AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
Devon County Council published an award notice for legal advice supporting its procurement of highway maintenance services. The direct award names BIRD & BIRD LLP as supplier under the Government Commercial Agency RM6240 Public Sector Legal Service Framework, Lot 1a.
Published outcomeAward recorded as active, with BIRD & BIRD LLP named as the sole supplier and a published value of £600,000.
Market significanceThis is a framework-based direct award for specialist public-sector legal services connected with a major highway maintenance procurement.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
BIRD & BIRD LLP
99% confidenceAward ocds-b5fd17-b84c4185-8f6a-4824-843f-7f6907483e8a-1 · 600000 GBP · active
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Verified company name: BIRD & BIRD LLP (company number OC340318); the active award names Bird & Bird LLP as its sole supplier and states a value of £600,000.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice type
99% confidenceAwarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
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Process notice_type: "Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder"; award document type: awardNotice.
Award status
99% confidenceActive
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Award status is "active".
Award date
99% confidence2 September 2026
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Award date: 2026-09-02T00:00:00+01:00.
Published date
99% confidence16 October 2026
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Award notice datePublished: 2026-10-16T12:43:38+01:00.
Contract period recorded
99% confidence3 September 2026 to 31 December 2030
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Award and tender contractPeriod specify startDate 2026-09-03 and endDate 2030-12-31T23:59:59Z.
VALUES
Published values explained
Published award value
99% confidence£600,000
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The sole active award value is 600000 GBP.
Value allocation
98% confidenceAllocated to the single named supplier award
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One award is present, naming one supplier, BIRD & BIRD LLP, with value 600000 GBP.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Tender deadline recorded
98% confidence2 September 2026, 12:00 BST
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Tender period endDate: 2026-09-02T12:00:00+01:00.
Award date
99% confidence2 September 2026
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Award date: 2026-09-02T00:00:00+01:00.
Recorded contract start
99% confidence3 September 2026
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contractPeriod startDate: 2026-09-03T00:00:00+01:00.
Recorded contract end
99% confidence31 December 2030
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contractPeriod endDate: 2030-12-31T23:59:59Z.
Award notice publication
99% confidence16 October 2026
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Award notice datePublished: 2026-10-16T12:43:38+01:00.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Service category
99% confidenceLegal services
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Primary CPV 79100000: Legal services.
Requirement
99% confidenceLegal support for procurement of highway maintenance services
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Notice description states that Devon County Council procured legal support for its procurement of highway maintenance services.
Framework route
99% confidenceGovernment Commercial Agency RM6240 Public Sector Legal Service Framework, Lot 1a: Full-Service Provision – England and Wales
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Notice description explicitly identifies the framework and Lot 1a.
Delivery coverage recorded
90% confidenceUnited Kingdom and additional broad international/geographic entries
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Tender delivery addresses include United Kingdom, Europe, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, British Oversea Territories and Rest of the World.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procedure
99% confidenceDirect award
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Process and tender procurementMethodDetails: "Direct award".
Competition information
99% confidenceNot supplied in the published notice
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No bid, participant, score or evaluation information is present in the supplied data.
SME suitability flag
95% confidenceNo
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Tender suitability.sme is false.
VCSE suitability flag
95% confidenceNo
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Tender suitability.vcse is false.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Term
99% confidence3 September 2026 to 31 December 2030
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Award contractPeriod specifies these dates.
Extension or renewal options
99% confidenceUnknown
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No extension or renewal terms are supplied.
Contract execution status
99% confidenceNot explicitly stated
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The record is an active award notice and supplies a contract period, but does not explicitly state that a contract was signed.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Route to market
99% confidenceThe buyer used a named public-sector legal services framework rather than an open competition.
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The notice describes a direct award from GCA RM6240 Lot 1a.
Demand signal
99% confidenceThe engagement concerns legal support for a highway maintenance procurement, rather than delivery of highway maintenance itself.
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The notice description distinguishes legal support from the procurement of highway maintenance services.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Award versus execution
99% confidenceThis is an active award notice with a recorded contract period; explicit signature or execution evidence is not supplied.
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Award status is active; no signed-contract field or explicit execution statement appears in the supplied record.
Published information completeness
99% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice: bid count, evaluation method, scores, pricing breakdown, lot-level allocation and extension/renewal terms.
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These fields are absent from the supplied notice data.
Delivery geography
94% confidenceDelivery locations include broad and overlapping geographic entries, so the precise service-delivery footprint is unclear.
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Locations list United Kingdom, Europe, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, British Oversea Territories, Rest of the World and a postcode-only entry.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The source does not explicitly confirm contract signature or execution; it supports an active award notice and recorded contract-period dates only.
- Information not supplied in the published notice: bid count, bidder identities, evaluation criteria, scores, reasons for award, pricing breakdown and detailed legal-service deliverables.
- No extension or renewal options are published; the end-date-based re-procurement timing is an estimate, not a procurement forecast.
- The published delivery geography is broad and overlapping, so the precise location of service delivery cannot be determined.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
Devon County CouncilBIRD & BIRD LLPRM6240Public Sector Legal Service Frameworklegal serviceshighway maintenance procurementdirect award
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won Devon County Council's legal advice award?
BIRD & BIRD LLP is the verified legal supplier named on the active award.
What is the published value of the award?
The published award value is £600,000.
What framework was used?
The notice states that the direct award was made through the Government Commercial Agency RM6240 Public Sector Legal Service Framework, Lot 1a.
Is the contract explicitly confirmed as signed?
No. The source publishes an active award and contract-period dates, but does not explicitly state that the contract was signed.
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.