Acuity Law named as supplier on major local government framework in England
Commercial law company Acuity Law has been appointed to the new legal services framework for a group of local authorities in England.
Orbis Public Law (OPL) is a partnership between the legal service departments of Brighton and Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council, Surrey County Council and West Sussex County Council.
Based in the four regional locations of Hove, Lewes, Kingston and Chichester and with a combined net operational budget of £10 million, OPL is a significant public sector shared service covering a significant region in the south east of England. Its mission is to deliver a single, resilient, sustainable, cost-effective legal service to each OPL Authority, as well as the wider public sector where appropriate, by sharing resources and expertise to reduce costs and maximise efficiency.
The new framework covers a comprehensive range of legal disciplines to reflect the diverse operations of the partnership. Acuity’s appointment covers a number of legal specialisms that include commercial contracts and procurement, information governance, local government law, litigation, employment, pensions, property, planning and construction.
The appointment to the framework follows a competitive procurement exercise. The firm was awarded a place on the panel based on its all-round offering of specialist expertise, service quality and attractive pricing options.
As well as the four contracting authorities that make up OPL, the framework also makes legal services available to the district and borough councils within the three counties of Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex who can call-off from the framework throughout the duration of the agreement.
Rachelle Sellek, managing partner at Acuity Law, said: “This appointment marks another significant milestone for our public law practice and is testament to the way we integrate and work in partnership with public sector bodies.”
“In accordance with its goal of growing its support for the public sector and delivering greater value for its councils, residents and customers, we look forward to working with OPL, cementing existing relationships in the local government sector and developing new ones.”
With offices in London, Cardiff and Swansea, Acuity Law has doubled in size in recent years and last year advised on over 100 UK-based transactions with an aggregate value of over £1.5 billion. Its offering includes an outsourcing model for virtual in-house legal support and a technology-based service for data protection, cyber security and reputation management.
It also recently launched a unique hybrid consultancy model for talented lawyers who want full back office support and access to a team of junior lawyers without the restraints of traditional employment.
The framework is now available for use and is for a three-year term, with the option for OPL to extend for up to three years at its discretion.
