Nicky is head of Sharpe Pritchard’s infrastructure team, specialising in advising on complex public sector procurement for UK projects and infrastructure projects.
She is ranked as a ‘Leading Partner’ in Legal 500 and named as a ‘notable practitioner’ in procurement in Chambers & Partners. Nicky was 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.
She is experienced in advising on both public contracts and utility contracts procurements and is fully familiar with the new Procurement Act 2023. Sectors include central government, local government, rail, waste, energy, water, and health.
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
24 May 2024
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…
Read more3 May 2024
Sharpe Pritchard is delighted to announce that, Head of Infrastructure, Nicola Sumner, and Head of Strategic Projects and Innovation, Roseanne Serrelli, have jointly received the Lifetime Achievement award at the 2024 Partnership Awards—the “most prestigious recognition of excellence” in the public-private partnership (PPP) sector. This is in recognition of their joint infrastructure practice at Sharpe…
Read more24 August 2023
On 17 July 2023, the Cabinet Office published the second instalment of the consultation on the draft regulations required to implement the new public procurement regime established by the Procurement Bill (the ‘Bill’). The two consultations are technical consultations, with Part 2 focusing on the notices which must be used by contracting authorities (‘Authorities’) after…
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