---
title: "Legal Services (SBS10531)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05ff70"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05ff70"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05ff70.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05ff70.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "NHS SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED"
published: "2026-01-05"
---

# Legal Services (SBS10531)

Buyer: NHS SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05ff70

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## Summary

NHS Shared Business Services Limited is in the planning stage of a procurement process for a new framework agreement for Legal Services, under the title "Legal Services (SBS10531)". The initiative falls under the services category and is organised by NHS SBS, a public undertaking in Hemel Hempstead, UKH23. The procurement aims to establish a framework agreement to support NHS and wider public sector organisations. NHS SBS is conducting a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise, concluding on 6th February 2026, to refine the framework, which is due to replace an expiring agreement by 31st July 2027. The framework proposes several lots including governance, healthcare, employment, procurement, technology, corporate finance, and more, covering regions across the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man.

The forthcoming Legal Services procurement presents lucrative opportunities for legal firms, especially those specialising in various sectors such as public law, healthcare, technology, and more. The PME exercise encourages businesses to contribute insights and proposals, making this an excellent opportunity for companies to influence framework structures and align with NHS priorities. With a gross value of £240 million, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to participate, given the suitability requirements. Firms dedicated to sustainability and social value will find a significant emphasis on these criteria during tender assessment, paving the way for partnerships that can drive business growth in legal services.

## Notice

NHS Shared Business Services Limited (NHS SBS) intends to put in place a Framework Agreement for the provision of Legal Services to be used by Approved Organisations for the following proposed Lots, which are under consideration during this preliminary market engagement: # Lot 1: Governance, structure, transformation & public law #Lot 2: Healthcare & mental health #Lot 3: Employment #Lot 4: Procurement, commercial & contract #Lot 5: Property & construction #Lot 6: Technology & e-commerce, including IP & media law #Lot 7: Corporate finance, audit & insurance #Lot 8: Criminal #Lot 9: Legal recovery & collection #Lot 10: Counsel #Lot 11: Multi-disciplinary support

### Planning Information

NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) is developing a fit-for-the-future framework to support the delivery of Legal Services across the NHS and wider public sector.
To help define the scope and structure of the new framework, NHS SBS is conducting a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise with suppliers. The aim is to gather market insight, assess supplier capability, and test the relevance of proposed lots before finalising the Lot and commercial structure, Specification and launching a formal procurement process.
The existing Legal Services framework is due to expire on 31/07/2027. This PME represents an important opportunity to shape the future of Legal Services procurement and ensure the framework aligns with the market capabilities, national priorities, local needs, and emerging innovation.
The proposed lot structure under consideration includes the following:
▪ Lot 1: Governance, structure, transformation & public law
▪Lot 2: Healthcare & mental health
▪Lot 3: Employment
▪Lot 4: Procurement, commercial & contract
▪Lot 5: Property & construction
▪Lot 6: Technology & e-commerce, including IP & media law
▪Lot 7: Corporate finance, audit & insurance
▪Lot 8: Criminal
▪Lot 9: Legal recovery & collection
▪Lot 10: Counsel
▪Lot 11: Multi-disciplinary support
PRELIMINARY MARKET ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE
NHS SBS would like to obtain the markets views, suggestions, and proposals during this preliminary market engagement. All submissions will be treated confidentially. Please note, companies are not required to respond to all questions within the PMEQ.
Companies wishing to participate in the preliminary market engagement should complete the Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire (PMEQ) by 12pm on Friday 6th February 2026 via the following link:
https://portal.us.bn.cloud.ariba.com/dashboard/public/appext/comsapsbncdiscoveryui#/RfxEvent/preview/1110001656?anId=ANONYMOUS
POSSIBLE SUBSEQUENT ENGAGEMENT 
NHS SBS may host open virtual forums (such as webinars) to engage further with the market following analysis of PMEQ responses. Within the PMEQ, companies need to confirm whether they would like to participate in such further engagement, and if so, provide contact details for their nominated attendee.
We are committed to working with suppliers who are dedicated to Sustainability and Social Value and there will be a significant weighting on this within the procurement documents.
NHS Shared Business Services Limited (NHS SBS) act in an Agency capacity for and on behalf of its customers (Approved Organisations) - existing and new. These comprise of NHS and social care organisations (whether acting individually, or on behalf of, or together as members of any consortia) along with any other public or private sector bodies which NHS SBS authorises to use the resulting Framework.
Our Approved Organisation list can be found on:
https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/services/framework-agreements-categories/
The eSourcing system NHS SBS will use is SAP Ariba. Please note that to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a Framework if invited.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000354-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Jan 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 6 Feb 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 10 Nov 2027 - 9 Nov 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £200,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED |
| Locality | HEMEL HEMPSTEAD |
| Post town | Hemel Hempstead |
| Postcode | HP2 7AH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLH27 South West Hertfordshire |
| Local authority | Dacorum |
| Electoral ward | Adeyfield East |
| Westminster constituency | Hemel Hempstead |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79100000 - Legal services

## Release History

- 5 Jan 2026 at 14:28 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000354-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000354-2026
  5th January 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://portal.us.bn.cloud.ariba.com/dashboard/public/appext/comsapsbncdiscoveryui#/RfxEvent/preview/1110001656?anId=ANONYMOUS
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/
- https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/services/framework-agreements-categories/

## 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-h6vhtk-05ff70. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05ff70.json.