News story

Crime news: extension of 2017 crime contract to 31 March 2022

Headline intentions document available on GOV.UK with details of extension and intention to procure new contracts in 2022.

Shattered glass and the standard crime contract 2017

We are extending the 2017 Standard Crime Contract by 12 months to 31 March 2022.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) also intends to undertake a procurement process next year for new crime contracts.

A headline intentions document is available on GOV.UK informing providers about the extension.

Why is this happening?

The 2017 Standard Crime Contract is approaching the end of its term in 2022 and we therefore need to take steps to procure a replacement contract.

We are making this announcement following the publication of the Criminal Legal Aid Review (CLAR) consultation response on a series of accelerated measures. That document also sets out the next steps for the wider review, including priority work focusing on a review of crime lower fee schemes, and we are therefore taking this approach to best align our contract activity with the forthcoming work of the CLAR.

Next Steps

Further details on the procurement process will be published later this year.

We will begin to issue notices of the extension to the 2017 Crime Contract to individual providers later this year. The new schedules will be issued before the end of March 2021.

Further information

Standard Crime Contract 2017 – to download ‘headline intentions’ document

Criminal legal aid review

Updates to this page

Published 24 August 2020