AwardedAwarded 22 May 2026

Procurement of Legal Investigation and Advocacy Service in Fitness to Practise

Social Work England · Central government

In brief

Social Work England awarded legal work to Capsticks Solicitors LLP and Kingsley Napley on 22 May 2026.

The notice gives a value of £34,083,333 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 3 years, up to 5 years with extensions, starting 22 July 2026.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

What the notice says

The Authority is looking for two 2 Suppliers to deliver the following as part of the Service: a. conduct further investigation and prepare cases for Fitness to Practise hearings or meetings; b. undertake pre-hearing case management procedures in accordance with agreed performance targets and in collaboration with other parties to the hearing; and c. ensure the presentation of cases before adjudicators at hearings (those hearings are predominantly carried out remotely using video conferencing software but can, on occasion, be in-person at our offices in Sheffield). Over a period of 3 - 5 years, the Authority aims to work with the Suppliers to eliminate the current backlog of circa 400 cases awaiting a final hearing. By the end of this period, the intention is to have worked successfully in partnership with the Suppliers to both eliminate the backlog and to be managing a 'steady state' of circa 150 cases being processed per annum. This contract has a maximum value of £40.9 million. Contract 1 and Contact 2 notice values of £20.45 million, represents an estimated allocation and is provided for indicative purposes only.

Who won

WinnerValueDates
Capsticks Solicitors LLP (SME)
6 bids received
£17,041,666
Awarded 22 May 2026
Kingsley Napley
6 bids received
£17,041,666
Awarded 22 May 2026

Values as the award notice gives them, excluding VAT where stated.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 070197-2025
  2. Planned procurement notice · UK3, notice 078630-2025
  3. Planned procurement notice · UK3, notice 080027-2025
  4. Tender notice · UK4, notice 017653-2026
  5. Contract award notice · UK6, notice 048162-2026

Last time this was bought

Fitness to Practise Partner Training Programme

Awarded
25 February 2026
Value
£354,167
Bids
2
Contract ends
25 February 2029

Matched on Social Work England, the type of work and the title; it may be a related contract rather than the same one. Check the notice to be sure.

About the buyer

Social Work EnglandLast 12 months

Procurements

8

Awards

6

Suppliers it has used most for legal

Similar open tenders

All open legal tenders
  1. Procurement of a 'Local Authority' Legal Case Management System

    North Tyneside Borough CouncilNorth EastIT services and software, Legal services

    Closing soon11 hours left

    £200kestimated
  2. Specialist Immigration Advice Services

    Greater London Authority (GLA)North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South WestLegal services, Social and domiciliary care

    Open34 days left5 lotsSuitable for SMEs

    £27.9mestimated
  3. National Developer Framework

    Wirral CouncilNorth East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South WestConstruction, Legal services

    Open56 days left63 lotsSuitable for SMEsFramework

    £12bnframework ceiling

From notice 070197-2025 on Find a Tender, first published 31 October 2025, last updated 22 May 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.