Media centre

Friday 19 Apr 2013

Network Rail appoint new legal panel

Region & Route:

National

Network Rail has now selected a smaller legal panel to help the company develop closer, more mutually beneficial and strategic relationships with its key legal suppliers.

The following firms have been awarded full service contracts:

For England and Wales:

• Bond Pearce LLP (becomes Bond Dickinson LLP on 1 May)
• Dentons
• Eversheds
• Addleshaw Goddard

For Scotland:

• Maclay Murray and Spens

Contracts have also been awarded for specific areas / types of legal specialist work:

• Kennedys for health & safety and regulatory enforcement
• Winckworth Sherwood for public law
• Clifford Chance for treasury/capital markets matters –

All of these firms have been successfully appointed following a detailed and thorough tender exercise carried out over the past few months involving 20 firms.

Network Rail had found its legal spend spread too thinly across a panel of 12 firms making it difficult to develop a close strategic relationship whilst at the same time eroding the company’s ability to gain maximum benefit from the value added offered by many law firms in the market. Network Rail has reduced the size of its legal panel without compromising quality of legal service and support to the business, and taking into account conflicts.

The firms appointed will be providing legal support to match the needs of Network Rail’s entire business, but especially in the areas of corporate projects, commercial contracts, dispute resolution, employment and property.

Network Rail group general counsel Suzanne Wise, said: “I was very impressed with the quality of the proposals submitted by the law firms asked to take part, in what has been a robust and challenging process. This has not been about dissatisfaction with any of the Company’s current suppliers. The decision to significantly reduce the size of the panel will drive efficiencies in line with the Company’s business objectives. I wanted to develop deeper, more strategic relationships with fewer firms to drive better value and a more integrated approach to our work. “