Oliver is an Associate in the firm’s Infrastructure department. He advises clients on public law across a range of complex and high-profile projects, with a particular emphasis on competition law (including subsidy control) and public procurement.
Oliver’s role:
Oliver provides comprehensive subsidy control advice across various sectors, working with both public authorities and grant recipients. He assists with compliance assessments under the Subsidy Control Act 2022, designs competitions, and advises on issues related to subsidies and schemes of particular interest. Oliver also addresses the implications of central government funding, contractual variations, and low-value subsidies.
In competition law, Oliver deals with potential breaches by public authorities. He has advised central government departments, local authorities, and major infrastructure programs on competition law risks and infringements.
Well-versed in procurement law, Oliver helps clients navigate PCR 2015, UCR 2016, and the Procurement Act 2023. He advises on high-profile procurements, drafts various contracts, and leads a team in redacting contracts for public authorities.
In the energy sector, Oliver advises on district heating schemes, electric vehicle infrastructure, and regulated electricity. His transport sector experience includes supporting an in-house legal team on public procurement, subsidy control, and commercial contracts.
Case highlights
- Advising a central government department on a number of major grant funding competitions (total value in the hundreds-of-millions), including in relation to “subsidies of particular interest” referred to the SAU.
- Advising an NDPB on subsidy control implications of its programme to subsidise a UK-first technological service, including identifying subsidies in a complex web of relevant parties and advising on compliance with the subsidy control principles. He also advised on the referral process to the SAU. Oliver’s advice has also included ensuring that the NDPB does not inadvertently stray into certain categories of “automatically unlawful” subsidies.
- Advising local authorities on a number of town centre redevelopments, including whether contractual relationships with developers give rise to “subsidies” as defined in the Act. He has also advised on the referral process to the SAU as certain related grant agreements are likely to give rise to “subsidies of particular interest” (as they may exceed £10,000,000).
- Advising one of the country’s largest utilities on the subsidy control implications of a variation to a supply contract (>£50,000,000). In particular, whether that variation was a subsidy as defined in the Act or whether the CMO principle applied. Also advising the utility on a £26,000,000 grant received from another public authority (and whether that grant was given on terms compliant with subsidy control rules).
- Advising on the subsidy control implications of an incentivisation payment under a c. £1billion construction contract.
- Advising a Combined Authority on its proposed operating lease scheme for electric buses (>£10,000,000). In particular, advising on whether a subsidy arises and, if so, whether any such subsidy would comply with the subsidy control principles. Oliver also advised on whether a subsidy arises in relation to a Hydrogen Supply Agreement the authority proposed entering into (including consideration of the CMO principle).