Tender for civil legal aid contracts 2024
The tender covers all civil and family legal aid categories, including the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS).
Find out more about the 2024 tender
How to bid
The tender closes at 5pm on Tuesday 17 October 2023.
Read our guide on tendering for legal aid contracts
The 2024 contract is largely similar to the current contract.
Changes include:
- more flexible supervisor requirements
- some flexibility to use serviced premises to meet the requirement for a permanent office presence
Make sure you consider all the contract terms carefully before submitting a bid.
Changes to public law and HLPAS bids
On 21 September, the LAA updated:
- the thresholds for the public law tender
- HLPAS information for applicants
Make sure you've used the latest version of the guidelines. If you submitted before the changes your bid may not be valid and you'll need to resubmit.
Basic requirements by category
| Category | Lots | Office | Supervisor | Authorised litigator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Family |
0/20/100/250 | Permanent | Full time | No requirement (covered by accreditation) |
| Mental health | 300/500/700 | Permanent somewhere; Permanent or alternative arrangements where bidding | Full time | Employed |
| Community care | 100/200 | Part time | Part time | Employed, 17.5 hours per week, available to each office |
| Claims against public authorities | 75/150 | Part time | Part time | Employed, 17.5 hours per week, available to each office |
| Clinical negligence | None – no limit, notional allocation of one matter start | Part time | Part time | Employed, 17.5 hours per week, available to each office |
| Public law | 50/150 | Part time | Part time | Employed, 17.5 hours per week, available to each office |
| Education | No lots, 100 matter starts | Part time | Part time | Access to, with experience of education |
| Discrimination | No lots, 100 matter starts | Part time | Part time | Access to, with experience of discrimination |
| Housing, debt, welfare benefits | No lots, 150/10/30 respectively | Permanent | Housing and debt: full time; welfare benefits: part time | Housing and debt: employed, 17.5 hours per week, available to each office; welfare benefits: access to, available to each office |
| Immigration | 100/350/700 | Permanent | Full time | Not required for lot 1. For lots 2 and 3: employed, 17.5 hours per week, available to each office |
Help with your application
If you have any questions about the process or contract documents, you must submit these through the e-Tendering system by 11.59pm on Tuesday 26 September 2024.
If you have technical problems with the eTendering system, contact the LAA helpline.
Email: help@bravosolution.co.uk
Call: 0800 069 8630
We're also running a free webinar for applicants on Wednesday 4 October. Book your place.
Next steps
Other dates to be aware of:
- 2 October 2023: final FAQs published by LAA
- 9 February 2024: tender outcomes confirmed by the LAA
- 15 March 2024: deadline to verify your information for successful bids (3 June for HLPAS and immigration removal centre contracts)
- 1 September 2024: contracts start
We're calling for fair funding for civil legal aid
These contracts are being tendered without a pay increase, meaning that for many firms the contracts are not going to be financially viable.
Civil legal aid fees have not increased since 1996, representing a real-terms cut of 49.4% in fees to 2022.
We’re continuing to call on the government to shore up the civil legal aid market by bringing in an interim 15% for providers of early legal advice, while the civil legal aid review is ongoing.
More support: all you need to know about the contract tender process
Watch our free webinar for advice on preparing your tender bid and download the slides (Powerpoint 560 KB)
Review our webinar Q&A responses (Word 53 KB)
Read our guide on tendering for legal aid contracts
Check the LAA's frequently asked questions about civil contracts for 2024