Our people

Michael Rainey

Partner, Commercial
United Kingdom

Expertise

Michael is head of the firm's public and utilities procurement team and specialises in all aspects of procurement law. He advises procuring authorities and utilities on the conduct of procurement processes, the availability of grounds to negotiate direct awards, strategies for mitigating the risk of procurement challenges and the transition to the Procurement Act 2023 . He also advises bidders on competing for regulated contracts and bringing procurement challenges. Michael's work involves the energy / utilities, health and transport sectors, along with defence and security. .

Experience

Michael's recent experience includes advising:

the Department for Transport on its major rail programmes including the National Rail Contracts and the public ownership programme
National Grid on the Great Grid Upgrade Partnership, a multi-partner enterprise set up to deliver an initial nine major electricity infrastructure projects on the UK's journey to net zero
United Utilities on the Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme, the first use of the DPC (Direct Procurement for Customers) model in the UK water sector

Publications

Michael writes the EU chapter in the Government Procurement Review book (published by The Law Reviews)

Education

BPP – Legal Practice Course (2007)
Durham University – LLB (1) (2006)

Professional memberships

Procurement Lawyers Association

Michael Rainey

All you need to know about Procurement Reform

The Procurement Act has gained Royal Assent and is expected to become law in October 2024. It represents the most significant shake-up to procurement law and practice for a generation.

Our hub brings together in one place key resources and our insights on this crucial development.

Read our insights