---
title: "Legal Services support for academisations"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-bb7152f0-d8fe-47a8-be79-d3cc919a8e70"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-bb7152f0-d8fe-47a8-be79-d3cc919a8e70"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-bb7152f0-d8fe-47a8-be79-d3cc919a8e70.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-bb7152f0-d8fe-47a8-be79-d3cc919a8e70.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL"
published: "2025-07-10"
---

# Legal Services support for academisations

Buyer: LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-bb7152f0-d8fe-47a8-be79-d3cc919a8e70

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## Summary

Liverpool City Council has completed the procurement process for "Legal Services support for academisations" in the North West region of the United Kingdom, classified under the CPV code 79100000 for legal services. The contract, valued at £120,000, has been directly awarded to Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP. The contract period is set from 13th January 2025 to 14th January 2026, following the conclusion of the tender period on 23rd December 2024. This award marks the unique procurement stage completion, with implications for legal support in aiding academisation processes within local schools, aligning with the statutory duties of the Council.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities, particularly for large legal firms that have the capabilities to handle complex statutory conversion processes. Although the current tender has been awarded directly, future opportunities in similar sectors can be expected given the statutory nature of the academisation process. Firms specialising in education law and possessing a strong regional presence in the North West, or those with an ability to scale quickly to meet similar needs, would be well-positioned to compete in future procurement activities by Liverpool City Council or other local authorities following similar processes.

## Notice

All LA maintained schools can voluntarily apply to become an academy. RI schools that are not deemed to be making sufficient progress can become subject of a DfE Academy Order. Once the decision is made to progress with an academisation, the Department for Education will issue the City Council with an instruction to commence and engage with the process. It is a statutory duty to comply. The specific areas the Council must undertake are listed below: 1. Guidance on all matters relating to the conversion process 2. Undertake all works associated with the completion of the Commercial Transfer Agreement, ensuring the statutory duties of Liverpool City Council are discharged 3. Undertake all works associated with the completion of the Land Registry (TP1), ensuring the statutory duties of Liverpool City Council are discharged 4. Any other legal work to ensure the successful and timely completion of the conversion process Legal Services within the City Council does not have the resources to undertake the legal work associated with academy conversions.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/1c15ed2d-8b62-48eb-9d9b-3bcae134efe3 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 10 Jul 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 23 Dec 2024 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 10 Jan 2025 |
| Contract period | 13 Jan 2025 - 14 Jan 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £120,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £120,000 |
| 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 | LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL |
| Locality | LIVERPOOL |
| Post town | Liverpool |
| Postcode | L3 1DS |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD7 Merseyside |
| ITL 3 | TLD72 Liverpool |
| Local authority | Liverpool |
| Electoral ward | Waterfront South |
| Westminster constituency | Liverpool Riverside |
| Delivery location | TLD North West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | WOMBLE BOND DICKINSON (UK |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79100000 - Legal services

## Release History

- 10 Jul 2025 at 09:51 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/1c15ed2d-8b62-48eb-9d9b-3bcae134efe3

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/1c15ed2d-8b62-48eb-9d9b-3bcae134efe3
  10th July 2025 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- http://www.liverpool.gov.uk

## 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-bb7152f0-d8fe-47a8-be79-d3cc919a8e70. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-bb7152f0-d8fe-47a8-be79-d3cc919a8e70.json.