both formats. Technical quality carried more weight than commercial terms in the evaluation, so evidence of relevant expertise and dependable delivery would be important alongside competitive pricing. The awards were distributed among several firms, with some practice areas supported by multiple providers and others covered across more than one specialism.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

DCWW2005 - Legal Services

Notice Description

DCC require external Legal support in rela the following areas: DCC will seek to establish a multi provider framework agreement covering a wide range of Legal Services. The Legal Services will be used by all companies within the Glas Cymru group companies, which include companies outside the whole business securitisation, and not subject to DCC's statutory water and sewerage licence. The requirement for all Group companies is for advice that is professional, competent, expert and timely, provides good commercial value and is delivered in a way that makes a positive contribution to the achievement of the best overall outcome for DCC on each occasion.

Lot Information

General Legal Services

Renewal: two future opportunities to extend the agreement by a further 24 months Ie. 3 years (+2 +2)

Competition Law and Economic Regulation

Renewal: two future opportunities to extend the agreement by a further 24 months Ie. 3 years (+2 +2)

Treasury

Renewal: two future opportunities to extend the agreement by a further 24 months Ie. 3 years (+2 +2)

Insurance

Renewal: two future opportunities to extend the agreement by a further 24 months Ie. 3 years (+2 +2)

Water Sector Regulation and Regulatory Reform

Renewal: two future opportunities to extend the agreement by a further 24 months Ie. 3 years (+2 +2)

Planning Information

Please email karen.field@dwrcymru.com for receipt of indicative scope and pre-market engagement questionnaire. Please note populated Questionnaires need to be submitted by 21st November 2025 to facilitate any follow up market engagement meetings that DCC may require pursuit of.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d732
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091985-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large, 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
£13,600,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£17,010,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£33,320,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Sep 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
15 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
28 Sep 20264 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 31 Oct 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CARDIFF
Postcode
CF3 0LT
Postcode Area
Cardiff
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL52 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
Delivery Location
TLL Wales
Local Authority
Cardiff
Electoral Ward
Trowbridge
Westminster Constituency
Cardiff East

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
9
Supplier Names

Sharpe Pritchard LLP

Shakespeare Martineau LLP

Michelmores LLP

Ashfords LLP

Burges Salmon LLP

Ashurst LLP

Linklaters LLP

Clyde & Co LLP

DAC Beachcroft LLP

Further Information

Notice Documents

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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