24 Aug 2015


National Grid, one of the largest investor-owned utility companies in the world, has revealed its new list of panel firms for the UK, bringing in four new names.

Addleshaw Goddard, Herbert Smith and Irwin Mitchell are new to a list of full service firms providing services across the organisation. They join CMS Cameron McKenna, DLA Piper, Eversheds and Linklaters.

Norton Rose is a new addition to the list of firms selected to provide specialist support.. Other firms retained to provide specialist support are Berwin Leighton Paisner, Bircham Dyson Bell, Dentons and Shakespeares Martineau. This support expertise covers both regulated and non-regulated property and planning, corporate services, as well as gas and electricity legal work.

In line with how the legal market is changing, all contracts will run for a shorter period of two years with an option to extend for a further two years.

Alison Kay, National Grid's group general counsel said

"Our review of the panel aimed to deliver an agile and smarter service delivery model with firms closely aligned to our business needs. Although the list of firms is shorter than before, we feel we've got greater coverage and focus.

"We plan to work with the firms in a closer way to ensure successful delivery and use operational excellence methods such as aligned objectives, closer management of the outcomes to be provided and two way secondments to provide deeper understanding".

National Grid went out to tender in March and the contract period begins in September. The list of UK panel firms has been reduced from 17 to 12, with 7 firms providing full services and 5 support firms.

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