Oxfordshire: Blake Morgan celebrates success in local authorities framework bid
Specialists from Oxford law firm Blake Morgan have been successful in a major tender to provide wide-ranging legal services to local authorities in Oxfordshire.
The firm, based at Seacourt Tower, has been accepted on the external legal services framework of a consortium of authorities including Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council, which combined to put legal services out to tender to increase cost efficiency.
The tender covers legal services across a wide spectrum of areas of expertise including commercial contracts, joint ventures and projects, procurement, property and estates, housing, corporate governance, civil litigation, local government law, employment and pensions.
Blake Morgan’s bid was led by Oxford-based partner Penny Rinta-Suksi, who said: “We are delighted with this appointment. Blake Morgan has a well-established public-sector practice with the talent, experience, understanding and strength in depth to offer excellent value to our clients on this framework.
“This formally cements the strong relationships that we have with many of the authorities entitled to use the framework, and helps us to forge new ones.”
The Oxfordshire success comes soon after Blake Morgan won eight out of 11 lots on the Welsh National Procurement Service Framework, the first legal framework for the Welsh Government.
As part of the tendering process for the Oxfordshire consortium Blake Morgan highlighted several recent case studies that demonstrated the strength of its work in the public sector.
Mike Wilson, Blake Morgan regional senior partner for the Thames Valley, said: “Our extensive experience and close working relationships with public-sector clients mean that we have a depth of understanding of the ever-increasing financial pressures that they face and the need to procure vital legal services in the most cost-efficient way possible.
“This, along with the high quality of our client service, is the driving force behind all our public service tenders, and has been recognised in this recent run of successes.”
Blake Morgan is one of 10 firms appointed during the process. The full list of major organisations in the Oxfordshire consortium is: Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council, Cotswold District Council, Cherwell District Council, South Northamptonshire Council, Stratford on Avon District Council and Royal Berkshire Fire Authority. The framework also includes associated parish councils in Oxfordshire.
