Outsourcing & Procurement

In today’s post recessionary economy, the pressure on businesses and public bodies to spend wisely is greater than ever. That pressure has brought with it a surge in both outsourcing and public procurement as businesses seek to cut costs and boost margins while public bodies grapple for control over their spending.

At Teacher Stern, we have an experienced team that can advise businesses and public bodies alike in relation to their outsourcing and procurement needs. The combined experience of our team spans a number of major industry sectors including Information Technology, Transport, Healthcare and Construction – to name a few. This wide experience enables us to provide our clients with tailored industry specific advice as well as strategic advice.

In relation to procurement our commercial lawyers regularly advise clients in the private sector on bidding for public or utility contracts as well as in relation to the submission of tenders and reviewing responses to tender. We also advise on a range of outsourcing matters including the negotiation of outsourcing agreements and drafting related service specifications.

When it comes to procurement in the construction industry, our commercial lawyers work closely with colleagues in our construction team and employment team to ensure we provide industry specific advice.

Representative Outsourcing & Procurement Work

Examples of our team’s outsourcing & procurement work include:

  • Advised a telecom company on its outsourcing of certain backroom services including IT support and human resources.
  • Advised an NHS trust on its procurement of pharmaceutical services.
  • Advised a major UK public transport provider on its tender response relating to the provision of passenger transport services to a major London airport.
  • Advised a digital services company on its response to tender relating to the provision of on-screen graphics to a major broadcasting organisation, and subsequently advised on the related services agreement.
  • Advised a technology service company on its tender response to re-fit a television network studio.
  • Advised a waste management company on its response to tender for the provision of waste collection services to a local authority.
  • Advised a media company on the outsourcing to it by a national broadcaster of certain elements of the broadcaster’s business.
  • Advised the operating entity of a UK airport in relation to the outsourcing of key IT security functions and services to a third party service provider.

Key contacts:

Photo of Kelly Whitfield

Kelly Whitfield

Partner Corporate and Commercial
Work 37-41 Bedford Row London WC1R 4JH United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 7611 2303

Biography

Kelly is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer with broad transactional expertise in a wide range of sectors.  Kelly provides advice on all aspects of private company mergers, acquisitions, investments and disposals acting for both buyers and sellers and has experience in working in, amongst others, the transport, property investment and management, media and advertising, manufacturing and health care sectors.

Kelly also handles certain financing arrangements, including debt/equity conversions, convertible loan note and invoice discount financing and advises on a broad spectrum of commercial contracts, including complex manufacturing and distribution agreements, white label licensing agreements, shareholders’ agreements and limited liability partnership arrangements.

Another area of Kelly’s expertise is employee benefits, in particular share schemes (both HMRC approved and unapproved schemes) where she has spent much time developing this area of practice around the concept of using an analytical approach to create effective business solutions for clients that genuinely contribute to improved performance across their business.  Together with the rest of the employment team, Kelly works with our clients to fund cost reductions, ways to improve motivation and performance and attain staff retention targets through arrangements such as share option schemes, flexible working and salary sacrifice schemes.

Kelly is listed as a key lawyer in the Legal 500 2021 rankings and a recommended lawyer in the Legal 500 2024 and 2025 rankings.

Year qualified

Solicitor, 2003

Representative Experience

Kelly has:

  • acted as one of the lead advisors on the acquisition by Metroline Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Corporation) of 31 bus routes operated from five separate bus depots in West London from First Group plc for a consideration of £57.5 million
  • advised on a complex joint venture arrangement between two significant healthcare providers collaborating to provide comprehensive specialist treatments to patients at single geographical locations
  • acted as the lead corporate advisor on a complex restructuring and refinancing of an extensive London based property holding and management business for a family owned and managed enterprise
  • acted for the trustees of a significant London based property portfolio on its restructuring from a trust arrangement into a limited liability partnership structure
  • advised on the sale of a corporate entity operating a central London based hotel
  • acted on the investment into a successful South Kensington based patisserie venture

Kelly also leads our Corporate Social Responsibility team which is comprised of people from all aspects of the firm creating an enthusiastic and imaginative team of people that are passionate about making a difference in the community.  Kelly and the CSR team have been involved in baking cakes, rowing dragon boats and painting walls to name just a few of the activities that the firm has been involved with recently.