--- title: "Procurement of ITA Services from 1 June 2021" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-9ac6300d-4a38-4056-8c8c-196a1a75d93d" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-9ac6300d-4a38-4056-8c8c-196a1a75d93d" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-9ac6300d-4a38-4056-8c8c-196a1a75d93d.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-9ac6300d-4a38-4056-8c8c-196a1a75d93d.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "THE LEGAL AID AGENCY" published: "2021-05-21" --- # Procurement of ITA Services from 1 June 2021 Buyer: THE LEGAL AID AGENCY Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-b5fd17-9ac6300d-4a38-4056-8c8c-196a1a75d93d [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-9ac6300d-4a38-4056-8c8c-196a1a75d93d) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-9ac6300d-4a38-4056-8c8c-196a1a75d93d.json) ## Summary The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has initiated the procurement of Immigration Telephone Advice (ITA) Services in England and Wales, set to commence on 1 June 2021. The tender process, which falls under the legal services category, was first published on 10 December 2020, with an initial submission deadline of 18 January 2021. Although the LAA aimed to award two ITA contracts, the procurement was cancelled on 30 April 2021 due to insufficient compliant tenders meeting quality requirements, during which the LAA also extended the existing contract with Optimus Law Ltd for a further 12 months, expiring on 31 May 2022. This procurement process presents significant opportunities for businesses, particularly those in the legal and advice sectors. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary community social enterprises (VCSEs) are encouraged to participate, leveraging their capacity to deliver quality ITA Services. Companies that can demonstrate compliance with requirements set forth in the Information for Applicants (IFA) document could be well-positioned to engage in future tenders as the LAA conducts a review of the ITA service for potential reinvigoration in future procurement cycles. ## Notice On 10 December 2020, the Legal Aid Agency ("LAA") published an invitation to tender for Civil Legal Aid, Immigration Telephone Advice Services ("ITA Services") in England and Wales from 1 June 2021 on its e-Tendering portal. In accordance with the LAA's right to do so pursuant to paragraph 5.24 of the Invitation to Tender Information for Applicants ("IFA") document, the LAA cancelled the procurement process in its entirety on 30 April 2021. The LAA notified applicants and published a cancellation notice on its website on that date. For completeness a Contract Award Notice is also being published. This means that the LAA did not proceed with the award of any ITA Services contracts under that procurement process. The LAA received insufficient compliant tenders that met the minimum quality requirements. The procurement process therefore did not result in the award of any contracts to provide ITA Services from 1 June 2021. To ensure on-going access to ITA Services for Clients beyond 1 June 2021, the LAA has extended the existing contract with the current ITA Services provider (Optimus Law Ltd) for a period of 12 months to 31 May 2022. During this time the LAA and Ministry of Justice are undertaking a review of the ITA service to consider the commission of this service in the future. Further information can be found: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-telephone-advice-services-from-june-2021 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3a16dd11-d169-4a5c-b0a0-9a7c4218d7ed | | Notice type | Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Other - To ensure on-going access to ITA Services for Clients beyond 1 June 2021, the LAA has extended the existing contract with the current ITA Services provider (Optimus Law Ltd) For a period of 12 months to 31 May 2022 | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | SME | | All stages | Tender, Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 21 May 2021 | | Submission deadline | 18 Jan 2021 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 27 Apr 2021 | | Contract period | 31 May 2021 - 31 May 2022 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £170,840 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £173,724 | | 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 | 1 | | Supplier names | OPTIMUS LAW | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79100000 - Legal services ## Release History - 21 May 2021 at 15:10 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3a16dd11-d169-4a5c-b0a0-9a7c4218d7ed - 10 Dec 2020 at 09:32 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ce278e4-d320-4d3d-836b-de3897cbe1c5 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3a16dd11-d169-4a5c-b0a0-9a7c4218d7ed 21st May 2021 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ce278e4-d320-4d3d-836b-de3897cbe1c5 10th December 2020 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-telephone-advice-services-contract-2021. Tender Information - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-telephone-advice-services-from-june-2021 Further information can be found: ## Notice URLs - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-telephone-advice-services-contract-2021 ## 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-b5fd17-9ac6300d-4a38-4056-8c8c-196a1a75d93d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-9ac6300d-4a38-4056-8c8c-196a1a75d93d.json.