AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
DVLA - Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency awarded a call-off for specialist legal advice supporting its Direct Debit re-procurement programme to MILLS & REEVE LLP. The published award value is £300,000 and the stated service period is 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.
Published outcomeOne active award is recorded for MILLS & REEVE LLP under a framework call-off procedure.
Market significanceThis is a £300,000 legal advisory services award connected to DVLA’s Direct Debit re-procurement, indicating demand for specialist external legal support in a regulated operational procurement.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
MILLS & REEVE LLP
99% confidenceAward ocds-b5fd17-0baef98f-1ba4-41da-80e1-e9e08822103a-1 · 300000 GBP · active
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The active award names Mills & Reeve LLP as supplier. Supplier verification provides verified legal name MILLS & REEVE LLP, company number OC326165, matched by exact name.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice type
99% confidenceAwarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
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Process notice_type and award document title state “Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder”.
Award status
98% confidenceActive
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Award ocds-b5fd17-0baef98f-1ba4-41da-80e1-e9e08822103a-1 has status “active”.
Award decision date
97% confidence30 September 2026
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Award date is 2026-09-30T00:00:00+01:00.
Publication date
99% confidence20 October 2026
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The award notice datePublished is 2026-10-20T11:22:49+01:00.
Stated service period
98% confidence1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027
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Tender and award contractPeriod give startDate 2026-10-01 and endDate 2027-09-30.
VALUES
Published values explained
Published award value
99% confidence£300,000 GBP
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The active award value is 300000 GBP.
Published tender value range
97% confidence£200,000 to £300,000 GBP
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Tender minValue is 200000 GBP and tender value is 300000 GBP.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Submission deadline
98% confidence9 September 2026, 17:00 BST
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Tender tenderPeriod endDate is 2026-09-09T17:00:00+01:00.
Award date
97% confidence30 September 2026
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Award date is 2026-09-30T00:00:00+01:00.
Stated start date
98% confidence1 October 2026
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Award contractPeriod startDate is 2026-10-01T00:00:00+01:00.
Stated end date
98% confidence30 September 2027
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Award contractPeriod endDate is 2027-09-30T23:59:59+01:00.
Award notice published
99% confidence20 October 2026
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Award notice datePublished is 2026-10-20T11:22:49+01:00.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
98% confidenceSpecialist external legal services for DVLA’s Direct Debit re-procurement programme.
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The description says the Commercial Directorate requires specialist external legal service to support the Agency’s Direct Debit re-procurement programme.
Intended outcome
96% confidenceSupport a resilient, effective and compliant future Direct Debit service that meets business and customer needs.
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The published description states this purpose.
Service classification
99% confidenceCPV 79111000 — Legal advisory services
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Primary classification is CPV 79111000, described as Legal advisory services.
Delivery geography
89% confidenceWales; a delivery postcode of SA6 7JL is also listed.
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Tender items list Wales/United Kingdom and postcode SA6 7JL as delivery addresses.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procurement method
99% confidenceSelective
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Process and tender procurementMethod are “selective”.
Procedure detail
99% confidenceCall-off from a framework agreement
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Process and tender procurementMethodDetails state “Call-off from a framework agreement”.
SME suitability
94% confidenceMarked suitable for SMEs
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Tender suitability records sme as true.
VCSE suitability
94% confidenceNot marked suitable for VCSEs
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Tender suitability records vcse as false.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Term
98% confidence12 months (stated dates: 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027)
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The stated contract period runs from 2026-10-01 to 2027-09-30.
Extension options
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice data.
Pricing and payment terms
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice data.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Route to market
90% confidenceThe framework call-off route may be relevant to suppliers seeking comparable DVLA legal advisory opportunities.
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The notice identifies the procedure as a call-off from a framework agreement.
Value position
98% confidenceThe published £300,000 award value equals the stated upper end of the tender’s £200,000–£300,000 value range.
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Tender minValue is £200,000, tender value is £300,000, and award value is £300,000.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Award versus contract execution
98% confidenceThe source is an active award notice and gives a stated service period; it does not explicitly confirm that a contract was signed.
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The release is tagged “award”; the supplied data contains no explicit signature or contract-conclusion field.
Competition and evaluation detail
99% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice data.
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No bid count, bidder list, scores, evaluation rationale or award justification is included.
Lot allocation
99% confidenceNo lot records or award lot identifiers are supplied.
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Lots are empty and award lot_ids_json is null.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The award notice does not explicitly evidence a signed or otherwise concluded contract; it supports an active award and stated service period only.
- Information not supplied in the published notice: bid count, competing suppliers, evaluation criteria, scores, award rationale and savings.
- Information not supplied in the published notice: framework name, framework provider, framework lot, extension options, pricing schedule and payment terms.
- No lot records, lot titles or award-to-lot allocation are supplied.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
DVLA legal advice contractMILLS & REEVE LLPDirect Debit procurementlegal advisory servicesframework call-offContracts Finder award
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won DVLA’s Provision of Legal Advice award?
MILLS & REEVE LLP, verified under company number OC326165.
What is the published value of the award?
£300,000 GBP.
What is the stated contract period?
1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.
How was the requirement procured?
As a selective call-off from a framework agreement.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.