Public Procurement Counsel

East West Rail Company; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to 12% employer pension

36 days annual leave (incl. bank)

2 volunteering days

Enhanced family-friendly policies

Life assurance (4x salary)

Employee Assistance Programme

Perkbox discounts and wellbeing

Recognition programme

Advanced learning and development

Job summary

East West Railway Company is seeking a Public Procurement Counsel to advise on major procurements across the lifecycle, from strategy to award and contract management. The role requires working closely with Commercial and project teams and engaging external counsel when needed.

You will help shape procurement processes, ensure compliance with Procurement Act 2023 and associated guidance, and contribute to a fast-paced delivery environment as the programme evolves.

Qualifications

• Experience advising on UK public procurement law in private practice, government, or regulated bodies.
• Strong ability to provide practical, actionable legal advice and manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent collaboration with procurement, commercial and project teams.

Responsibilities

• Providing legal advice on high-value procurements including infrastructure and professional services.
• Advising on procurement strategy and lawful routes to market under relevant statutes and guidance.
• Supporting direct awards, framework agreements, call-off arrangements, and contract modifications.
• Guiding market engagement, documentation, evaluation methods, and standstill processes to ensure defensible decisions.
• Assisting with procurement challenges and disputes as needed.
• Developing procurement legal tools, templates, and guidance to improve ways of working.
• Ensuring that decisions involving public money are lawful and properly governed.

Skills

Public procurement law

Legal advisory

Stakeholder collaboration

Contract management

Education

England and Wales qualified solicitor or barrister

Job description

Public Procurement Counsel

Application Deadline: 8 November 2026

Department: Legal

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Milton Keynes

Reporting To: Director of Legal

Description

East West Rail is a nationally significant railway project which aims to deliver much-needed transport connections for the vibrant communities between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. Together these communities contribute around £111 billion to the national economy each year.

EWR is being championed by the Government as a key driver to economic growth leading to a potential £78 Billion boost to the UK economy: supporting new towns, housing, and regeneration.

Role Summary

This is an opportunity to work on some of EWR Co's most strategically significant and high-value procurements. You will advise across the procurement lifecycle, from procurement strategy, market engagement and ITTs through to evaluation, award and contract management.

EWR Co operates in a fast-paced, delivery-focused environment and our legal and commercial frameworks continue to evolve as the programme develops.

You will work closely with Commercial, project teams, senior stakeholders and experienced external lawyers, with real opportunity to take ownership of matters and help shape how procurement legal support works across EWR Co. For particularly complex or specialist matters, you will have access to external legal support while remaining closely involved in the work and decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing legal advice on complex and high-value procurements, including major infrastructure, construction, professional services, technology and corporate procurements.
• Advising on procurement strategy and helping teams identify lawful, commercially workable routes to market under the Procurement Act 2023, Procurement Regulations 2024 and associated Cabinet Office guidance, as well as legacy procurements governed by previous procurement regimes, including the Utilities Contracts Regulations.
• Advising on direct awards, framework agreements and call-off arrangements, contract modifications, exemptions, conflicts of interest, transparency and equal treatment, and supporting the proportionate assessment and management of legal risk.
• Advising on market engagement, specifications, conditions of participation, tender documentation, evaluation methodologies, clarifications, moderation, award decisions, notices and standstill, helping ensure procurement decisions are robust and defensible.
• Supporting the management of procurement challenges and disputes, where required.
• Helping develop practical procurement legal tools, policies, templates, guidance and ways of working, with the opportunity to influence how we do things as EWR Co and the programme develop.
• Providing clear, pragmatic advice that enables delivery while ensuring decisions involving public money are lawful, properly governed and defensible.
• Getting involved in broader legal work across EWR Co where your experience or interests allow.
• Acting as a role model for EWR Co's vision and behaviours, working in ways aligned with EWR Co's Ways of Working and encouraging others to do the same.

Skills Knowledge and Expertise

• Experience advising on UK public procurement law, whether gained in private practice, government, an arm's-length body, infrastructure, utilities or another regulated environment.
• A good working knowledge of the Procurement Act 2023 and/or the previous UK procurement regimes.
• Confidence to provide practical advice and knowing when to draw on wider expertise.
• The ability to manage a varied workload and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• A collaborative approach and an interest in working closely with procurement, commercial and project professional.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales with at least 3 years' PQE.

Benefits

• Competitive salary that reflects your skills and experience
• Up to 12% employer pension contribution to support your future
• 36 days annual leave (including bank holidays) plus the option to buy up to 2 extra days
• 2 volunteering days, a chance for you to give back to the community
• Enhanced family-friendly policies to support you and your loved ones
• Life assurance (4x your annual salary) for peace of mind
• Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support when you need it
• Access to Perkbox for a wide range of discounts and wellbeing benefits
• Recognition programme, including on-the-spot and annual awards
• Advanced learning and development opportunities to help you grow.

Diversity and Inclusion

At East West Railway Company, we're committed to building an inclusive railway for all. We believe that to do that, we must nurture a diverse team that represents the UK communities that we impact. Our approach is simple - to create an environment where everyone is welcome and able to be themselves. We celebrate diversity and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, encouraging applications from all backgrounds and experiences.