A LEADING Cumbrian law firm is celebrating one of its client’s winning contracts worth more than £4million.

Collaboration and joint ventures are becoming ever more prevalent for SMEs looking to combine their skills and expertise to bid for major industry contracts across a range of sectors.

In order to meet the needs of those awarding the contracts and to make successful bids, specific legal frameworks often need to be set in place between the businesses who are collaborating.

Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors recently supported McMenon Engineering Services with the legal framework underpinning its NWEC Alliance with TIS Cumbria Ltd.

McMenon chief executive Anand Puthran recently announced that the NWEC Alliance had secured two major contract wins, worth more than £4million with Programme and Project Partners (PPP) at Sellafield.

Anand said: “This is a ringing endorsement for the skills and quality within McMenon and TIS Cumbria Ltd and it puts us firmly among the top manufacturing companies servicing the civil nuclear sector in West Cumbria and across the wider UK.

“When McMenon acquired the Workington factory back in 2018 we highlighted diversification into Sellafield infrastructure projects as a key objective – and now we are delivering on that promise.”

Sam Lyon, Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors Head of Corporate and Commercial, said: “It’s great to see so many businesses across Cumbria and the North collaborating and being successful in winning such major contracts. It’s fantastic news not only for them, but for the wider economy and the community.

“We are seeing more and more businesses collaborating in this way. What we bring to the table is the expertise in what the legal nature of that relationship should be and ensure this is clearly captured in a suitable joint venture or collaboration agreement.

“We work with a business to make sure it is clear who will be responsible for what. Is a new joint venture company to be formed for the bid or will the collaborating businesses remain separate and enter into a contractual joint venture? In order to have a chance to win bids it’s vital that this work is done upfront.

“Those awarding the contracts need to be able to understand the legal relationship and also see it captured clearly in a suitable legal document.

“We worked with McMenon to make sure that was the case for NWEC Alliance, ensuring they and TIS Cumbria met the requirements of the Programme within the necessary timescales.

“We made sure we put in place all those structures to keep all the partners happy and allow them to progress smoothly, which it is great to see has resulted in the recent £4m contract win.

“This level of expertise and service is available in Cumbria. Businesses don’t have to go further afield.

“It’s brilliant to see that it has been a successful outcome for McMenon and the NWEC Alliance as it will support more jobs in the county.”

Anand Puthran said: “We are delighted to have achieved this outcome. We have collaborated with a range of organisations to help make this happen and we thank Sam and the team at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors for their expertise. We are looking forward to working on the PPP and further developing our relationship with Sellafield Ltd.”