Wheatley Group Legal & Associated Services Framework LE0003

Tender description

The Wheatley Group intends to establish a multi-lot Framework Agreement for the provision of Legal & Associated Services to replace the current framework. This new Framework will be divided into 7 lots covering Lot 1 Commercial Contracts Lot 2 Legal Governance & Charities Lot 3 Legal Employment & General Civil Litigation Lot 4 Financing Lot 5a – Sheriff Officer Services (Central Scotland Region) Lot 5b - Sheriff Officer Services (Dumfries and Galloway Region) Lot 6 Property Searching & Reporting Services. The Framework will be for a period of 36 months with the option to extend for a further 12 months at the sole discretion of the Wheatley Group. Lot 1 – Commercial Contracts – including as a minimum procurement, construction, construction litigation, development, real estate, intellectual property, information technology and associated legal advice. Lot 2 – Legal Governance & Legal Charities – including as a minimum governance and business structures, data protection, charities advice including business structures and corporate matters and associated legal advice. Lot 3 - Legal Employment & General Civil Litigation – including as a minimum employment law, pensions advice and general civil litigation services. Lot 4 – Financing– including as a minimum capital markets and bank funding in relation to new and existing funding and relating to both Scottish and English law Lot 5a – Sheriff Officer Services (Central Scotland Region). Lot 5b – Sheriff Officer Services (Dumfries and Galloway Region). Lot 6 – Property Searching & Reporting Services. Lot 2: Lot 2 Legal Governance & Charities Lot 2 Legal Governance & Legal Charities including as a minimum governance and business structures, data protection, charities advice including legal structural business and corporate matters and associated legal advice. Lot 3: Lot 3 Legal Employment & General Civil Litigation Lot 3 Legal Employment & General Civil Litigation to cover as a minimum: employment law, pensions and court litigation services. Employment law advice to the Group’s Human Resource (HR) department both on a rolling ad hoc basis and in relation to any specific projects affecting the employment status of the employees within the Group companies, keeping our HR department up to date on relevant changes in employment law, advice on compromise agreements, employment tribunal representation where required, TUPE and advice to the in-house legal team in relation to TUPE or other employment issues that may arise in relation to individual projects or third party contracts. Pension’s advice is also included. Litigation primarily in relation to Court of Session cases, including Judicial Review. Advice and support may be required with housing related litigation including Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and actions for eviction, defence of reparation actions, and actions for Reduction, Suspension and Interdict, although this type of work is generally handled in-house. Lot 4: Lot 4 Financing Lot 4 providing legal services associated with the area of Financing as follows? Treasury (debt finance, listed securities, bonds); Banking and finance including the raising of new, and management of existing bank and capital markets funding; Issuance and hedging arrangements; Charging and security work; FCA and financial regulatory support; Mergers & acquisitions; Acquisitions and disposals; Joint ventures; Corporate finance; Financial services regulation; Corporate insolvency law; Constitutional issues; Corporate governance; New business opportunities; Amalgamations and restructuring; Stock transfers; Taxation advice; Co-operative & Community Benefit societies law; Grant applications e.g. Big Lottery funding. Lot 5: Lot 5a Sheriff Officer Services - Central Scotland Region Sheriff Officer services which will be required to cover the Central Scotland Region in relation to this lot arise from litigation in relation to rent arrears recovery, general debt recovery for former tenant arrears, litigation to recover factoring debt, anti-social evictions and anti-social behaviour orders. The Sheriff Officers must have experience in providing a wide range of Sheriff Officer services and dealing with a high volume of work. The Sheriff Officers must employ appropriate numbers of suitably qualified staff with a sufficiently broad range of expertise to meet our requirements. Lot 6: Lot 5b Sheriff Officer Services - Dumfries and Galloway Region Sheriff Officer services which will be required to cover the Dumfries and Galloway Region in relation to this lot arise from litigation in relation to rent arrears recovery, general debt recovery for former tenant arrears, litigation to recover factoring debt, anti-social evictions and anti-social behaviour orders. The Sheriff Officers must have experience in providing a wide range of Sheriff Officer services and dealing with a high volume of work. The Sheriff Officers must employ appropriate numbers of suitably qualified staff with a sufficiently broad range of expertise to meet our requirements. Lot 1: Lot 1 Commercial Contracts Lot 1 Commercial Contracts covers the following areas as a minimum: procurement, construction, development, real estate, intellectual property, information technology, environmental and planning law, litigation support and associated legal advice. Lot 7: Lot 6 Property Searching & Reporting The Wheatley Group expects successful Service Providers for this Lot to provide services related to property transactions where Wheatley Housing Group entities are the sellers of, or granters of subordinate rights in, the land, including, but not limited to: Legal Reports Plans Reports Companies/Mutual Societies searches Register of Community Interests in Land searches Property Enquiry Certificates Coal Mining Reports Extracts/copies of title deeds Ownership searches, particularly Register of Sasines Ownership plans (site assembly)