---
title: "Procurement of Criminal Defence Direct Services in England and Wales from 1 June 2021"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-3102852f-da2c-4a41-884a-20f108ff7a63"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-3102852f-da2c-4a41-884a-20f108ff7a63"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-3102852f-da2c-4a41-884a-20f108ff7a63.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-3102852f-da2c-4a41-884a-20f108ff7a63.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "THE LEGAL AID AGENCY"
published: "2021-04-22"
---

# Procurement of Criminal Defence Direct Services in England and Wales from 1 June 2021

Buyer: THE LEGAL AID AGENCY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-3102852f-da2c-4a41-884a-20f108ff7a63

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-3102852f-da2c-4a41-884a-20f108ff7a63)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-3102852f-da2c-4a41-884a-20f108ff7a63.json)

## Summary

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is seeking tenders for the Procurement of Criminal Defence Direct Services in England and Wales, with the contract commencing on 1 June 2021. This procurement process, classified under legal services, is currently at the Award stage, with a total contract value of £3,480,000. The contract period will run until 31 May 2024. The LAA plans to award two contracts to separate organisations, and interested parties had until 14 December 2020 to submit their proposals through an open procurement method.

This contract presents significant opportunities for law firms, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) which are qualified in delivering legal services. Businesses with experience in criminal defence, legal advising, and representation services would be well-suited to compete for this contract, helping to expand their service offerings within the UK's public sector legal framework.

## Notice

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) invited Applicants to submit a Tender for a Criminal Defence Direct Contract 2021 ("CDD Contract" or "Contract") to deliver Criminal Defence Direct ("CDD") Services from 1 June 2021. The LAA looked to award a total of two (2) CDD Contracts of equal size to two separate organisations as a result of the procurement. This notice confirms the awarded contracts as a result of this procurement process.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d0882516-248b-43fb-931a-7cfc9230f167 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (below threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 22 Apr 2021 |
| Submission deadline | 14 Dec 2020 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 5 Apr 2021 |
| Contract period | 5 Apr 2021 - 31 May 2024 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £3,480,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £3,480,000 |
| 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 | THE LEGAL AID AGENCY |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1H 9AJ |
| 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 | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England), TLL Wales |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 2 |
| Supplier names | THE JOHNSON PARTNERSHIP; WATSON WOODHOUSE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79100000 - Legal services

## Release History

- 22 Apr 2021 at 13:39 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d0882516-248b-43fb-931a-7cfc9230f167
- 10 Nov 2020 at 13:02 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/17aae149-b8b4-4f71-a6ef-fac7c39a546b

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d0882516-248b-43fb-931a-7cfc9230f167
  22nd April 2021 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/17aae149-b8b4-4f71-a6ef-fac7c39a546b
  10th November 2020 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-defence-direct-services-from-june-2021
  Tender

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-3102852f-da2c-4a41-884a-20f108ff7a63. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-3102852f-da2c-4a41-884a-20f108ff7a63.json.