The Crown Commercial Service says it will announce the full list of firms that have secured spots on its £320m public sector panel soon, as it puts the finishing touches on its efforts to cut the cost of external legal advice.

London firm Sharpe Pritchard and commercial firm Howes Percival announced this week that they have been appointed to a £130m 'full service' lot following a joint bid, 'supported by' accountancy giant PwC and Cardiff-based Capital Law. Last year the duo, as part of a consortium with PwC and international firm HFW, secured a tier-1 spot on Crown Commercial Service's general legal advice services panel, which is used by all UK central government and non-ministerial departments, and their executive agencies.

Julia Rudin

Julia Rudin

Sharpe Pritchard

Julia Rudin, Sharpe Pritchard managing partner, said: 'We are delighted that our commitment to our public sector client base and the quality and breadth of the services we provide has been recognised by this appointment.'

Tessa Haskey, Howes Percival chair, said government is a main sector and growing part of her firm's business. 'This appointment will lead to more public sector opportunities for us across the country and enable us to build on our excellent working relationship with our consortium members,' she added.

The full service panel in the public sector framework will cover commercial, corporate, property and construction, IT, data protection, litigation and public procurement services. The other lots are: regional service provision (80 suppliers); property and construction (six suppliers); transport rail (five suppliers); and cost lawyer services (four suppliers).

Crown Commercial Service began welcoming bids in May after slashing £330m off the estimated total value and renaming it from 'legal services marketplace' to 'wider public sector legal services'.

The wider public sector - including health, education, local and regional government, emergency services, and third sector and social housing organisations - will be able to access regional-based services. Ministerial and non-ministerial central government departments will be able to access regional services if the anticipated fee is £20,000 or less per matter in transactional property work, employment or other litigation.

The public sector panel will make up the final 'block' of CCS's programme to restructure the government's legal panels.