Legal aid firms and not-for-profit agencies have been invited to bid for contracts to provide telephone advice and staff a virtual call centre set up by the Legal Services Commission (LSC).

The centre, to be launched at the end of this month, will initially pilot debt advice but the LSC intends to extend the scheme in July, offering contracts according to the number of full-time equivalent advisers available to carry out each contract.

Contracts for up to 19 advisers in the debt field, 13 to advise on welfare benefits and two on education will be up for grabs, and a combined service for four advisers dealing with debt, housing and welfare benefits in Wales.

Individual bids must cover between two and six advisers.

An LSC spokesman said it was building on the success of existing telephone advice services.

The closing date for bids is 6 February.

E-mail: cassandra.myer@legalservices.gov.uk; tel 020 7759 0456.

Paula Rohan