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715916490 - Continuation of Post Completion Activities - Annington Homes

Defence Infrastructure Organisation

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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14 Aug 2026 at 16:29

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation has procured continuing legal advice for post-completion activities connected with the Annington Homes transaction and related Service Family Accommodation. The work covers enfranchisement, property law, judicial review and post-completion disputes, including advice on contractual obligations to hand back housing units. It supports the Ministry of Defence’s management of the completed purchase of 36,347 Service Family Accommodation units and associated housing obligations. The service category is legal advisory services, covering legal services generally. Work is delivered in the United Kingdom. The requirement is linked to sensitive property transactions, litigation history and ongoing contractual matters arising from the Annington Homes arrangements, rather than routine legal support.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through a direct award to Forsters LLP, with one completed lot. The buyer relied on Forsters’ unique knowledge of the original enfranchisement litigation, the Annington transaction and continuing disputes, stating that appointing another firm would require disproportionate duplication and could be impractical at this stage. The award value is £143,000 excluding VAT, or £171,600 including VAT. The contract period runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. A contract signature milestone was scheduled for 17 August 2026. The award is marked pending, while the tender itself is marked complete. The procurement is above the applicable threshold, and the lot was identified as suitable for SMEs.

This requirement shows demand for a specialist legal practice able to advise on complex public-sector property transactions after completion, particularly where litigation, enfranchisement and leasehold reform issues overlap. A credible competitor would need strong experience in judicial review, property law, enfranchisement and contractual disputes, together with the capacity to manage a substantial housing portfolio and sensitive obligations involving Service Family Accommodation. Continuity of case knowledge was decisive here, so firms seeking comparable work would need a demonstrable ability to build and retain detailed understanding of long-running transactions, disputes and associated documentation. The buyer’s use of a direct award also indicates that specialist expertise and established involvement can outweigh the normal benefits of wider competition for tightly connected post-completion legal work.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

715916490 - Continuation of Post Completion Activities - Annington Homes

Notice Description

Ongoing support is required from Forsters LLP, who were the enfranchisement specialists originally appointed in respect of Judicial Review and property law challenge to a decision by SoS for Defence to issue notices pursuant to section 5 of the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 seeking to enfranchise 8 units of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) by way of test cases. Forsters LLP advised MOD in respect of the High Court trial. Forsters then continued to act for MOD in relation to MOD buying back 36,347 SFA for PS5,994,500,000. This deal completed in January 2025 and MOD is now dealing with post completion activities, including contractual obligation to hand back housing units of an aggregated value amounting to PS55M requiring Forsters LLP's ongoing legal advice.

Procurement Information

Forsters has unique knowledge arising from its involvement in the original enfranchisement litigation, the PS6bn Annington transaction; and the ongoing post-completion disputes. It would be disproportionately costly or impractical for another firm to have to duplicate, especially given the sensitivities with timing and process at this stage.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e503
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077838-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79100000 - Legal services

79111000 - Legal advisory services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£143,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
14 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
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
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LICHFIELD
Postcode
WS14 9PY
Postcode Area
Walsall
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG24 Staffordshire CC
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Lichfield
Electoral Ward
Whittington & Streethay
Westminster Constituency
Tamworth

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Forsters LLP

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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