Planning

Legal Support - Renewable Energy Development

FORESTRY COMMISSION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

02 Feb 2026 at 10:35

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Forestry Commission is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "Legal Support – Renewable Energy Development," focusing on legal services within the renewable energy sector. This procurement falls under the services industry category and addresses the needs of renewable development, particularly in wind energy, as part of a strategic initiative by Forestry England. The location covers several regions in the United Kingdom, including UKK, UKJ, UKI, and others. Interested suppliers are invited to express their interest by 10 February 2026 for a market engagement exercise. The contract, valued at £800,000 with a gross amount of £960,000, will span from 1 May 2026 to 29 April 2036, indicating long-term opportunities within this field.

This tender presents a substantial opportunity for businesses specialising in renewable energy legal services, particularly those with experience in advising on complex legal agreements and public law compliance. The procurement aims to support the strategic renewable energy initiatives by partnering with developers and stakeholders, making it ideal for firms with expertise in legal collaboration on estate agreements and third-party land interests. SMEs are also particularly welcomed in this process, providing an appealing opportunity for smaller businesses to engage in significant governmental legal work over a decade-long period, thus fostering growth and expanding their service offerings in a competitive landscape.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Legal Support - Renewable Energy Development

Notice Description

Renewable development (notably wind development) presents a new strategic opportunity for Forestry England which will require Forestry England, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, to enter into a range of complex legal agreements including partnerships with other developers and relevant stakeholders. Renewable energy development is a highly specialist area, it therefore necessitates access to legal advisers with specific expertise and experience in this sector to ensure appropriate risk management and compliance throughout the development lifecycle. Based on current understanding, it is anticipated legal support requirements are likely to include but are not limited to: * Advising on collaboration agreements with other landowners and/or third parties, exclusivity agreements and option-to-lease agreements with developers. * Variations to existing on estate agreements, and other third-party legal interest in land etc. * Ensuring that all arrangements are compliant with the relevant Public Law and legal obligations/requirements. * Other additional legal advice and support as required as projects progress through the development lifecycle.

Planning Information

Suppliers are invited to participate in this market engagement exercise to help prepare for the forthcoming procurement. Interested organisations should register their interest and indicate their capability to provide the specialist Renewable development legal services described above. This engagement aims to gauge market capacity and ensure that suppliers are aware of, and prepared for, the upcoming opportunity. Please email your interest to commercial.services@forestryengland.uk

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0613e7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008820-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

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
£800,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Feb 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
13 Feb 20261 day to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 May 2026 - 29 Apr 2036 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
FORESTRY COMMISSION
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
commercial.services@forestryengland.uk
Contact Phone
0300 067 4000

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS16 1EJ
Post Town
Bristol
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
South Gloucestershire
Electoral Ward
Stoke Park & Cheswick
Westminster Constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-0613e7-2026-02-02T10:35:39Z",
    "date": "2026-02-02T10:35:39Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-0613e7",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PLRM-7846-HGLG",
            "name": "Forestry Commission",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PLRM-7846-HGLG"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "620 Bristol Business Park",
                "locality": "Bristol",
                "postalCode": "BS16 1EJ",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKK12"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "commercial.services@forestryengland.uk",
                "telephone": "0300 067 4000"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PLRM-7846-HGLG",
        "name": "Forestry Commission"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "Suppliers are invited to participate in this market engagement exercise to help prepare for the forthcoming procurement. Interested organisations should register their interest and indicate their capability to provide the specialist Renewable development legal services described above. This engagement aims to gauge market capacity and ensure that suppliers are aware of, and prepared for, the upcoming opportunity. Please email your interest to commercial.services@forestryengland.uk",
                "dueDate": "2026-02-10T23:59:59Z",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "008820-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008820-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-02-02T10:35:39Z",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "FCCN004615",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Legal Support - Renewable Energy Development",
        "description": "Renewable development (notably wind development) presents a new strategic opportunity for Forestry England which will require Forestry England, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, to enter into a range of complex legal agreements including partnerships with other developers and relevant stakeholders. Renewable energy development is a highly specialist area, it therefore necessitates access to legal advisers with specific expertise and experience in this sector to ensure appropriate risk management and compliance throughout the development lifecycle. Based on current understanding, it is anticipated legal support requirements are likely to include but are not limited to: * Advising on collaboration agreements with other landowners and/or third parties, exclusivity agreements and option-to-lease agreements with developers. * Variations to existing on estate agreements, and other third-party legal interest in land etc. * Ensuring that all arrangements are compliant with the relevant Public Law and legal obligations/requirements. * Other additional legal advice and support as required as projects progress through the development lifecycle.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79100000",
                        "description": "Legal services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKJ",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKI",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKH",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKG",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKF",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKE",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKD",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKC",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 960000,
            "amount": 800000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-05-01T00:00:00Z",
                    "endDate": "2036-04-29T23:59:59Z"
                },
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2026-02-13T23:59:59Z"
        },
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}