Public Procurement

Leading Silks

Jason Coppel KC – 11KBW ‘Jason is phenomenally smart, unflappable and strategic. He understands a client's wider commercial drivers at the drop of a hat. He has a measured approach to advocacy and is not bombastic.'

Nigel Giffin KC – 11KBW

Sarah Hannaford KC – Keating Chambers ‘Sarah is a top KC and one of the best for public procurement. An astute and reliable strategist.’

Fionnuala McCredie KC – Keating Chambers ‘Fionnaula is a leading KC in public procurement. She has been involved in some of the biggest and most complex procurement cases in the courts. She is the brilliant in front of clients and even better in front of the judge.’

Philip Moser KC – Monckton Chambers

Valentina Sloane KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Valentina is excellent. Assured and confident, down in the detail and super organised. Instils confidence in her position from having a total grasp of the issues, evidence and wider risk issues. Exceptional advocate who holds the court's attention and is excellent in unpicking evasive witnesses.’

Lord Banner KC – Keating Chambers ‘Very concise and to the point. Excellent ability to absorb large amounts of data and present a straightforward compelling analysis. Charles is also very good with clients.’

James Goudie KC – 11KBW ‘A leading and heavyweight public procurement barrister. James is able to advise clients on a complex area of law in a way they understand.’

Anneli Howard KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Anneli is a team player and fearless advocate.’

Andrew Kinnier KC – Henderson Chambers ‘Great to work with. Encyclopaedic knowledge and experience and good with clients.'

Fenella Morris KC – 39 Essex Chambers ‘Fenella is consistently and exceptionally easy to work with. Her advice to clients is always tailored to an appropriate level and clients always have complete confidence in her views and skills. She is excellent on her feet and extremely skilled in adapting and finessing her arguments according to the tone set by the judge she is in front of.'

Peter Oldham KC – 11KBW

James Segan KC – Blackstone Chambers

Rhodri Williams KC – Keating Chambers ‘Rhodri is an excellent all rounder. He is thorough and detail oriented, but also able to see the wider tactical picture. He has an amiable and clear client manner, and is an excellent advocate. His calm and measured style of advocacy wins him favours with clients and judges alike.'

Rob Williams KC – Monckton Chambers

2023 Silks

Katherine Apps KC – 39 Essex Chambers

2024 Silks

Joseph Barrett KC – 11KBW ‘Joe is incredibly incisive, hard working and collaborative. He is also a great human being and client really enjoy working with him. He knows procurement law inside out and is one of a handful only who do. He thoroughly deserves his appointment as a KC.’

Brendan McGurk KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Absolutely fantastic. Brendan’s technical knowledge is vast. He has a great ability to absorb considerable amounts of information, often very technical either legal or mechanics and to have that ready at his finger tips. His preparation for trial is some of the very best and most detailed.’

Ewan West KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Recognised leader in the field of public procurement with encyclopedic knowledge of the law in this area. Provides excellent level of service on procurement challenges often within very tight timescales.’

Leading Juniors

Patrick Halliday – 11KBW ‘Patrick will read and thoroughly digest all of the materials. He is very good with complex matters such as scoring challenges, where the issues lie in the detail. A solid counsel who will give accurate and reliable advice.’

Stephen Kosmin – 11KBW ‘Stephen is very analytical and looks at problem from all angles. His approach provides reassurance that there are not going to be any unpleasant surprises. Problems are identified and planned for. He also has a really good manner and is able to quickly form solid relationships with the wider team.’

Jonathan Lewis – Monckton Chambers ‘Impressive legal analysis backed up by sound practical and commercial advice. He is also good with clients.’

Azeem Suterwalla – Monckton Chambers ‘Azeem is an excellent barrister. His written work is exceptional, and he is a brilliant advocate. He has an eye for detail, and he is very good with clients.‘

Fiona Banks – Monckton Chambers ‘Fiona is easy to work with, hardworking, quick to grasp the issues, and has good drafting skills.’

Alan Bates – Monckton Chambers ‘Alan is great to work with and a real team player. He is patient with his explanations and really assists with the development of the client’s knowledge. His drafting is tight and he assimilates the facts quickly. ’

Anneliese Blackwood – Monckton Chambers

Emily Neill – Blackstone Chambers ‘Erudite, calm and authorative. Emily is confident making complex legal submissions and addressing the court’s detailed questioning.’

Rupert Paines – 11KBW ‘Rupert is a superb analyst. He knows procurement and public law and has really grown in gravitas over the last 3 years. He is also responsive and a great team player.’

Simon Taylor – Keating Chambers ‘Simon is a real specialist in public procurement and one of the leading juniors in the field. He is frequently a first port-of-call for procurement challenges and is highly responsive and pragmatic in circumstances where initial advice is needed very urgently and on limited information.’

Alfred Artley – Monckton Chambers ‘Alfred is very bright and one of the leading juniors in this field. He provides advice clearly in conference and his drafting is excellent.’

