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Public Sector and Government ServicesFrom partnership agreements and pilot projects to public procurement and PPP/PFI, our attorneys review each matter in light of the constraints specific to public contracts.

Free consultation Why LegalAgent
Response time
1 business day*
First consultation
30 min free
Scope
Partnership agreements · Procurement · PPP · PFI

* As a rule, for contract reviews and routine legal questions. For complex or urgent matters we propose a schedule that fits the matter.

Client companies served*

150+

Selected clients shown, in no particular order. * Clients and partners. Not limited to Public Sector and Government Services matters.

KADOKAWA FRONTEO YAMAP ACROVE LAPRAS AVA Intelligence OPTIEUM Biotechnologies ReDelta Concrew LINEA Innovations TECHSUITE YStory

Reviewing agreements and contracts for how they differ from private-sector deals

Agreements with local governments and public procurement contracts raise issues that differ from business-to-business transactions, such as assembly approval, the single-fiscal-year budget principle, the treatment of caps on damages and information disclosure systems. We distinguish the clauses where you should seek revisions from those you should accept as they are because of the public side's circumstances, and narrow down what to negotiate.

  • You cannot tell which clauses in a proposal's draft contract are negotiable
  • Secondary use of pilot project data and ownership of the results are unclear
  • You have not matched the risk allocation in the performance requirements to the project agreement
  • You want to align SaaS contracts with each local government's personal information requirements

Why LegalAgent

With LegalAgent, you can narrow down the clauses to negotiate early on

We support your public-sector business in three ways: fast answers, fees you know before we start, and deliverables you can use for internal approval and for explanations to local governments.

  1. 01Speed

    Typical law firms3–5 business days

    LegalAgent1 business day, as a rule

    We present a schedule that fits your submission deadline

    We answer contract reviews and routine legal questions within one business day as a rule. When a proposal deadline is close, we ask about the volume of documents to review and present a schedule we can meet.

  2. 02Fees

    Hourly billingTotal unknown at the start

    LegalAgentScope and fee set before we start

    We estimate by document volume and number of local governments

    We ask about the volume of contracts, agreements and procurement documents and the number of local governments involved, and give you an estimate before we start. Matter-based work is generally on a fixed fee.

  3. 03Deliverables

    • Draft revision comments
    • Draft questions for the local government
    • Risk allocation table
    • Internal explanatory materials

    We deliver it all, including draft questions for the local government

    Along with draft revision comments, we deliver draft questions to confirm with the local government and explanatory materials that present the risks in the contract terms in a form decision-makers can readily judge.

* Response times are for contract reviews and routine legal questions; they vary by matter.

How it works

The AI Agent identifies the clauses; attorneys decide what needs revising

The AI Agent spots the issues in procurement guidelines and draft contracts and prepares first drafts; attorneys decide which clauses to seek revisions to and which to accept.

AI Agentdoes the work

  • Lists the issues from procurement guidelines, specifications and draft contracts
  • Refers to similar sample clauses and templates
  • Drafts revision comments and questions for the local government

Attorneysmake the judgment

  • Decide whether revisions are needed, given the constraints of public contracts
  • Check the risk allocation between the performance requirements and the project agreement
  • Take responsibility for the final revision policy and explanatory materials
ConsultationRevision comments and explanatory materials delivered
  1. STEP 01Confirming the business and the local government's documents

    Confirm the purpose of the business, the local government's role and the differences from business-to-business contracts, and identify the issues to be reviewed

    List of issues and review policy

  2. STEP 02Reviewing the clauses of the draft contract or agreement

    Taking into account assembly approval, the single-fiscal-year budget principle, caps on damages, information disclosure systems and so on, set out whether each clause needs revision

    Clause-by-clause issues and revision policy

  3. STEP 03Preparing proposed revisions and items to confirm

    Prepare draft revision comments, draft questions for the local government and a negotiation strategy

    Draft revision comments and draft questions

  4. STEP 04Internal explanation and checking submission documents

    Set out the risks in the contract terms and the response policy in a form decision-makers can readily judge

    Internal explanatory materials

  • Attorneys make the final callAn attorney checks every deliverable and takes responsibility for it.
  • Your inputs are not used to train AIOn top of attorneys' statutory duty of confidentiality, we work in an environment where your inputs are not used to train AI.
  • An AI Agent built in-houseOur own engineers develop it. Information Security Policy

Use cases

Common requests and what you receive

For each situation in which consultations arise in dealings with local governments and public bodies, we set out the impact, the items to be reviewed and the deliverables.

