PS25034 - Legal Services to Support Employment Tribunals and Complex Casework - Framework

Legal Services to Support Employment Tribunals and Complex Casework - Framework UK Shared Business Services (UKSBS) on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will shortly be approaching the market to undertake a procurement for the creation of a Legal Services Framework for the Support of Employment Tribunals and Complex Casework. Once implemented, this Framework will only be available for use by UKRI. The purpose of this framework is to ensure compliance with legal obligations, provide expert advice, and mitigate risks where internal legal capacity is insufficient. External support will cover the full process end-to-end from receipt of an Employment Tribunal (ET) claim through to resolution, including appeals. The aim of the framework is to enable UKRI secure immediate access to external legal expertise for Employment Tribunal cases and complex HR matters. Objectives • Deliver high-quality legal advice and representation for ET cases and timely, high-quality legal advice on complex casework to support effective management of legal risk. • Provide timely risk assessments and clear recommendations at each stage. • Maintain proactive communication with UKRI HR and Legal teams to meet all deadlines. The Call-Off Contracts under this Framework will be via‘ Direct Award’ based on a rankings from the evaluation of the initial Framework award. Framework Direct Award Procedure The 1st ranked supplier will be issued with the project requirements and then given 5 working days to respond. The Contracting Authority reserves the right to opt for a longer or shorter quote period should they feel this is necessary based on the complexity of the requirement. If the 1st ranked Supplier cannot take on the work or their proposal is rejected, the project will be sent to the 2nd ranked Supplier. The 2nd ranked Supplier will be given 5 working days to respond. If the 2nd ranked Supplier cannot take on the work or their proposal is rejected, the project will be sent to the 3rd ranked Supplier. The 3rd ranked Supplier will be given 5 working days to respond. If the 3rd ranked Supplier cannot take on the work or their proposal is rejected, the Contracting Authority will either opt to secure the services outside of the framework or rescope and then repeat the process. Framework Ranking Following completion of the evaluation of all bid responses in line with the evaluation methodology, the total scores awarded for Technical and Commercial will be added together to form a Total Bid Evaluation Score. The Total Bid Evaluation Score for each Bidder will be ranked from Highest to Lowest, with the top 3 Suppliers being successfully awarded onto this Framework. The ranking from the evaluation of your bid will be the ranking that will be fixed for the duration of this Framework. The ranking position will be confirmed within your feedback letter at the point this Framework is awarded.