Public procurement process re-run after expert legal advice

Our building contractor client had finished second in a competitive tender process to supply a housing development and regeneration programme to a local authority.

Our client believed the local authority had made a legal error in awarding the contract to the winning bidder. It sought the help of Simon Biggin and Stewart Morrison in challenging the local authority’s decision under the Public Contract Regulations 2015. Stewart and Simon prepared a detailed letter of claim to the authority explaining why they considered that it had erred in law in awarding the contract to the winning bidder.

The letter was sufficient for the authority to agree to abandon the procurement and to commence a new competition for the project.