Planning

Procurement legal services support

THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR NORTHUMBRIA

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

17 Mar 2026 at 08:43

Summary of the contracting process

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria is initiating a procurement process for "Procurement legal services support" within the services category, particularly focussing on legal advisory and representation services under the Procurement Act 2023. This process is currently at the planning stage, with a preliminary market engagement notice published on 17 March 2026. Interested parties can participate in a scheduled questionnaire engagement by 3 April 2026 to provide insights about their capability to furnish expert legal advice. The buyer is looking for specialists who can aid in pre-market activity, document development, compliance, evaluation processes, award governance, and challenge handling, with the aim to discern the most suitable route to market before firm commitments are made.

This tender opens up avenues for businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, to engage with Northumbria Police in delivering specialised legal services, potentially boosting their portfolio and reach in public sector engagements. With the contract period tentatively set from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2029, legal service providers who specialise in procurement-related legal advice and have a firm grasp on compliance and governance issues would find this opportunity fitting. The inclusion in a framework agreement can offer sustained growth and visibility in providing civil services within the UK, particularly in the North East region.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Procurement legal services support

Notice Description

Northumbria Police is seeking information from suitably qualified legal service providers to support the Force with specialist advice relating to public procurement activity under the Procurement Act 2023. The intention of this Request for Information (RFI) is to understand the market's capability, experience, and capacity to provide timely, expert legal support on tendering matters, including pre market activity, document development, compliance considerations, evaluation processes, award governance, and challenge handling. This exercise is exploratory and non committal; however, the information gathered will assist the Force in determining the most appropriate route to market and shaping any future procurement

Planning Information

Northumbria police have a questionnaire to be completed by all interested parties. To access the questionnaire please contact procurement@northumbria.police.uk

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066bac
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023803-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
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

79110000 - Legal advisory and representation services

79140000 - Legal advisory and information services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Mar 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
3 Apr 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR NORTHUMBRIA
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
NEWCASTLE
Postcode
NE12 8EW
Post Town
Newcastle upon Tyne
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC43 Tyneside
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England)

Local Authority
North Tyneside
Electoral Ward
Longbenton & Benton
Westminster Constituency
Newcastle upon Tyne North

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-066bac-2026-03-17T08:43:31Z",
    "date": "2026-03-17T08:43:31Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-066bac",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PCZY-7834-QRMM",
            "name": "The Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PCZY-7834-QRMM"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "2nd Floor, Victory House, Balliol Business Park, Longbenton",
                "locality": "Newcastle",
                "postalCode": "NE12 8EW",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKC22"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "procurement@northumbria.police.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PCZY-7834-QRMM",
        "name": "The Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "Northumbria police have a questionnaire to be completed by all interested parties. To access the questionnaire please contact procurement@northumbria.police.uk",
                "dueDate": "2026-04-03T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "023803-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023803-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-03-17T08:43:31Z",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-066bac",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Procurement legal services support",
        "description": "Northumbria Police is seeking information from suitably qualified legal service providers to support the Force with specialist advice relating to public procurement activity under the Procurement Act 2023. The intention of this Request for Information (RFI) is to understand the market's capability, experience, and capacity to provide timely, expert legal support on tendering matters, including pre market activity, document development, compliance considerations, evaluation processes, award governance, and challenge handling. This exercise is exploratory and non committal; however, the information gathered will assist the Force in determining the most appropriate route to market and shaping any future procurement",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79110000",
                        "description": "Legal advisory and representation services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79140000",
                        "description": "Legal advisory and information services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKC",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": false,
        "techniques": {
            "hasFrameworkAgreement": true
        },
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-10-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2029-09-30T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}