Notice Information
Notice Title
Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice for Provision of Solicitors for UK Covid-19 Inquiry Contract Extension
Notice Description
This VEAT sets out the Cabinet Office's (in sponsorship capacity to the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry) intention to extend the CCLL23A10 contract for the provision of a Solicitor and supporting legal team to provide continuous legal advice to the Inquiry Chair on the operation of the Inquiry. The proposed extension is a time-only extension and will be delivered within the existing total contract value. At section II.1.7. of this notice the Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT) is stated at PS1 as a PS0 value is not a permitted input to the notice. The total contract value will not be amended and remains PS37,635,940 At V.2) Award of contract/concession > V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract we included the date of 14 May 2026, based on the system only permitting dates that are today or in the past. The existing contract will actually conclude on 16 December 2026, with the extension referenced in this notice taking the contract expiry to 30 September 2027. The Cabinet Office intends to observe a standstill period of 10 days and will not conclude this contract amendment before 29 May 2026. No other changes will be made to the contract. Firms who have acted in connection with the Inquiry when supporting any core participants cannot act as Solicitor to the Inquiry.
Lot Information
Lot 1
This VEAT sets out the intention to extend the CCLL23A10 contract. The proposed extension is a time-only extension and will be delivered within the existing total contract value. The total contract value will not be amended and will remain PS37,635,940. At V.2) Award of contract/concession > V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract we included the date of 14 May 2026, based on the system only permitting dates that are today or in the past. The existing contract will actually conclude on 16 December 2026, with the extension referenced in this notice taking the contract expiry to 30 September 2027. The Cabinet Office intends to observe a standstill period of 10 days and will not conclude this contract amendment before 29 May 2026. No other changes will be made to the contract. Firms who have acted in connection with the Inquiry when supporting any core participants cannot act as Solicitor to the Inquiry. The extension will include the following significantly reduced deliverables as the Inquiry approaches closedown: -Support to the Chair concerning her final changes to the M10 report -Support on report publication event preparation and delivery for Modules 8, 9 and 10 -Post-report publication queries and judicial review advice for Modules 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 -General legal advice to Chair / Secretary and occasional attendance at office holder and/or governance meetings -Section 14 advice -Archiving advice
Procurement Information
The Cabinet Office considers that the amendment detailed in this VEAT is permitted pursuant to 72(1) (e) and (f) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR). Regulation 72(1)(e) (Non-substantial modifications): The proposed extension is time-only and does not render the contract materially different in character. It introduces no new conditions that would have significantly altered the original procurement outcome or attracted additional participants. Furthermore, it does not change the economic balance in favour of the contractor, as services will be delivered within the existing total contract value of PS37,635,940 and at the originally agreed rates. Regulation 72(1)(f) (Low-value modifications): The value of the modification is below both the relevant threshold (PS135,018 inclusive of VAT) and 10% of the initial contract value. The extension will include the following significantly reduced deliverables as the Inquiry approaches closedown: -Support to the Chair concerning her final changes to the M10 report -Support on report publication event preparation and delivery for Modules 8, 9 and 10 -Post-report publication queries and judicial review advice for Modules 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 -General legal advice to Chair / Secretary and occasional attendance at office holder and/or governance meetings -Section 14 advice -Archiving advice
Notice Details
Publication & Lifecycle
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-069901
- Publication Source
- Find A Tender Service
- Latest Notice
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044476-2026
- Current Stage
- Award
- All Stages
- Award
Procurement Classification
- Notice Type
- Award Notice
- Procurement Type
- Standard
- Procurement Category
- Services
- Procurement Method
- Limited
- Procurement Method Details
- Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
- Tender Suitability
- Not specified
- Awardee Scale
- Large
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
- Not specified
- Lots Value
- Not specified
- Awards Value
- Not specified
- Contracts Value
- £1
Notice Dates
- Publication Date
- 14 May 20263 weeks ago
- Submission Deadline
- Not specified
- Future Notice Date
- Not specified
- Award Date
- 13 May 20263 weeks ago
- Contract Period
- Not specified - Not specified
- Recurrence
- Not specified
Notice Status
- Tender Status
- Complete
- Lots Status
- Not Specified
- Awards Status
- Active
- Contracts Status
- Active
Buyer & Supplier
Contracting Authority (Buyer)
- Main Buyer
- CABINET OFFICE
- 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
- SW1A 2AS
- Post Town
- 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
Further Information
Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)
View full OCDS Record for this contracting process
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-069901-2026-05-14T15:28:11+01:00",
"date": "2026-05-14T15:28:11+01:00",
"ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-069901",
"initiationType": "tender",
"tender": {
"id": "CCLL23A10",
"legalBasis": {
"id": "32014L0024",
"scheme": "CELEX"
},
"title": "Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice for Provision of Solicitors for UK Covid-19 Inquiry Contract Extension",
"status": "complete",
"classification": {
"scheme": "CPV",
"id": "79100000",
"description": "Legal services"
},
"mainProcurementCategory": "services",
