--- title: "Contract Award -Legal Services Scotland for the Child Maintenance Service" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-1e35d065-d366-48c7-b609-28a2d44dabc8" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-1e35d065-d366-48c7-b609-28a2d44dabc8" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-1e35d065-d366-48c7-b609-28a2d44dabc8.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-1e35d065-d366-48c7-b609-28a2d44dabc8.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS" published: "2025-08-07" --- # Contract Award -Legal Services Scotland for the Child Maintenance Service Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-b5fd17-1e35d065-d366-48c7-b609-28a2d44dabc8 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-1e35d065-d366-48c7-b609-28a2d44dabc8) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-1e35d065-d366-48c7-b609-28a2d44dabc8.json) ## Summary The Department for Work and Pensions has awarded a contract for legal services in Scotland to Harper Macleod LLP. This procurement pertains to the Child Maintenance Service under the framework agreement RM6226 Lot 7 for Scottish Litigation, signifying a selective call-off process. The contract, valued at approximately £1,842,806 for its initial year, commenced on 4th August 2025 and is slated to run through 3rd August 2026. The scope of services involves litigation and debt recovery activities to manage arrears for the Child Maintenance Service. This contract may extend under certain conditions until a final possible termination date of 13th December 2028, with an estimated total extended value reaching £6,637,532 excluding VAT. The services are targeted at legal advisory and representation services, with activities concentrated in Scotland. This contract opens opportunities for businesses involved in legal services, specifically those that can manage litigation and debt recovery services. Companies that can handle a substantial caseload, including around 1,000 new Liability Order referrals and approximately 300 Sanctions case referrals per year in Scotland, would find this contract beneficial for growth. The nature of the work requires managing an end-to-end supply chain and collaborating closely with governmental departments, positioning well-established organisations capable of dealing with complex legal scenarios at an advantage in similar future procurements. ## Notice Following a Call Off Competition from the Crown Commercial Service Debt Resolution Service Framework RM6226 Lot 7 (Scottish Litigation) , a contract has been awarded as follows: Primary Supplier: Harper Macleod LLP Secondary ( Conflict of Interest) Supplier: Not awarded A contract has been awarded to Harper Macleod for an initial fixed period of 1 year. It may be extended for further period(s) as follows: 1 year, plus 1 year plus a further period of up to 5 months up to the maximum end date allowed under the DRS framework of 13/12/28. The value of the initial one year fixed term is estimated at PS1,842, 806.00 excluding VAT (PS2,211,367.00 including VAT). If fully extended the estimated value of the contract is PS6,637,532.00 excluding VAT (PS7,965,027.00 including VAT). Please note that the estimated value of the contract includes all legal fees and disbursements arising as a result of contract activity for both the initial one year fixed term of the contract and the estimated full value if fully extended. These values are based on the current scope of the contract. However, as outlined in the Call Off Competition details, the scope of the contract may reduce during the life of the contract and this may result in a reduction in the value of the contract during its term. Under new procurement rules introduced in 2025 , the Buyer is not required to publish a redacted copy of the contract. Therefore no contract has been attached to this award notice. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Department for Work and Pensions, acting on behalf of the Child Maintenance Service, is seeking a Primary and Secondary (Conflict of Interest) Supplier for the delivery of Litigation and Debt Recovery activity plus all associated enforcement activity required in Scotland linked to recovery of arrears owed by Paying Parents to Receiving Parents. The service will by its nature require management of an end to end supply chain including instruction of sheriff officers. The current contract which commenced in August 2021 is due to expire in August 2025 when it reaches its final extension date. This is a re-procurement of the service. This is a large scale service requirement involving approximately 1000 new Liability Order referrals per year and approximately 300 Sanctions case referrals per year. The current average caseload is around 1,500 cases, some of which take 3-5 years to conclude from Liability Order stage through to conclusion of the Sanctions Stage. Delivery of the service requires close and frequent collaboration with the Child Maintenance Service who will provide instructions on cases in consultation with the Supplier(s). ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/2a4eb3ee-cf6f-4ffd-91fe-39046f5ccac9 | | Notice type | Award Notice | | Procurement type | Framework | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Selective | | Procurement method details | Call-off from a framework agreement | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Large | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 7 Aug 2025 | | Submission deadline | 3 Jun 2025 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 3 Aug 2025 | | Contract period | 3 Aug 2025 - 3 Aug 2026 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £6,637,532 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £1,842,806 | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1H 9NA | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | St James's | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | TLM Scotland | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | HARPER MACLEOD | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79110000 - Legal advisory and representation services ## Release History - 7 Aug 2025 at 15:09 - AwardUpdate - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/2a4eb3ee-cf6f-4ffd-91fe-39046f5ccac9 - 7 Aug 2025 at 12:32 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/2a4eb3ee-cf6f-4ffd-91fe-39046f5ccac9 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/2a4eb3ee-cf6f-4ffd-91fe-39046f5ccac9 7th August 2025 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. 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