The Government’s Green Paper, Transforming Public Procurement, published in December 2020, promised a significant shakeup for government procurement. Certainly, industry and public bodies thought so. Together, they made over 600 written submissions to the Cabinet Office.   (You can find DLA Piper’s consultation comments on the reforms here.)   Since the end of the submission deadline in March 2021, there has been …

Transforming Public Procurement – an update on potential reforms Read More »

The 2020 party conference season will perhaps be even more remarkable than last year’s. Twelve months ago, delegates took their seats against a backdrop of party infighting and prorogation. Fast forward one year and the conference halls are empty whilst Brexit may not even make it to the top of the agenda. This autumn, politicians …

Build Back Better: how Government purchases is as crucial as what it chooses to invest in Read More »

DLA Piper’s Technology and Strategic Sourcing team recently completed a c. £275 m transformative networks and telephony deal for one of the UK’s largest financial institutions, which used an innovative negotiation method known as ‘applied game theory’ in order to carry out the final negotiation stage of the procurement process. The resultant outcome was a …

Applied Game Theory – the future of IT procurement? Looking at it through a government lens Read More »

As we noted in our first article, on 17 June 2020 Mr Justice Stuart-Smith handed down judgment in the 2019 Rail Franchising Litigation, one of the largest and most complex procurement and commercial judicial review claims litigated to date in the UK. DLA Piper acted for the Secretary of State for Transport (the “SoS”) and …

The 2019 rail franchising litigation – procurement: Legal privilege and a duty to give sufficient reasons Read More »

The Government has published the Employment Rights Act 1996 (Coronavirus, Calculation of a Week’s Pay) Regulations 2020 which come into force on 31 July. The Regulations ensure that employees who have been furloughed receive statutory redundancy pay, statutory notice pay, unfair dismissal compensation and certain other statutory payments based on their normal wages, rather than …

Be Aware UK: Furloughed employees to receive redundancy and notice pay at full not furloughed rate Read More »

The Government has today (31 July 2020) published a policy paper setting out more detailed guidance on the Job Retention Bonus announced as part of the ‘Plan for Jobs’ on 8 July. The Job Retention Bonus is intended to provide additional support to employers who keep on their furloughed employees after the Coronavirus Job Retention …

Be Aware UK: Job Retention Bonus – New guidance just released Read More »

This is the fourth in our short series of bitesize feedback notes following on from DLA Piper’s Panel Discussion Webinar held on 1 July 2020 when we launched our paper – “Procurement Law Reform – Let’s Start a Discussion”. This feedback note looks at the panel’s response to the range of procurement procedures set out …

Procurement Law Reform – Let’s Start a Discussion. Reform of purchasing procedures Read More »

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No.3) (England) Regulations 2020 came into force on 18 July 2020. They give new powers to local authorities in England to respond to a public health threat caused by the incidence or spread of COVID-19. The new regulations are additional to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No.2) (England) Regulations 2020 …

The latest English COVID-19 emergency regulations – new powers for local authorities Read More »

This is the third in our short series of bitesize feedback notes following on from DLA Piper’s Panel Discussion Webinar held on 1 July 2020 which launched our discussions paper – “Procurement Law Reform – Let’s Start a Discussion”. This third paper now looks at the complex issues that arise in terms of procuring authorities …

Procurement Law Reform – Let’s Start a Discussion. Reform of transparency and confidentiality requirements Read More »

This is the second bitesize feedback note following on from DLA Piper’s Panel Discussion Webinar held on 1 July 2020 which launched our discussion paper – “Procurement Law Reform – Let’s Start a Discussion”. The first bitesize feedback paper summarised the discussion and inclusions in relation to the potential options for overall procedural reform in …

Procurement Law Reform – Let’s Start a Discussion. Reform of limitation rules Read More »

With a little over 200 days to go until the transition period expires, senior UK and EU figures are meeting today, 15 June 2020, for a “stock-take” summit. UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will join – virtually, of course – the Presidents of the EU’s Commission, Council and Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel …

Boardroom Brexit – 15 June 2020 Read More »

From 13 July 2020, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (the Amendment Regulations) come into effect. The Amendment Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No.2) (England) Regulations 2020 (the Coronavirus Restrictions Regulations), which now provide the core legislative basis for the remaining aspects of the lockdown in England. In …

Further English COVID-19 amendment regulations Read More »

DLA Piper’s panel discussion webinar held on 1 July 2020, launched our client discussion paper “Procurement Law Reform – Let’s Start a Discussion” Panel members from DLA Piper UK, DLA Piper Germany and Keating Chambers had a lively debate on the merits of potential options for reform and which changes might produce a better model …

Procurement Law Reform – Let’s Start a Discussion. Procedural reform Read More »

On 17 June 2020, Mr Justice Stuart-Smith handed down judgment in the 2019 Rail Franchising Litigation, one of the largest and most complex procurement and commercial judicial review claims litigated to date in the UK. In his judgment, Stuart-Smith J dismissed, in comprehensive terms, the claims against the Secretary of State for Transport (SoS) and …

The 2019 Rail Franchising Litigation – success for the Secretary of State and the Department for Transport Read More »

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No.2) (England) Regulations 2020 (the “Second Restrictions Regulations”) came into force on 4 July 2020. The Second Restrictions Regulations revoke the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 (the First Restrictions Regulations) and all of the subsequent amendment Regulations. They have effect in England, though Regulations 4 and 5 do …

The new English COVID-19 emergency regulations Read More »