Expertise
Described by clients as “approachable…pragmatic and clear-thinking”, Tim helps clients simplify the complex legal, policy, commercial and cultural issues that arise in partnerships between the public and private sectors.
His practice builds on his extensive experience of holding board level and other senior leadership roles in the Government Departments, GCHQ, the National Health Service, and the Education sector.
He leverages this experience to help businesses develop successful relationships with the public sector.
Clients include international businesses; foreign governments, NGOs, charities and universities.
He specialises in:
• Public Contracts; Healthcare Commissioning and Outsourcing;
• Public/Private Partnerships;
• Advice on new legislation;
• Government relations;
• Regulatory Risk Management (inc advice to professional bodies and other institutions);
• Data Protection, Information Governance and Cyber (risk management; compliance; standards and incident management).
He has been closely involved in the successful delivery of numerous transformational, pan-government infrastructure programmes including PFI schools, prisons and hospitals and complex IT projects.
Many of his clients are businesses and third sector organisations that provide goods and services to the public sector.
He offers companies who are bidding for public contracts a deep understanding not just of the law but of the structure, policies, culture and working processes of HM Government, local government and of the NHS. This helps them adopt a sophisticated, well-judged and informed approach to bidding.
His international work includes advice to foreign governments, Tech Companies, NGOs and agencies.
He provides clear, risk-weighted advice to UK and international businesses on all public law, commercial and regulatory aspects of public contracts including subsidy controls; public procurement; anti-bribery; FOIA; NHS legislation; IP and data protection law.
Tim advises
Tim advises across numerous sectors but principally:
- Health (including digital health and social care).
- Technology (including AI, cyber security, IP, and Strategic Partnerships)
- Government
- Defence
- Professional Services
- Third Sector
Experience Highlights
Public Procurement & Public Contracts
Tim has a longstanding specialist practice in public procurement. He has been involved in some of the highest profile projects and court cases and has been described by one of the Directories as ‘…a procurement heavyweight.’
- Advising the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and drafting its Global Procurement Policy and Guidance.
- Supporting an international central purchasing organisation on the design, award, and management of multi-lot framework agreements for the NHS.
- Advising the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on its complex, multi-billion-pound procurement for the decommissioning of Dounrey Nuclear power station.
- Working as a lead negotiator for HM Government on the £1.3 billion PFI programme for the construction of GCHQ’s headquarters in Cheltenham.
- Advising Eurostar in litigation concerning the Utilities Regulations (Alstom Transport v Eurostar International Limited (1) and Siemens plc [2011] EWHC 1828 (Ch), [2020] PTSR 1).
- Advising on operational PFI/PF2 project agreements; Covid 19 Supplier Relief Policy and preparations for handover.
- Establishing multi-user, multi-provider framework agreements for government departments; NDPBs local authorities and NHS bodies.
- Successfully managing bids for places on legal services panels.
He has also been involved in major innovative public/private collaborations and policy innovations in England and Wales including:
- Designing and implementing a forensic methodology for the review of operational PFI contracts.
- Representing HM Government in international Treaty collaborations in the IT sector.
- Social Care Partnering Agreements.
- Shaping and negotiating Joint Working Agreements and international collaborations in the healthcare/pharmaceutical sectors.
- Co-Writing the NHS Wales Indemnity Policy.
Subsidy Controls/State Aid
- Advising and supporting a biotech company’s application for State Aid funding from a Combined Authority.
- Advising a grant recipient on subsidy law risk and compliance and providing a subsidy Opinion as part of a major regeneration and housing scheme in the Northwest.
- Co-developing a unique state aid grant allocation scheme to support retraining for nuclear sector workers in North Wales.
Public & Administrative Law & Regulatory Matters
- Advising on the implications of the EU/UK Trade and Co-Operation Agreement.
- Defending a health service body from a judicial review alleging failure to provide adequate mental health services (CAMHS).
- Advising on complex interception warrantry issues under RIPA and the Intelligence Services Act.
- Taking Devolution Legislation for Wales through both Houses of Parliament.
- Resolving a dispute between local authorities in a post-discharge service funding dispute under the Mental Health Act.
- Member of the Government’s Information Assurance Programme Board.
- Supporting a government agency’s transition to self-funding status;
- Advising Government Ministers on a range of policy options in response to the GP recruitment and retention issue.
- Advising health service bodies on their options, functions and powers under the General Medical Services Regulations; General Dental Services and Pharmaceutical Services;
- Chairing statutory appeals bodies relating to the provision of general medical dental and pharmaceutical services.
- Writing secondary legislation relating to Nursing and Midwifery services in Wales.
- Advising on aspects of the administration of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
- Responding to urgent issues emerging from a CQC inspection.
- Advising public bodies on implications of the Human Rights Act 1998.
Data Privacy, Information and Cyber Security Law
- Advising on contractual, regulatory and enforcement issues concerning the NCSC Cyber Essentials Scheme.
- Assisting a global tech company in its discussions with HM Government regarding industry-wide cyber security measures.
- Preparing extensive UK GDPR/DPA 18 compliance documentation, policies, procedures, and training for a major UK health care provider.
- Advising on post-Brexit data transfers between the UK and European Economic Area (EEA).
- Advising a global technology company on the privacy and human rights aspects of its innovative battlefield surveillance technology.
- Developing policy on cyber-security for law firms and chambers.
- Advising on the lawful use of biometrics for identity verification in the workplace.
- Representing and advising an NHS provider in its urgent response to a major data security breach.
- Advising a tech services provider on enforcement of its right to confidentiality of its proprietary information.
- Designing an effective data protection impact assessment process for a major corporate client.
- Advocating for a data controller responding to a former employee’s complaint to the ICO alleging failure to provide adequate disclosure.
Tim has advised parties in a number of important judicial reviews; public inquiries and internal reviews examining matters of public interest including the adequacy of the provision of mental health services; the North Wales Child Abuse Inquiry; and numerous public procurement challenges.
He has advised numerous organisations on legislation as wide-ranging as the Human Rights Act; Regulation of Investigatory Powers Acts; Telecommunications Act; Wireless Telegraphy Acts; Mobile Telephony legislation; Humanitarian Law; Nuclear Industry laws; Crown Copyright; the Intelligence Services Act; Computer Misuse Act; Government of Wales Acts; Health and Social Care legislation; the General Medical Services Regulations, and International Treaties relating to the non-proliferation of WMD.
Tim acts for clients as diverse as the Cabinet Office; QinetiQ; Siemens; Babcock; First Group; OFCOM; MOJ; PJHQ; major corporates in the tech, semi-conductor and biotechnology sectors; IASME Consortium; SMEs; law firms and chambers; HM Foreign and Commonwealth Office; the Home Office and National Crime Agency; Welsh Government; Local Health Boards and NHS Foundation Trusts; CCGs; NDPBs; the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; and Eurostar.
Publications & Appointments
- Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
- Member of the Law Society’s Technology & Law Committee (2021)
- Magistrate (West Mercia Bench).
- Former Visiting Lecturer, (Procurement and Commissioning) University of Birmingham Business School; Institute of Local Government (INLOGOV) and the Health Service Management Centre.
- Tim was an expert witness to Parliament’s Public Administration Select Committee Inquiry into government procurement and commercial skills (2012).
- Former member of the CBI Advisory Group on Procurement and PFI.
- Co-author of ‘Power in Procurement’ (Heywood, T., and Lonsdale, (2012) PPP Journal).
- Governor at Worcester University (2022-2024);
- Non-Executive Director, (Chair of Remuneration Committee and Governance and Risk Committee) Wye Valley NHS Trust (2005–10).