Sonya Clarke Principal Associate

Sonya Clarke

Sonya is a commercial contracts lawyer working primarily with central government departments, local authorities and other public sector clients. Her work includes advising on complex procurements of supplies and services across a range of sectors. Sonya recently completed a secondment as senior legal counsel at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, working as an integral member of the in-house legal team on the procurement of supplies, services and works to deliver key Games requirements.

Sonya's expertise includes working with clients to produce bespoke contract terms and/or adapting standard form government contracts to deliver their requirements, as well as providing end-to-end advice on complex competitive procurements including dialogue and negotiation. Her time spent in-house means that she understands the relationship between public sector clients' commercial objectives and their political and regulatory environment, and she is able to capitalise upon 20 years' experience to help them achieve their goals.

Experience

• Working with a range of central government departments and public bodies, including the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Education and Transport for London on large scale, complex procurements of supplies and services including IT systems and services.
• Working with the Ministry of Defence on the procurement of four new contracts for critical services and a fleet of replacement vessels, including developing the procurement documents, working on draft contracts and advising on the evaluation strategy.
• A two year secondment to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as the lead lawyer advising on the procurement to a fixed deadline of Games critical requirements, including security workforce and equipment; logistics; and look, wayfinding and signage. Sonya's work included advising on the development of template contracts, supplier dialogue and negotiations, and the management of procurement risks including dealing with potential legal challenges at an early stage.
• Advising Birmingham City Council on the procurement via competitive dialogue of its West Midlands-wide multi-lot construction framework for FM services and major projects; and the procurement of a sports and leisure framework covering the redevelopment and management of leisure centres city-wide, including advising on procurement strategy and procedure, value for money issues and dealing with a potential procurement challenge.
• Advising on the outsourcing of a range of service to alternative delivery models including an education services trust and a wholly owned local authority trading company and advising on related issues such as charging and trading and procurement rules compliance.