Christopher Brennan

Chris is a leading lawyer in public procurement. He brings over two decades of experience in procurement across diverse sectors including central and local government, the energy sector, construction, developments and infrastructure, defence, health, education, the regulated industries and utilities.

He practises the art of the possible – procurement rules are often seen as burdensome and restrictive, but there is a solution to most situations – or at least a way to navigate them to best commercial advantage and with least risk. This approach ensures that clients see him as pragmatic and having a can-do attitude. By cutting out jargon and getting to the point, Chris helps his clients achieve their goals fuss-free.

A keen thought leader, he has contributed significantly to the Procurement Lawyers' Association's working groups on framework agreements and on procurement in the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

Experience

Chris has advised on procurements for central government departments and for authorities across diverse sectors including energy, nuclear, construction, developments, infrastructure, health, education and defence. He has helped ensure the delivery of national programmes implementing key government policy in education and health (some without precedent), and recently advised on critical national programmes to ensure the safety of buildings, and to protect public health.

Other experience includes:

  • Running all of the procurement input into one of the most innovative and high-value NHS procurements of modern times - a ground-breaking contract competitively procured as an NHS new care model – including overseeing the whole tender process and the procurement aspects of its governance.
  • Leading the procurement advice on a further two of the largest-ever procurements in the UK health sector.
  • Advising authorities and developers on several grand-scale regeneration and development projects, including two of London's largest urban regeneration schemes of modern times, as well as sustainable urban extension development schemes across England.
  • Supporting a London Borough Council on reactive and planned maintenance programmes for its social housing, and on a collaborative waste and recycling programme involving the same London Borough and three others. Advising other English local authorities on their waste collection and recycling schemes.
  • Advising a national social housing provider on its procurement needs, including framework arrangements for construction, planned and responsive repairs and mechanical and electrical contractors.
  • Advising an emergency radio network provider on a number of procurement matters, including bid support on key project tenders.
  • Advising on the application of Procurement Policy Notes (PPNs) and statutory guidance issued alongside the legal framework. Supporting government in ensuring their implementation so that procurement remains an effective engine for delivering the environmental, social and economic objectives – areas increasingly at the forefront of national policy at a time when tackling the challenges in these areas is so important.
  • Helping clients and others prepare for the introduction of wholesale reform to the public procurement statute book, by training, coaching and horizon-scanning around the 2023 Procurement Act.
  • Advising universities and other education providers on the impact of the public procurement regime on them.
  • Advising on procurement compliance in construction and infrastructure projects undertaken by public-sector clients funded through public grants and structural funds, including regional/inward investment projects, incubators and science parks, research and development and innovation clusters, airports, ports and transport infrastructures.
  • Advising on procurement aspects of collaborations between universities, the NHS and central and local government, including health accelerators and academic health science networks.