Independent Legal Representation for Complainers in Sexual Offence Cases in Scotland

Description

1. The Scottish Government is seeking information to inform a potential procurement exercise for the delivery of a new legal service known as “Independent Legal Representation” (ILR) for certain complainers in sexual offence cases as a result of reforms in the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025. 2. This will build on previous and continuing work by the Scottish Government to develop the ILR service. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to further test planning assumptions and create an opportunity to gather information from the market not otherwise available to Government. We intend responses to support future decision-making around the procurement process and service delivery. 3. Please find attached a Request for Information (RFI), which provides further details regarding this requirement. Lot 1: The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gather market insight and supplier feedback to inform the development of the sourcing strategy, service specification, procurement approach, and commercial arrangements for the provision of Independent Legal Representation for Complainers in Sexual Offence Cases in Scotland. The information received will be used to help shape the Authority's requirements and assess the capacity and capability of the market to deliver the service. At this stage, the Authority's intention is to undertake an open procurement process; however, no final decisions have been made, and the Authority reserves the right to amend its approach following consideration of the responses received through this RFI.