  1. 01

    You are going to sign a partnership agreement for a pilot project with a local government and need to work out how data and results will be handled

    If left aloneThe agreement is signed while the scope of data use and ownership of deliverables remain vague, and at the commercialization stage after the pilot, your understanding diverges from the local government's

    What we doConfirm the purpose of the pilot, the types of data collected, how it will be explained to the local government and residents, and how data and deliverables will be handled after the pilot ends, and reflect these in the agreement's clauses

    What you receive
    • Proposed revisions to the partnership agreement
    • Data handling table
    • Draft explanatory materials for the local government

  2. 02

    The draft contract in a public proposal competition is structured differently from ordinary business-to-business contracts, and you cannot judge how far you can ask for revisions

    If left aloneAccepting the draft contract without understanding constraints specific to public contracts, such as assembly approval and the single-fiscal-year budget principle, forces unexpected responses when the contract is amended or the schedule is adjusted

    What we doSet out the draft contract's clauses in light of the differences from private-sector contracts (caps on damages, contract amendment procedures, timing of acceptance and payment)

    What you receive
    • List of issues in the draft contract
    • Draft revision comments
    • Internal explanation of risks

  3. 03

    You are considering participating in a PPP or PFI project and want to review the project agreement and risk allocation

    If left aloneParticipating without sufficiently reviewing the risk allocation and correction procedures in the project agreement leads to unexpected burdens during the project period

    What we doReview the project agreement, performance requirements and work specifications, and set out the approach to risk allocation, monitoring and correction procedures

    What you receive
    • List of issues in the project agreement
    • Risk allocation table
    • Materials for deciding whether to participate

  4. 04

    You will provide SaaS to local governments and want to confirm personal information handling and each local government's requirements

    If left aloneContracts and operations begin without grasping the rules of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information that apply to local governments and each local government's implementing ordinance and security requirements, and specifications or contracts later have to be changed

    What we doConfirm the types of personal information collected, the scope of entrustment and sub-entrustment, and the requirements under the Act on the Protection of Personal Information and the target local government's implementing ordinance and security policy

    What you receive
    • Proposed revisions to the personal information handling clause
    • Outsourcing agreement checklist
    • Draft operating rules

Scope of our public sector and government services legal support

For each situation in partnerships and transactions with local governments and public bodies, we set out what we review, what judgments we make and what we return as deliverables.

Local government partnerships and pilot projects
For pilot projects and partnership agreements, we review the purpose, division of roles, data handling and post-completion arrangements.
  • Reviewing partnership agreements and pilot project contracts
  • Organizing explanatory materials for local governments and residents
Public procurement and tender contracts
We review procurement guidelines, specifications and draft contracts in light of how they differ from business-to-business transactions.
  • Reviewing procurement guidelines and specifications
  • Revising the draft contract and setting the negotiation strategy
PPP and PFI project agreements
We review the consistency between the project agreement and the performance requirements and the content of the risk allocation.
  • Reviewing the project agreement and performance requirements
  • Supporting the decision whether to participate and on contract terms
Data and personal information
We review personal information handling and data integration conditions when providing services to local governments.
  • Reviewing personal information handling clauses and entrustment terms
  • Setting out data integration and security requirements

Our approach

What we focus on in Public Sector and Government Services

In public sector and government services legal work, we focus on the following points.

  1. 01

    Reviewing on the premise of differences from private-sector contracts

    Taking into account constraints specific to public contracts, such as assembly approval, the single-fiscal-year budget principle, information disclosure systems and caps on damages, we distinguish clauses where revisions should be sought from clauses that should be accepted as they are because of the public side's circumstances.

