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VHCC accreditation
On this page:
- Individual Criminal Case Contract 2011
- VHCC scheme from July 2010
- VHCC accreditation
- Accredited organisations
- How to apply
- Information for Applicants
- Other documents
Individual Criminal Case Contract 2011
We have made amendments to the 2010 VHCC arrangements and have produced a 2011 Individual Criminal Case (ICC) Contract (for organisations) to reflect MoJ policy.
These documents set out the proposed arrangements and rules for carrying out work on all cases where
- the Representation Order is granted on or after 3 October 2011
- the VHCC definition is satisfied, and
- the trial would in the opinion of the LSC be likely to last for less than 60 days.
These cases are now to be paid at the rates in the Litigators’ Graduated Fee scheme (as opposed to VHCC rates). The relevant documents were subject to consultation with the representative bodies and can be found in the documents section.
VHCC scheme from July 2010
From 14 July 2010, litigators and advocates instructed on Very High Cost Cases (VHCCs) with representation orders from that date operate under an individual case contracting arrangement.
These contracts apply the 2008 panel rates (£145 per hour for a Level A litigator on a category 1 VHCC).
Cases operating under the VHCC panel contracts will continue to do so until their conclusion. Equally, any new cases with representation orders dated between 14 January 2008 and 13 July 2010 will operate under the VHCC panel contracts.
Read more about the policy decisions behind the new scheme.
VHCC accreditation
Under the 2010 VHCC arrangements, organisations and self-employed advocates wishing to work on cases classified as VHCCs have to obtain the VHCC accreditation.
To do so, they must meet the eligibility criteria set out at Annex A of the Arrangements.
The VHCC arrangements 2010 can be found under the documents section of this page.
How to apply
Organisations wanting to obtain VHCC accreditation must submit an application via the LSC's e-accreditation system.
There is no closing date for submitting an application as this is an open accreditation process. Organisations can submit applications at any time. However, only those organisations that have obtained VHCC accreditation will be offered a VHCC contract should the organisation be instructed on a case classified as a VHCC.
Organisations should apply early to minimise the risk of delay.
IMPORTANT: If an organisation has already responded to the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) on the E-accreditation System in relation to another LSC invitation to tender (eg a response to the 2010 Standard Crime Contract or Civil Contract tendering exercises), they do not need to submit a new PQQ for the 2010 VHCC Accreditation process.
If this applies, you should check that the information in the PQQ is accurate and confirm this when completing the VHCC ITT. For further information please see the Information for Applicants.
Self-employed advocates due to be instructed on VHCC cases (ie cases with trial estimates over 60 days) will also need to apply but will be invited by the LSC to do so when appropriate.
Organisations that were previously VHCC panel members don't have to resubmit the information they provided in 2007/08 provided there have been no fundamental changes to their structure.
Information for Applicants
The Information for Applicants (IFA) document on the right hand side of this page sets out all the information and terms and conditions of your application.
Section 2 of the IFA sets out the process for asking any questions about the IFA, PQQ, VHCC ITT and the e-accreditation system.
Please note the following:
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Pursuant to Rule 9.19 of the Information for Applicants (for organisations) we have amended the definition of Qualifying Cases as set out in both the VHCC Arrangements 2010 and the Information for Applicants (for organisations). The amended version can be found under documents.
- We have made some minor amendments to the 2010 Contract for Signature (for organisations), 2010 VHCC Specification (for organisations) and 2010 VHCC Specification (for self-employed advocates) to correct errors and clarify ambiguities (pursuant to Clauses 13.6 and 13.7 of the Standard Terms). No contracts have been issued to date so this amendment does not affect any existing contracts. The amended versions can be found under documents.
Other documents
The VHCC Arrangements 2010 and 2010 VHCC contract documents for organisations and self-employed advocates can be found in the documents panel on the right hand side of this page.We have also published 2010 VHCC Guidance to support the scheme and should be read in conjunction with the Arrangements and Contract documents.
Last updated: 01 September 2011