PS26098 - Provision of external legal advice for the Account Management and High Potential Businesses workstreams
UK SBSEstimated Value
£75,000 – £0
Deadline
13 April 2026
Published
8 June 2026
Type
services
Overview
***Please note that this is an award notice and not a call for competition*** This procurement is being concluded following a mini competition under the RM6240 Public Sector Legal Services - Lot 1a - Full Service provision Brief Description of Requirement Innovate UK currently funds businesses primarily on a project-based model through open competitions aligned to the government grant standards. This model includes both awarding grants through subsidy schemes and utilising government procurement approaches.
Our emerging strategic ambitions are seeking adapted or new routes that will offer more flexible, and potentially longer-term relationships with curated cohorts of businesses. Under the proposed new approach, Innovate UK would like to explore routes to identify these cohorts - for example businesses that meet agreed definitions of "high growth" or "high potential" through an EOI process. These businesses could then engage under newly developed terms and conditions tailored to an 'account managed' model.
AI Analysis
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Innovate UK is hiring external legal advisors to help them develop new ways of working with high-potential businesses. Instead of the current system where they give grants through open competitions, they want to create closer, longer-term relationships with selected companies and need lawyers to help design the legal framework and terms for this new 'account management' approach.
Requirements
- Must be on the RM6240 Public Sector Legal Services framework, Lot 1a (Full Service provision
- Must have experience in government grant and subsidy scheme legal advice
- Must understand public sector procurement law and government grant standards
- Must be able to advise on developing new contractual terms and conditions for business support programmes
- Must have experience with Expression of Interest (EOI) processes and business selection criteria
Key Tasks & Deliverables
- Develop legal framework for identifying 'high potential' and 'high growth' businesses through EOI processes
- Draft new terms and conditions for 'account managed' business relationships (different from current grant model)
- Advise on how to structure longer-term, tailored relationships with selected cohorts of businesses
- Ensure new approach complies with government subsidy and procurement rules
- Design legal mechanisms for more flexible, non-traditional business support arrangements
How to Read This Tender
- 1This is an 'award notice' not a tender — the contract has already been awarded. You can only use this information if you're on the RM6240 framework and want similar work, or if you're checking what Innovate UK is doing.
- 2The jargon: 'mini competition' means Innovate UK ran a small, limited tender among firms already on their approved legal services list (RM6240). 'Lot 1a' means this is the 'full service legal support' section of that framework.
- 3The real need here: Innovate UK wants to move away from one-off grant competitions and build ongoing relationships with promising businesses. The legal work is about making this new model work within government rules.
- 4Look for the RM6240 framework agreement if you want future similar work — this contract shows what Innovate UK values in legal support for business engagement programmes.
- 5This is high-stakes advisory work: the new terms and conditions will affect how Innovate UK allocates significant public funding, so the lawyer advising them needs strong knowledge of UK subsidy law and government procurement.
Tips for Small Businesses
- If you're a legal services firm, check whether you're on the RM6240 Public Sector Legal Services framework. If you are, you could bid for similar Innovate UK work through future mini competitions on that framework — you don't need to apply from scratch each time.
- This work is about designing new business support models, not just reviewing contracts. If you have experience helping government agencies rethink their funding or support programmes, that's valuable — emphasise any work you've done on grant scheme design, subsidy compliance, or tailored business support.
- Consider partnering with firms that have strong subsidy law expertise: the new 'account managed' model will need to comply with the UK Subsidy Control Act and possibly EU state aid rules if there's cross-border activity. A small legal practice could team up with a specialist to strengthen a bid.
Award Details
Burges Salmon LLP
£75,000
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Buyer Profile
UK SBSKey Dates
Published
8 June 2026
Submission deadline
13 April 2026
Renewal expected40% confident
June 2027
Predicted using median duration of UK contracts in the same CPV division (12 months from contract start date → renewal expected by Jun 2027).
Notice type
Contract
Source
contracts finder
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