International law firm Bird & Bird today appoints Stuart Cairns as a partner specialising in procurement law issues, providing a significant boost to the firm's infrastructure projects and procurement law capabilities.
Stuart joins from Pinsent Masons where he led their Procurement Law Team. He has advised extensively throughout the UK and Ireland, acting for major UK and international clients in the private sector as well as central, local and regional Government bodies, public and privately owned utilities, Universities and Health Trusts.
He has extensive experience of providing strategic advice on the process by which major works, services and supplies contracts are awarded in accordance with UK/European public and utilities procurement law, including liaising with stakeholders, designing procurement processes and drafting procurement documentation. He often works with multi-practice teams, facilitating high value transactions including those related to Government disposals and outsourcings. He is increasingly involved with bidders and potential bidders in identifying and responding to high value procurement opportunities across the UK and internationally. Stuart also takes day to day responsibility for running high value and high profile procurement litigation matters, on both the Claimant and Defendant sides.
Stuart will work in Bird & Bird's Commercial Practice which operates in conjunction with the firm’s other practice areas to provide an integrated commercial offering to clients, supporting major infrastructure projects involving complex tech elements. Many of these projects involve the public and utilities sectors and speak to Bird & Bird's strong sector expertise in Tech & Comms, Aviation and Defence and Energy and Utilities. Stuart's appointment will further enhance the firm's international public procurement capabilities.
Roger Bickerstaff, procurement specialist and Partner in the Tech & Comms Group at Bird & Bird says: "I'm looking forward to welcoming Stuart, who is well known for his expertise in EU procurement law and the commercial industry. His procurement capabilities will reinforce our sector expertise in Energy, Aviation and Defence and Tech & Comms. Stuart will be a great addition to our procurement team in London and across the firm internationally."
Stuart adds: "The current commercialisation of government departments in the UK, allied with the impending changes facing procurement law flowing from Brexit, offers many opportunities in procurement and presents a growth opportunity for law firms with the right capability and expertise. Procurement law is an inherently international discipline and projects increasingly require international law firms to deliver them successfully. I'm delighted to join Bird & Bird and firmly believe that the firm will provide me with the very best platform to continue to develop this exciting facet of my practice."
