SQM

Tender description

The Legal Aid Agency (“LAA”) is inviting Applicants to tender for a contract to administer the LAA’s Specialist Quality Mark (“SQM”), from 1 April 2017. The SQM is the LAA’s organisational quality standard designed to ensure that Legal Services Providers are well run and provide good client care. The SQM gives assurance regarding the quality of advice in several ways which, whilst not direct measures of quality are fundamental to reliable delivery of a quality service and therefore are fundamentally important to the delivery of legal aid services. Compliance with the SQM, or equivalent standard (e.g. Lexcel), is a requirement for Legal Services Providers that have, or are seeking to have, a contract with the LAA. The LAA intends to enter into a contract with one organisation to administer the LAA’s SQM under a licence. On the LAA’s behalf, the Licensee will provide the SQM Services, which include auditing and assessing Legal Services Providers which apply for SQM accreditation. This is an opportunity to administer the SQM on the LAA’s behalf directly to the legal services market. There is also the opportunity to grow market share through delivering excellent value for money to Legal Services Providers, effective marketing and further developing the reputation of the SQM. The Licensee will be paid for the Services they provide directly by the Legal Services Providers in line with the prices submitted in this procurement process.