Ministry of Justice postpones crime duty tender until October

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has published draft contract terms and specifications along with a summary of the changes in the new police station duty provider legal aid contracts.

To support potential bidders in preparation for new duty contracts, the MoJ has decided to publish additional information.

A draft version of the Duty Provider Contract standard terms can be found here.

A draft version of the Duty Provider Contract specification can be located here.

Summary table of changes in new draft contract compared with current 2010 contract can be accessed here.

Though practitioners had expected the contract tendering process to begin in July, the MoJ now say that the process will begin in October 'in order to give bidders sufficient opportunity to absorb this information'.

Both the London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association and the Criminal Law Solicitors' Association are seeking judicial review of the ministry's changes with a hearing expected to take place in September.

Law Society president Andrew Caplen said: "During our representations with the Ministry of Justice about the process to tender for duty provider contracts, we raised a considerable number of complex issues which are still to be fully resolved. We are pleased therefore that the ministry has taken the sensible step of rescheduling the tender process.

He concluded: "We will continue to represent the views of our members to the Ministry of Justice in these complex issues."