  2. 02

    Confirming differences in systems and practice for each local government individually

    Because implementing ordinances and security policies on handling personal information, tender eligibility and contracting procedures differ by local government, we confirm them individually based on the target local government's public information and the forms presented, rather than giving generalized answers.

  3. 03

    Setting out the handling of data and deliverables with commercialization in view

    From the pilot project and partnership agreement stage, we reflect in the agreement and contract clauses how far collected data and deliverables can be used for future commercialization.

  4. 04

    Setting out terms with an eye to explainability to residents and the assembly

    Taking into account whether the local government can explain the content to residents and the assembly, we set out the contract terms, scope of information disclosure and handling at termination.

Pricing

Public sector and government services legal fees

For consultations on partnership agreements with local governments, public procurement or PPP and PFI projects, we provide an estimate after hearing the details.

How fees are set

Scope and fee agreed before we start

Matter-based work is generally on a fixed fee. For complex or urgent matters, we propose a schedule and an estimate that fit the matter.

First consultation

A free 30-minute online meeting.

You can come to us before your documents are in order. Tell us what you know so far.

Free consultation

What we check before quoting

  • The volume and number of contracts, agreements and procurement documents
  • The number of local governments involved (including whether rollout to multiple local governments at once is involved)
  • The scope of review of project agreements such as PPP and PFI (whether performance requirements and work specifications are included)
  • The time until the proposal deadline or planned contract signing date
  • Whether ongoing review, such as of personal information handling, is needed

Because systems and practice differ by local government, the estimate varies with individual circumstances. We provide a formal estimate after reviewing the target local government's forms and the details of your consultation.

Team & Record

Attorneys who know business practice handle your matters

Contract reviews and drafts
2,000+
Client companies
150+
Startup legal matters
200+
Legal and investment DD
20+

* Approximate figures based on matters handled by our firm; actual figures vary by matter.

Engineers

Shinya Makita and Sota Miya build our product on the same team as the attorneys.

Practical guides to local government and public contracts

Service agreementsBasics of Reviewing Service Agreements: Definitions, Checklist and Risks by Position

In a service agreement, the treatment of liability and fees changes depending on whether the contractor promises to complete the work or to provide support with due care. Match the clauses against the actual work, from the acceptance period and fees for additional work to rights to use existing tools.

Related practice areas

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can we consult you while we are still considering whether to sign a partnership agreement with a local government?

You can consult us from the consideration stage. To the extent the purpose of the partnership, the expected data handling and the local government's point of contact are known, we review the matter even before the outline of the agreement is drafted.

Can we consult you if all we have are the procurement guidelines and a draft contract?

You can start a consultation with the procurement guidelines and draft contract. If we know how much time remains until the application and which conditions your company values, a more concrete review is possible.

We have heard that ordinances and practice differ by local government. Can you handle that?

We review the target local government's public information and the forms presented and set things out individually. Because ordinances and practice differ by local government, we review based on the target local government's materials rather than giving generalized answers.

Are one-off consultations possible for large projects such as PPP and PFI?

We handle everything from one-off consultations focused on certain clauses of the project agreement or performance requirements to ongoing review at the stage of considering participation.

Can you also handle consultations as a school corporation or education business?

Consultations on the education setting as a school corporation or education service business are handled on the Education and School Legal page. This page covers situations in which companies transact or partner with local governments and public bodies.

Can we also consult you about using public land or building public facilities?

Consultations on real estate development and construction work on public land and public facilities themselves are handled on the Real Estate and Construction page. Matters relating to transactions and partnerships with local governments, such as reviewing partnership agreements and contract terms, are handled on this page.

Can you help even when the proposal deadline is close?

You can consult us even when the submission deadline is close. However, the time required for review varies with the volume of the contracts and agreements to be reviewed and the complexity of the issues.

Contact

Talk to us about partnerships and transactions with local governments

Please tell us which documents you currently have, such as procurement guidelines, a draft contract or a draft partnership agreement.

  • A free 30-minute online first meeting
  • You can consult us with just the procurement guidelines and draft contract
  • You can consult us while still deciding whether to sign a partnership agreement