Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has published a pipeline notice for a proposed regeneration legal services framework with an estimated value of £350 million including VAT. The arrangement is expected to support GMCA, its group and participating public bodies across Greater Manchester with specialist legal advice linked to regeneration and major projects.
This is an early-stage opportunity rather than a live tender. For firms with relevant public-sector, infrastructure, property or regeneration experience, the lead time creates a useful window to review capability and evidence before the procurement is formally launched. If you want to test whether the framework fits your practice, contact Thornton & Lowe for a focused review.
Legal services in scope
The proposed framework is designed around legal support for regeneration, infrastructure, placemaking, housing, transport, economic development and associated major projects. The notice identifies a broad range of disciplines, including commercial, property, planning, construction and development law, procurement, subsidy control and governance, compulsory purchase, highways and related dispute resolution.
That makes the opportunity relevant to law firms with genuine depth in one or more of these areas, particularly where they can demonstrate experience of complex public-sector programmes. It should not be treated as a generic legal panel where any full-service firm is automatically a strong fit.
Why the framework could be strategically useful
The proposed term is ten years, from April 2027 to March 2037. A long framework term can make an appointment commercially valuable, but a place will not guarantee instructions. Firms should consider the likely call-off model, the areas in which they can compete strongly and whether they can maintain the required resource, governance and pricing over the life of the arrangement.
Our legal services tender guidance covers many of the themes that regularly decide public-sector legal bids, including mobilisation, continuity, quality assurance, client management and social value.
Pipeline details
- Authority: Greater Manchester Combined Authority
- Estimated value: £291.7 million excluding VAT / £350 million including VAT
- Proposed term: 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2037
- Estimated tender publication: 29 October 2026
- Expected procedure: Competitive flexible procedure
- Regime: Light touch
- Current stage: Pipeline notice
The GM Regeneration Legal Services Find a Tender notice should be treated as the source for the current procurement timetable and scope. Details may develop before the tender notice is issued.
Evidence to prepare now
Firms considering the opportunity should identify relevant regeneration and infrastructure matters, especially work involving public bodies, complex stakeholder environments or cross-disciplinary legal teams. Evidence should show the firm's role, the complexity of the matter, how risk was managed and the result achieved, rather than relying on client names alone.
It is also sensible to review resource resilience, conflicts processes, matter management, reporting, knowledge sharing and pricing governance. A long-term framework with multiple public-sector users is likely to place as much emphasis on consistent service delivery and account management as on technical legal expertise.
Bid support for legal services frameworks
Thornton & Lowe supports law firms with framework strategy, bid planning, response writing and independent reviews. Talk to our team if you want to start preparing before the GMCA tender is published.
