Legal Services To Support Employment Tribunals And Complex Casework Framework
Framework Description
UK Research and Innovation's Legal Services to Support Employment Tribunals and Complex Casework Framework appoints three law firms, ranked by their final evaluation scores, to advise UKRI on employment tribunals and complex matters. UK Shared Business Services ran the procurement on UKRI's behalf through the Jaggaer eSourcing portal. The framework runs until 30 April 2030, with no commitment on the volume of work.
Context & Use Case
UKRI, as a large public research funder and employer, needs specialist legal support when employment disputes reach tribunal or casework becomes complex. Call-offs are offered to the ranked firms in order on a first-refusal basis, so the top-ranked firm is approached first and the next firm is offered the matter if it declines or cannot act.
Scope of Services
Legal advice and representation for employment tribunal cases Support on complex casework Call-off by ranked order on a first-refusal basis
Lots
See framework link
Who Can Apply
Suits law firms with strong employment law and litigation practices and experience of public sector or research employers. Bids closed on 18 May 2026 and the framework takes three ranked firms, so other firms cannot join until UKRI re-tenders, likely around April 2030.
Buyer Benefits
Ranked call-off gives UKRI a quick, transparent way to instruct counsel without a mini-competition for each matter, which matters when tribunal deadlines are short. Buyers value firms that combine employment specialism with an understanding of public sector duties and research organisations.
Next Steps
Appointed firms should agree instruction routes with UKRI's legal team and be ready to accept or decline matters quickly, since declined work passes down the ranking. Other firms should build public sector employment references and prepare for a re-tender ahead of 30 April 2030, watching UK SBS opportunities on Jaggaer.
How Athena Can Help
In a ranked framework, the score decides who gets the work, so the next tender is the one to win. Athena's bid writing for law firms builds case-based evidence and win themes and checks every answer against the evaluation criteria.
Our public sector bid preparation helps you plan well ahead of the 2030 re-tender, and our legal framework registrations service can find other government legal panels open sooner. We also help with blended rate models that stay competitive.
