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

Location

London

Description

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 £1 as a £0 value is not a permitted input to the notice. The total contract value will not be amended and remains £37,635,940 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.

Total Quantity or Scope

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 £37,635,940. … 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

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 79100000 - Legal services

Indicators

Legal Justification

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 £37,635,940 and at the originally agreed rates. Regulation 72(1)(f) (Low-value modifications): The value of the modification is below both the relevant threshold (£135,018 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