Procurement of Housing and Debt Services and HPCDS Services from February 2023

The Legal Aid Agency ("LAA") has identified the need to increase access to legal aid Housing and Debt Services in specific Housing and Debt Procurement areas and for specific Housing Possession Court Duty Schemes ("HPCDS").

Accordingly, it is inviting Applicants to submit a Tender to deliver: a) Housing and Debt services in: - Kingston upon Thames & Richmond upon Thames - Knowsley b) The following HPCDS: - Southampton - Telford Applicants may bid for Housing and Debt Contract Work and/or HPCDS Contract Work through this procurement process.

They are not obliged to bid for both Housing and Debt and HPCDS, although they should note that to be eligible to bid for an HPCDS Contract organisations must hold, or successfully bid for as part of this procurement process, a 2018 Standard Civil Contract with authorisation in the Housing and Debt Categories of Law.

The Deadline for submitting Tenders is 5pm on 2 March 2023 ("Deadline") All Tenders must be completed and submitted using the eTendering system.

This can be accessed either through a link on the tender pages of the LAA website or directly at www.legalaid.bravosolution.co.uk.

Late submissions will not be considered under any circumstances.

It is the Applicant's sole responsibility to ensure that the LAA receives its Tender before the Deadline.

For Housing and Debt The LAA is looking for Applicants who can start delivering Contact Work from 4 April 2023 where possible.

But organisations unable to start on 4 April 2023 will be able to tender to start delivering work from a later date.

Applicants will be required to state in their Tender when they can start delivering Contract Work from each Office from which they are bidding.

Contracts will run until 31 August 2024 (subject to the LAA's rights of early termination).

Each HPCDS will commence on 30 April 2023 (or the date on which Applicants bid to commence the delivery) and run until 31 October 2023 (subject to the LAA's rights of early termination).