Elizabeth Gibson

Partner
T: +44 (0)1392 333802
F: +44 (0)1392 336802
e.gibson@ashfords.co.uk

Elizabeth joined the firm in 2001 as an employed barrister after working for the Environment Agency. She has since qualified as a solicitor and was made partner in May 2006. At the Bar, she developed her experience in public law and administration and at Ashfords her expertise is nationally recognised in the fields of projects/PFI and procurement. Elizabeth’s experience encompasses all areas of joint venture governance and public procurement from drafting OJEU notices to the legal issues relating to evaluation. She has acted for a large number of local authorities and other public bodies in this respect including the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, regional development agencies and public sector special purpose vehicles and in connection with strategic procurement advice and the procurement of works, services, supplies and concession contracts.

In addition, Elizabeth regularly acts for the South West of England Regional Development Agency on major projects, including PPPs involving complex funding structures the most recent being the development of funding and structural arrangements for an Eco-Town near St Austell in Cornwall. Other recent work has primarily involved working with in-house public sector legal teams for a number of authorities in the East Midlands.

Recent experience includes:

• advising Torbay Council in respect of its £170 million outsourcing joint venture of the authority's direct services and waste functions, including governance and corporate structuring arrangements and legal risk allocation;
• acting in partnership with King Sturge on an option appraisal for Torbay Council's Mayoral Vision project which includes the possible establishment of a Local Asset Backed Vehicle (LABV) and advising generally on procurement issues;
• provision of advice to a local authority on the outsourcing of its entire leisure services to a private sector contractor;
• acting for the South West of England Regional Development Agency in respect of partnering projects for innovation centres across the South West;
• advising Taunton Deane Borough Council for its major town centre redevelopment scheme which has included particular emphasis on achieving exemplar sustainability targets;
• advising Coleg Gwent in respect of the procurement of planned maintenance contracts;
• advising a private sector developer on its tender in respect of a new police station for which it was selected as preferred bidder and which then was able to reach financial close;
• procurement of multiple contractors for £12 million worth of refurbishment work for Caradon District Council as part of its work towards achieving the Decent Homes Standard;
• procurement and State aid advice for the New Technologies Demonstrator Programme, which was a key part of Defra's Waste Implementation Project including drafting all necessary documentation;
• advising Nottinghamshire County Council in respect of integrating its schools into a framework and a purchasing system for utilities supplies;
• advising Torbay Council in respect of strategic procurement issues;
• procurement advice to Viridor Waste Management Limited for major projects;
• advising and assisting the South West of England Regional Development Agency with the multi-faceted procurement of delivery bodies for the provision of the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013; and
• advising and assisting the South West of England Regional Development Agency with procurement of a Framework Agreement for consultants for major and minor projects.

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