"description": "This VEAT sets out the Cabinet Office's (in sponsorship capacity to the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry) intention to extend the CCLL23A10 contract for the provision of a Solicitor and supporting legal team to provide continuous legal advice to the Inquiry Chair on the operation of the Inquiry. The proposed extension is a time-only extension and will be delivered within the existing total contract value. At section II.1.7. of this notice the Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT) is stated at PS1 as a PS0 value is not a permitted input to the notice. The total contract value will not be amended and remains PS37,635,940 At V.2) Award of contract/concession > V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract we included the date of 14 May 2026, based on the system only permitting dates that are today or in the past. The existing contract will actually conclude on 16 December 2026, with the extension referenced in this notice taking the contract expiry to 30 September 2027. The Cabinet Office intends to observe a standstill period of 10 days and will not conclude this contract amendment before 29 May 2026. No other changes will be made to the contract. Firms who have acted in connection with the Inquiry when supporting any core participants cannot act as Solicitor to the Inquiry.",
"lots": [
{
"id": "1",
"description": "This VEAT sets out the intention to extend the CCLL23A10 contract. The proposed extension is a time-only extension and will be delivered within the existing total contract value. The total contract value will not be amended and will remain PS37,635,940. At V.2) Award of contract/concession > V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract we included the date of 14 May 2026, based on the system only permitting dates that are today or in the past. The existing contract will actually conclude on 16 December 2026, with the extension referenced in this notice taking the contract expiry to 30 September 2027. The Cabinet Office intends to observe a standstill period of 10 days and will not conclude this contract amendment before 29 May 2026. No other changes will be made to the contract. Firms who have acted in connection with the Inquiry when supporting any core participants cannot act as Solicitor to the Inquiry. The extension will include the following significantly reduced deliverables as the Inquiry approaches closedown: -Support to the Chair concerning her final changes to the M10 report -Support on report publication event preparation and delivery for Modules 8, 9 and 10 -Post-report publication queries and judicial review advice for Modules 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 -General legal advice to Chair / Secretary and occasional attendance at office holder and/or governance meetings -Section 14 advice -Archiving advice",
"hasOptions": false
}
],
"items": [
{
"id": "1",
"deliveryAddresses": [
{
"region": "UK"
}
],
"relatedLot": "1"
}
],
"procurementMethod": "limited",
"procurementMethodDetails": "Negotiated without publication of a contract notice",
"coveredBy": [
"GPA"
],
"procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
{
"id": "D_ADD_DELIVERIES_ORDERED",
"scheme": "TED_PT_AWARD_CONTRACT_WITHOUT_CALL",
"description": "Additional deliveries by the original supplier ordered under the strict conditions stated in the directive"
}
],
"procurementMethodRationale": "The Cabinet Office considers that the amendment detailed in this VEAT is permitted pursuant to 72(1) (e) and (f) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR). Regulation 72(1)(e) (Non-substantial modifications): The proposed extension is time-only and does not render the contract materially different in character. It introduces no new conditions that would have significantly altered the original procurement outcome or attracted additional participants. Furthermore, it does not change the economic balance in favour of the contractor, as services will be delivered within the existing total contract value of PS37,635,940 and at the originally agreed rates. Regulation 72(1)(f) (Low-value modifications): The value of the modification is below both the relevant threshold (PS135,018 inclusive of VAT) and 10% of the initial contract value. The extension will include the following significantly reduced deliverables as the Inquiry approaches closedown: -Support to the Chair concerning her final changes to the M10 report -Support on report publication event preparation and delivery for Modules 8, 9 and 10 -Post-report publication queries and judicial review advice for Modules 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 -General legal advice to Chair / Secretary and occasional attendance at office holder and/or governance meetings -Section 14 advice -Archiving advice"
},
"awards": [
{
"id": "044476-2026-1",
"relatedLots": [
"1"
],
"status": "active",
"suppliers": [
{
"id": "GB-COH-OC307212",
"name": "Burges Salmon LLP"
}
]
}
],
"parties": [
{
"id": "GB-FTS-35063",
"name": "Cabinet Office",
"identifier": {
"legalName": "Cabinet Office",
"noIdentifierRationale": "notOnAnyRegister"
},
"address": {
"streetAddress": "70 Whitehall",
"locality": "London",
"region": "UKI32",
"postalCode": "SW1A2AS",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
"contactPoint": {
"email": "commercial@cabinetoffice.gov.uk"
},
"roles": [
"buyer"
],
"details": {
"url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office",
"classifications": [
{
"scheme": "TED_CA_TYPE",
"description": "Cabinet Office, in the sponsorship capacity on behalf of the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry"
},
{
"scheme": "COFOG",
"description": "Statutory Public Inquiry"
}
]
}
},
{
"id": "GB-COH-OC307212",
"name": "Burges Salmon LLP",
"identifier": {
"legalName": "Burges Salmon LLP",
"id": "OC307212",
"scheme": "GB-COH"
},
"address": {
"locality": "Bristol",
"region": "UK",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
"roles": [
"supplier"
],
"details": {
"scale": "large"
}
},
{
"id": "GB-FTS-133691",
"name": "The High Court, Royal Court of Justice",
"identifier": {
"legalName": "The High Court, Royal Court of Justice"
},
"address": {
"locality": "London",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
"roles": [
"reviewBody"
]
}
],
"buyer": {
"id": "GB-FTS-35063",
"name": "Cabinet Office"
},
"contracts": [
{
"id": "044476-2026-1",
"awardID": "044476-2026-1",
"status": "active",
"value": {
"amount": 1,
"currency": "GBP"
},
"dateSigned": "2026-05-14T00:00:00+01:00"
}
],
"language": "en"
}