---
title: "Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice for Provision of Solicitors for UK Covid-19 Inquiry Contract Extension"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-069901"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-069901"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069901.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069901.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CABINET OFFICE"
published: "2026-05-14"
---

# Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice for Provision of Solicitors for UK Covid-19 Inquiry Contract Extension

Buyer: CABINET OFFICE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-069901

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069901.json)

## Summary

The Cabinet Office, in its capacity as sponsor of the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry, has completed the award stage for a contract extension concerning the provision of solicitors from Burges Salmon LLP. This contract, originally concluding on 16 December 2026, will now extend to 30 September 2027 under the Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency (VEAT) Notice titled "Provision of Solicitors for UK Covid-19 Inquiry Contract Extension". The procurement falls under the legal services category and is designated as a 'services' main procurement category. This negotiation was conducted without publication of a contract notice, as permitted by regulations, due to its time-only extension nature, which maintains the total contract value at £37,635,940. A standstill period is being observed until 29 May 2026.

This contract extension presents opportunities for legal firms experienced in statutory public inquiry support. While Burges Salmon LLP is currently appointed, interested entities in the legal services sector may look for similar procurement processes or potential future opportunities. The focus on providing continuous legal advisory services such as report publication event preparation, judicial review advice, and archiving advice indicates a demand for comprehensive legal expertise. Large-scale legal practices with a solid track record in advisory roles on public inquiries or working with government entities would be well-suited for similar opportunities presented by the Cabinet Office.

## Notice

This VEAT sets out the Cabinet Office's (in sponsorship capacity to the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry) intention to extend the CCLL23A10 contract for the provision of a Solicitor and supporting legal team to provide continuous legal advice to the Inquiry Chair on the operation of the Inquiry. The proposed extension is a time-only extension and will be delivered within the existing total contract value. At section II.1.7. of this notice the Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT) is stated at PS1 as a PS0 value is not a permitted input to the notice. The total contract value will not be amended and remains PS37,635,940 At V.2) Award of contract/concession > V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract we included the date of 14 May 2026, based on the system only permitting dates that are today or in the past. The existing contract will actually conclude on 16 December 2026, with the extension referenced in this notice taking the contract expiry to 30 September 2027. The Cabinet Office intends to observe a standstill period of 10 days and will not conclude this contract amendment before 29 May 2026. No other changes will be made to the contract. Firms who have acted in connection with the Inquiry when supporting any core participants cannot act as Solicitor to the Inquiry.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

This VEAT sets out the intention to extend the CCLL23A10 contract. The proposed extension is a time-only extension and will be delivered within the existing total contract value. The total contract value will not be amended and will remain PS37,635,940. At V.2) Award of contract/concession > V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract we included the date of 14 May 2026, based on the system only permitting dates that are today or in the past. The existing contract will actually conclude on 16 December 2026, with the extension referenced in this notice taking the contract expiry to 30 September 2027. The Cabinet Office intends to observe a standstill period of 10 days and will not conclude this contract amendment before 29 May 2026. No other changes will be made to the contract. Firms who have acted in connection with the Inquiry when supporting any core participants cannot act as Solicitor to the Inquiry. The extension will include the following significantly reduced deliverables as the Inquiry approaches closedown: -Support to the Chair concerning her final changes to the M10 report -Support on report publication event preparation and delivery for Modules 8, 9 and 10 -Post-report publication queries and judicial review advice for Modules 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 -General legal advice to Chair / Secretary and occasional attendance at office holder and/or governance meetings -Section 14 advice -Archiving advice

### Procurement Information

The Cabinet Office considers that the amendment detailed in this VEAT is permitted pursuant to 72(1) (e) and (f) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR). Regulation 72(1)(e) (Non-substantial modifications): The proposed extension is time-only and does not render the contract materially different in character. It introduces no new conditions that would have significantly altered the original procurement outcome or attracted additional participants. Furthermore, it does not change the economic balance in favour of the contractor, as services will be delivered within the existing total contract value of PS37,635,940 and at the originally agreed rates. Regulation 72(1)(f) (Low-value modifications): The value of the modification is below both the relevant threshold (PS135,018 inclusive of VAT) and 10% of the initial contract value. The extension will include the following significantly reduced deliverables as the Inquiry approaches closedown: -Support to the Chair concerning her final changes to the M10 report -Support on report publication event preparation and delivery for Modules 8, 9 and 10 -Post-report publication queries and judicial review advice for Modules 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 -General legal advice to Chair / Secretary and occasional attendance at office holder and/or governance meetings -Section 14 advice -Archiving advice

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044476-2026 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated without publication of a contract notice |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 14 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 13 May 2026 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £1 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CABINET OFFICE |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1A 2AS |
| 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 | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | BURGES SALMON |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79100000 - Legal services

## Release History

- 14 May 2026 at 14:28 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044476-2026

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office

## 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-069901. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069901.json.