News story: Civil Legal Aid services from September 2019
As part of the Legal Support Action Plan, the Ministry of Justice committed to closing CLA mandatory telephone gateway in the Education, Discrimination and Debt categories by Spring 2020.
To replace these services we intend to open a tender process for a mixture of specialist telephone and face-to-face CLA services.
What does the headline intentions document cover?
Prior to the procurement process opening later this month, we have published our headline intentions which outline:
- contracts for which we will be inviting tenders
- requirements bidders will need to meet
- the procurement process for contracts
- procurement timetable
How will clients access services?
We intend that from 1 September 2019 all potentially eligible clients seeking help in Education or Discrimination will be able to choose to receive either remote advice or face to face advice having been guided through the suitability of the options available to them by the CLA helpline.
Can interested organisations tender now?
No. These procurement opportunities will open later this month. Tenders will need to be submitted via our e-Tendering system. Further communications will be issued, including an update to the tender pages of the LAA website when the procurement process opens.
When will we know more?
Full details of the timetable will be published in the Information For Applicants, however, an indicative timetable of the procurement process is set out below:
| Activity | Date |
|---|---|
| Tenders open | May 2019 |
| Notification of outcome | From July 2019 |
| Face-to-face service commencement | 1 September 2019 |
| CLA Education and Discrimination service commencement | No later than 1 September 2019 |
| CLA Housing & Debt service commencement | No later than 1 November 2019 |
Further information
Headline intentions document – for full information on scope of the tender process, details about the contracts available, the procurement timetable, and the requirements of the process.