Legal Panel for Public Sector
Framework Description
Legal Panel for Public Sector (RM6374) is a framework, closed to new applications, from the Government Commercial Agency (GCA, formerly Crown Commercial Service), procured under the light touch regime of the Procurement Act 2023. It gives every UK public sector organisation a compliant way to buy legal services, from full-service firms to costs lawyers. It has eight lots and runs from 30 July 2026 to 29 July 2029.
Context & Use Case
Central government, local authorities, health, education, blue light services, devolved administrations and charities use RM6374 for full-service legal support or specialist advice. Separate full-service lots for local government and for health and social care help regional and sector specialists compete. Call-offs can be any value or length, awarded by competition, rapid award, or a quote process below the light touch threshold.
Scope of Services
Lots 1a–1c: Full legal services for all public sector, local government and communities, and health and social care Lot 2: Focused legal support Lot 3: Litigation and disputes Lot 4: Projects and complex advice, including PPP Lot 5: Transport and rail Lot 6: Costs lawyer services
Lots
Lot 1a: Full Legal Service Provision for all Public Sector; Lot 1b: Full Legal Service Provision for Local Government and Local Communities; Lot 1c: Full Legal Service Provision for Health and Social Care; Lot 2: Focused Legal Support; Lot 3: Litigation and Disputes; Lot 4: Projects and Complex Advice including PPP; Lot 5: Transport and Rail; Lot 6: Costs Lawyer Services
Who Can Apply
The panel was appointed in July 2026 and membership is fixed until re-tender, so law firms and costs lawyers not on it cannot join before 29 July 2029. Its sector lots suited SMEs and regional firms, so those firms should prepare for the next competition.
Buyer Benefits
Any UK public body can buy legal services without its own tender, from a full-service firm to a single specialist. Sector lots for local government and for health and social care bring in firms that know those regimes. Rapid award and the quote process below the light touch threshold make small matters quick to place.
Next Steps
Appointed firms should prepare template responses for rapid awards and quotes, and keep matter examples for their lots ready. Other firms should monitor the GCA page for RM6374 and GCA's pipeline for the re-procurement ahead of July 2029, and build a public sector track record in the meantime.
How Athena Can Help
Rapid awards and quotes on RM6374 move quickly, so appointed firms need strong material ready to go. Athena's bid team for legal panels prepares reusable responses, win themes and fee models for competitions.
Firms outside the panel can use our framework opportunity mapping to see which legal frameworks are open or due, and our bid/no-bid planning to decide whether to pursue the 2029 re-tender. A bid audit of past legal awards shows where firms like yours have won.
