Legal Investigation and Advocacy Services for Fitness to Practise Hearings

The Authority seeks two suppliers to deliver comprehensive legal investigation and advocacy services for Fitness to Practise proceedings. Suppliers will be responsible for: (1) conducting investigations and preparing cases for Fitness to Practise hearings and meetings; (2) managing pre-hearing case procedures according to agreed performance targets in collaboration with hearing parties; and (3) presenting cases before adjudicators at hearings, which are primarily conducted remotely via video conferencing but may occasionally occur in-person at the Sheffield office. Over 3-5 years, suppliers will work in partnership to clear a backlog of approximately 400 pending cases and establish a sustainable steady-state of approximately 150 cases processed annually. The contract has a total maximum value of £40.9 million, with each of the two contracts valued at £20.45 million for indicative purposes.