--- title: "The Provision of Town Planning Legal Advice Services" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06facc" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06facc" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06facc.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06facc.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "FRIMLEY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST" published: "2026-09-16" --- # The Provision of Town Planning Legal Advice Services Buyer: FRIMLEY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06facc [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06facc) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06facc.json) ## Summary Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is procuring specialist town planning legal advice for its New Hospital Programme at Frimley Park Hospital and Heatherwood Hospital, as well as its existing estate. The service covers the planning approval process for three sites and supports RIBA Stages 2 to 4. Required work includes strategic planning and risk advice; planning applications, conditions, variations and certificates of lawfulness; heritage and listed-building consents; section 106 agreements, unilateral undertakings and Community Infrastructure Levy advice; highway and transport agreements; planning appeals, inquiries and hearings; enforcement and compliance; judicial review and statutory challenges; environmental impact assessment, habitats regulations assessment and biodiversity net gain; and governance, committee, decision-making and information-rights support. The appointed legal provider will work matter by matter with the Trust’s planning consultants and wider design and construction team across occupied NHS sites. The procurement has reached tender: the Trust invited full offers through an open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023, using an electronic tendering portal. Tenders were due by 12 October 2026 at 10:00 BST, with the award decision due by 27 November 2026 at 23:59 UTC. The contract period is 10 December 2026 to 10 May 2028. Its estimated value is £1,000,000 excluding VAT and £1,200,000 including VAT. The initial commitment covers RIBA Stage 2, with the Trust reserving the right to extend the service to RIBA Stages 4 and 5. There is one lot. Offers are evaluated 20% on cost and 80% on quality, comprising 70% qualitative assessment and 10% social value. Conditions of participation are assessed pass or fail. This opportunity suits a specialist planning law practice able to advise on English and Welsh town and country planning law across a major NHS capital programme. Strong candidates will need demonstrable capability in planning strategy, consent applications, conditions, certificates of lawfulness, heritage and listed-building matters, section 106 and unilateral undertakings, CIL, highways agreements, appeals, inquiries, hearings, enforcement, judicial review and statutory challenges. Experience in environmental impact assessment, habitats regulations, biodiversity net gain, governance and information rights is directly relevant. The provider must offer responsive, commercially focused advice on a matter-by-matter basis, support planning risk management and coordinate effectively with planning consultants, designers and the construction programme. The work also calls for advocacy support, representation and the ability to instruct counsel and expert witnesses where required. ## Notice Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust ("the Trust") is seeking to procure a provider for the provision of specialist town planning legal advice services in connection with the New Hospital Programme at Frimley Park Hospital, Heatherwood Hospital and the Trust's existing estate (Ref C468556). The procurement is for the provision of specialist planning legal services, providing legal advice, drafting, negotiation, advocacy support and representation across the full range of town and country planning and related matters arising under the law of England and Wales, in support of the planning approval process for the three sites associated with the Trust's New Hospital Programme during RIBA Stages 2 to 4. The scope includes, but is not limited to: * Strategic planning advice, risk assessment and legal input on planning strategy and the programme of consents; * Advice on planning applications, consents, conditions, variations and certificates of lawfulness; * Heritage, listed building and related statutory consents; * Negotiation and drafting of section 106 agreements, unilateral undertakings and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) advice; * Highway and transport agreements under sections 278 and 38 of the Highways Act 1980; * Management of planning appeals, inquiries and hearings, including instruction of counsel and expert witnesses; * Enforcement and compliance advice, including responses to enforcement notices and related appeals; * Judicial review and statutory challenge advice under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; *Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) and biodiversity net gain advice; *Governance, committee and decision-making advice, and information rights support. The appointed provider will be expected to deliver responsive, commercially focused legal advice on a matter-by-matter basis, working as part of an integrated professional team and co-ordinating with the Trust's planning consultants and the wider design and construction programme. The Trust operates from a live, occupied acute site and places a strong emphasis on stakeholder engagement, transparency and the management of planning risk. The initial contractual commitment is for RIBA Stage 2 only. The anticipated overall contract term is two years, subject to the time required for RIBA Stages 2, 3 and 4 to be completed and planning approval obtained; the Trust reserves the right to extend the contract to include RIBA Stages 4 and 5. The contract duration under this notice is for the provision of the town planning legal advice requirements only, and does not represent or imply any timeframe for completion of the wider New Hospital Programme or the Trust's retained estate works. This procurement is being conducted as an open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. Interested suppliers must submit a full tender by the deadline stated in the tender documents, including responses to the conditions of participation, which are assessed on a pass/fail basis. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/087608-2026 | | Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 16 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | 12 Oct 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 10 Dec 2026 - 10 May 2028 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £1,000,000 | | Lots value | £1,000,000 | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | FRIMLEY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | | Locality | FRIMLEY | | Postcode area | Guildford | | Postcode | GU16 7UJ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex | | ITL 3 | TLJ25 West Surrey | | Local authority | Surrey Heath | | Electoral ward | Frimley | | Westminster constituency | Surrey Heath | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79100000 - Legal services - 79110000 - Legal advisory and representation services - 79111000 - Legal advisory services ## Release History - 16 Sep 2026 at 10:00 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/087608-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/087608-2026 16th September 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://health- - https://www.frimleyhealth.nhs.uk - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## 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-06facc. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06facc.json.