[2025] EWHC 2664 (TCC)

This is a public procurement case. I have before me two applications. The first, dated 17 July 2025, is made by the Defendant, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (“DWP”) to lift the automatic suspension of the contract to be awarded by it to Accenture (UK) Ltd (“the Application to Lift”). The unsuccessful bidder for this contract was the Claimant, Involve Collaboration Ltd (“Involve”). DWP’s Contract Award Notice dated 7 April 2025 informed Involve that it had been excluded from the tender process because its bid had been deemed non-compliant. That was because it failed to achieve the required minimum score under Question 6.4 of the Technical Envelope part of the Invitation To Tender (“ITT”).

On 1 May 2025, Involve issued its claim against DWP, challenging that decision, on 24 April 2025. It served the Particulars of Claim on 1 May 2025 and the Amended Particulars of Claim on 14 May 2025. DWP filed its Defence on 10 June and Involve filed its Reply on 1 July 2025.

On 3 September 2025, the Application to Lift was listed for hearing on 9 October 2025. On 8 September 2025, Involve issued the second application before me. This was for an expedited trial of the claim, to take place in December 2025 (“the Expedition Application”). This will be considered in the context of the Lift Application. The latter application and the proceedings generally are governed by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (“the PCR”), not by the Procurement Act 2023. While the latter is now in force, it only governs procurements which commenced on or after its commencement date, being 24 February 2025. The procurement at issue here was commenced on 25 June 2024 (“the Procurement”).