Public Procurement | UK

Addleshaw Goddard provides first-rate advice on contentious and non-contentious matters and has deep expertise in matters involving European Regional Development Fund arrangements. Its clients range from government departments to key players in construction, healthcare, transport and utilities.

Burges Salmon is renowned for high-profile disputes with a significant political dimension. It has powerful non-contentious and litigation practices advising public sector buyers and corporate providers of equipment, infrastructure and services. The firm is highly active in energy and utilities, transport, water and waste management, healthcare and defence.

Hogan Lovells has a contentious practice for many of the biggest public sector organisations and bidding parties. The firm is frequently instructed in EU procurement challenges and assists corporations with high-value bids. It demonstrates expertise in state aid and judicial review challenges.

Osborne Clarke has a formidable reputation for high-stakes and contentious procurement litigation work. It advises on the public contract regulations introduced in 2015, bids for large government framework agreements, and EU competition and procurement law matters. It is noted for its expertise in regulated utilities, IT, healthcare, transport and the defence sector.

Bevan Brittan represents NHS trusts, local authorities and private and third sector contractors in all aspects of the tender process. The firm boasts a formidable litigation arm dedicated to procurement challenges. It has extensive experience advising on urban developments and regeneration projects.

Bird & Bird advises government departments, non-departmental public bodies and corporate bidders on the full range of commercial and contentious procurement matters. It is frequently instructed by prominent defence, technology and healthcare contractors. The firm is able to handle a variety of cross-border matters and is backed by a spread of international offices.

Fieldfisher is a go-to team for government departments, non-departmental public bodies and leading corporate suppliers of all manner of public services. The firm has a particularly strong contentious arm. It is recommended for advice on procurement exercises of all kinds and has recently assisted with ambitious capital infrastructure.

Freshfields offers a cross-border practice with in-depth knowledge of international procurement reforms and EU law. The team's lawyers are experts in many sectors including transport, health, nuclear, defence and infrastructure. The firm boasts a formidable challenges and disputes offering allied to one of the best competition law practices in the country.

Herbert Smith Freehills has a notable history of working with public and private organisations on procurement and collaboration transactions of all kinds, often concerning the most ambitious projects of the day and with a powerful litigation offering. The firm helps steer clients through the EU's competition and state aid regulatory frameworks. It is renowned for sector expertise in energy and utilities, transport, infrastructure and TMT.

Mills & Reeve is sought after by public and third sector organisations, central government departments and private sector bidders for advice on tender competitions and disputes arising from them. It has a particularly strong sector expertise with regard to education, healthcare, and local and central government services.

Trowers & Hamlins offers a cross-departmental team with deep expertise in tendering processes and procurement challenges. It acts for clients in all areas of public service provision, with an emphasis on housing, healthcare, and local and social services. The team demonstrates impressive expertise in third sector procurement issues.

Brodies provides a service covering strategic, transactional and contentious work. It gives expert advice to Scottish public sector bodies and bidders for projects across the UK. Recent instructions have concerned rail franchise bids, port expansion and renewable and energy-efficient heating network projects.

CMS has in-depth knowledge of core industry sectors such as energy, utilities, infrastructure and life sciences. The firm is strong in litigation and advisory work, with large client followings in both England and Scotland. It offers a dedicated procurement practice area group spread across its EU offices and beyond, backed up by world-class expertise in competition and regulated industries.

Dentons has an impressive public sector client list. The firm also represents private sector clients in challenges to procurement processes. Key areas of expertise include transport, regeneration and infrastructure. It was recently appointed by various central government departments to advise on transformative projects.

Gowling WLG has particular expertise in projects involving companies in IT, health, defence and urban regeneration. It advises customers and contractors on commercial, regulatory and contentious procurement matters. Customer-side clients include central government departments, regulatory agencies, local authorities and non-departmental public bodies.

Morton Fraser MacRoberts is a public sector specialist firm recommended for high-value contentious and non-contentious procurement matters in Scotland and south of the border. Clients includetransport organisations, government bodies and multinational corporations, and instructions cover all conceivable areas of public service provision. Morton Fraser and MacRoberts merged in November 2023 and the merged entity became Morton Fraser MacRoberts.

Pinsent Masons advises many of the most sophisticated contractors, as well as government departments, agencies and local councils, on the full range of commercial, regulatory and contentious procurement matters. Spread across the UK, the firm-wide team offers understanding of conditions locally as well as nationally.

Anthony Collins Solicitors is highly regarded for contentious and non-contentious work concerning housing, transport, and social and local authority services. The firm acts for public and third sector procurers, bidders and intermediary bodies. It also acts on procurement challenges.

Ashurst offers sophisticated advice to contracting authorities and private sector tenderers on often strategic procurement exercises. It has a strong record with regard to challenges and avoiding them. The firm has particularly extensive experience with regard to public transport infrastructure and telecommunications.

Browne Jacobson is regularly instructed by local authorities, central government departments, non-departmental public bodies and NHS organisations. The firm also has additional private sector understanding. It is noted for expertise in advisory and transactional procurement matters and their intersection with state aid rules, as well as challenges arising from the bidding process. It advises on alternative service delivery models and shared services arrangements.

Burness Paull is a leading Scotland-focused practice advising public sector customers and private sector vendors of all kinds. The firm is increasingly sought after for procurement disputes as well as bids and regulatory advice. It advises on novel procurement models, such as innovation partnership procedures.

DLA Piper has particularly strong expertise in contentious judicial review and procurement law ranging from advising on how to manage the risk of a regulatory challenge and judicial review on major procurements through to pursuing procurement challenges in a wide range of contexts. Clients include an impressive roster of central government bodies and private sector firms.

Sharpe Pritchard is a strong public law boutique with an impressive volume of work from central government departments and contracting authorities of all stripes. The firm has particular expertise in education, housing, infrastructure, utilities, law enforcement and emergency services. It frequently acts for large local authorities.