Jen Coyne – 11KBW ‘Jen is very well organised and a pleasure to deal with. Her written and oral advocacy is clear and measured - and she is a calm and charming in her feet.'

Rose Grogan – 39 Essex Chambers ‘Rose is a joy to work with. She is bright, strategic and also very aware of client needs. She’s personable and great at managing a team and different relationships.’

James Neill – Landmark Chambers ‘A technical specialist in the procurement field. An excellent support and member of the legal team, working with the solicitor team to provide the client with quick and clear advice.’

Rachael O’Hagan – Keating Chambers ‘Really good to work with, hardworking, and excellent written advocacy.’

Ligia Osepciu – Monckton Chambers ‘Ligia is very pragmatic and down to earth - pleasure to work with.’

Rising Stars

Ben Graff – Keating Chambers ‘Ben is a very strong junior in public procurement. He has been involved in some of the biggest procurement cases in the Courts.’

Raphael Hogarth – 11KBW ‘Raphael is an exceptional barrister. His legal research and his written advocacy are top notch. He investigates facts and legal issues thoroughly, and is responsive and easy to work with.’

Public procurement in London Bar

Tier 1 sets

11KBW

11KBW offers ‘a leading public procurement practice’, with members regularly acting in leading High Court claims brought under the Public Contracts and Utilities Contracts Regulations, as well as judicial reviews concerning contract awards. Patrick Halliday continues to act for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in a challenge to its procurement for the provision of medical waste management services. In James Waste Management v Essex CC, Nigel Giffin KC and Stephen Kosmin acted for the claimant in the first domestic case to consider Regulation 72 of the Public Contracts Regulations regarding substantial modifications of regulated contracts. Rupert Paines is representing the claimant in Cinapsis Ltd v Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, with the telecoms provider challenging the decisions by the ICB to enter into an unadvertised direct award with one of its major competitors.

Les références

‘Michael Smith is always friendly and pleasant to deal with.’

’11 KBW are really good to deal with – clerks room is really pragmatic and responsive.’

‘The service provided by the clerks is exactly what one would hope for and expect. It is swift professional and efficient.’

Principaux dossiers

Keating Chambers

Having established ‘a great reputation for its bench strength in public procurement’, members of Keating Chambers consistently appear for government bodies in litigation and on an advisory basis. Sarah Hannaford KC, Fionnuala McCredie KC and Simon Taylor all appeared in Siemens Mobility v HS2 Ltd, with the High Court dismissing all of Siemens claims in the long-running procurement challenge to HS2’s award of a contract for the provision of rolling stock to a joint venture comprising Bombardier and Hitachi. McCredie KC, Taylor and Rachael O’Hagan all acted for the claimant in Excelerate Technology v West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS University Foundation Trust, a dispute concerning the procurement of satellite and wireless equipment for emergency services.

Les références

‘Clerking is responsive and helpful. Will is a stand-out individual for client service.’

‘Extremely friendly and personable team. Will Shrubsall leads the team excellently and maintains and builds client relationships.’

‘The clerking team at Keating is always highly responsive, helpful, and keen to provide support.’

Principaux dossiers

Monckton Chambers

‘The best set by far for public procurement’, Monckton Chambers' members cover the full gamut of procurement work, from non-contentious advice during the tendering process to representing clients in highly complex disputes. Alan Bates is acting as sole counsel for the defendant in Fortem Solutions Ltd v Paragon Asra Housing Ltd, a dispute concerning the urgency exception in the Public Contracts Regulations to award the replacement contract to another supplier without competition. In Siemens Mobility Ltd v HS2, Fiona Banks and Alfred Artley acted for the claimant in the long-running challenge to the rolling stock procurement for the new rail service; with the High Court dismissing the 17 claims in November 2023. Ewan West KC will represent the claimant in Mitie Care and Custody Ltd v Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service, with the trial set for early 2025 confronting the award of a high profile and long-term contract for prison management services at HMP Altcourse.

Les références

‘David Hockney and John Keegan instil a superb ethos. Professional, responsive commercial and friendly.’

‘Steven Duffet provides an excellent service and assists with urgent matters.’

‘The clerks room is always very helpful. Gemma Goodwin is reliable and responsive.’

Principaux dossiers

Tier 2 sets

Blackstone Chambers

‘A first rate commercial set’, Blackstone Chambers offers a strong offering in procurement law as part of its broader public law expertise. Emily Neill is ‘erudite, calm and authoritative’ and recently acted for Northern Ireland's Department of Finance in defending a challenge to award the IT services contract for the jurisdiction's land registry. James Segan KC is particularly adept regarding matters in the IT and telecoms fields, while Hanif Mussa KC is regularly instructed by government departments across a wide range of procurement issues, including energy and transportation.

Les références

‘The Chambers as a whole is a first-rate commercial set and worth every penny of the advice they give.’

‘Service is generally good.’

Classements par PratiqueLondon Bar