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Nicola Sumner

Nicola Sumner

Partner, Head of Infrastructure

020 7405 4600

Contact by email

Nicky is head of Sharpe Pritchard’s infrastructure team, specialising in advising the public sector on complex procurements for UK infrastructure projects and programmes.

Nicky is experienced in advising on public and utility contracts, PCR 2015, UCR 2016 and the Procurement Act 2023 procurements, Sectors include central government, local government, rail, waste, energy, water and health.

Nicky is recognised in both Legal 500 and in Chambers & Partners as a leader in her field. Nicky was also awarded a “Lifetime Achievement” award by the Partnerships Awards in 2024 in recognition of her work on some of the UK’s most high-profile and complex projects. Nicky is a panel member of the ICE’s Procurement Advisory Group and a member of the Procurement Lawyers Association. She is joint author of Defra’s Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme’s Residual Waste Treatment Contract.

Nicola Sumner is an eminent public body adviser with a wealth of experience acting on complex, multifaceted PPP/PFI projects, regularly handling procurement, development and commercial issues.

Legal 500 2025

Nicky Sumner is the first person I think of for procurement. The depth of her knowledge of the subject matter is head and shoulders above anyone I've previously instructed.

Legal 500, 2025

I have to give a massive shout-out and thanks to Nicola Sumner as being just absolutely amazing and brilliant.

Legal 500, 2023

Nicola Sumner has leading procurement and infra expertise. She has honesty, integrity, subject matter knowledge and the ability to work with tricky stakeholders, as well as mentor those with less experience

Legal 500, 2021

Nicola Sumner is an absolute expert on public procurement. Her advice is always excellent and timely.

Nicola Sumner has “well established expertise in procurement, PFI/PPP and contractual matters

Legal 500, 2020

Nicola Sumner is “highly regarded by clients for her expertise advising on projects relating to infrastructure including rail, road and utilities developments.”
One client comments: “She is a significant and constant source of support through the many varied challenges we face. She is always approachable and calm and she adds value on a repeated basis.

Chambers and Partners UK, 2020

Nicola Sumner, head of the infrastructure team at Sharpe Pritchard, is highly regarded for her expertise in advising on projects across sectors such as utilities, rail, health, and waste management. She has in-depth experience advising government departments, local authorities, and other contracting authorities on the Procurement Act 2023.

Chambers 2025

  • Central Government
  • Energy Sector
  • Local Government
  • Transport Sector
  • Waste Sector
  • Water Sector
  • Commercial
  • Commercial Contracts
  • Construction
  • Construction contracts
  • Infrastructure
  • Outsourcing and Shared Services
  • Procurement
  • Public Law
    • New Hospital Programme: Advising NHSE on the procurement aspects of this major hospital building and transformation programme.
    • Restoration and Renewal Programme: Advising the delivery authority on the procurement aspects of this programme for restoration and renewal of the Houses of Parliament.
    • Procurement advice and commercial assurance: advising on a number of major programmes and projects in the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio.
    • PFI/PPP variation and expiry: Advising on numerous PFI/PPP post award modifications and on contract expiry and re-procurement of major projects.
    • Direct Procurement for Customers and water infrastructure: Advising on a number of significant water infrastructure schemes under the new DPfC regime and on the procurement aspects of other major water projects in England and Wales.
    • Thames Tideway Tunnel: Advising Thames Water between April 2012 and licence award in 2015 on all aspects of the project including the procurement of over 30 construction contracts from the main works civils to the enabling works for the tunnel and the procurement of the infrastructure provider, Tideway.
    • Bazalgette Tunnel Ltd (‘Tideway’): Advising the infrastructure provider for the Thames Tideway Tunnel on post close procurement and commercial issues.
    • Waste infrastructure PPP/PFI programme: Working with Defra, Local Partnerships and local authorities on waste PFI/PPP projects, advising on procurement and commercial strategies, PPP/PF2 issues, advising on operational matters including delivery of operational savings.
    • Local authority waste management: Advising numerous local authority waste disposal authorities on their long-term waste management PPP/PFI projects, including West London Waste Authority on its £1.4 billion residual waste services PPP project to manage residual waste in West London.
    • Waste and energy infrastructure projects: Advising on Nottinghamshire Waste PFI, Buckinghamshire Waste PPP, Suffolk Waste PFI, Hertfordshire Residual Waste Treatment Project, Slough Residual Waste Management Project.
Natasha Barlow and Nicola Sumner consider the recent judgment which included claims in relation to the conduct of the procurement process (the “Process Claim”) and a challenge to post award modifications made to the Fourth UK National Lottery Licence (the “Modifications Claim”). The procurement in The New Lottery Company Limited v The Gambling Commission and Allwyn Entertainment Limited and... Read more
Authors: Nicola Sumner and Beatrice Wood This article considers the recent judgment in The New Lottery Company Limited v The Gambling Commission and Allwyn Entertainment Limited and others [2026] EWHC 891 (TCC), which included claims in relation to the conduct of the procurement process (the “Process Claim”) and a challenge to post award modifications made... Read more

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have long played a central, if controversial, role in UK infrastructure delivery. For over twenty years, models like the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and its successor, PF2, underpinned investments across schools, hospitals, justice buildings and transport networks. Yet by the end of the 2010s, these models were widely discredited. Concerns over inflexibility,…

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Background and current context On 22 May 2024 the Procurement Regulations 2024 (the ‘2024 Regulations’) were made, but the majority of the provisions do not come into force until the Procurement Act 2023 (the ‘2023 Act’) substantively commences. This is necessarily the case because the 2024 Regulations implement various aspects and details from the 2023…

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