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Oliver Slater

Oliver Slater

Senior Associate

020 7405 4600

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Oliver is a Senior 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.

  • Central Government
  • Energy Sector
  • Health
  • Local Government
  • Transport Sector
  • Commercial
  • Commercial Contracts
  • Infrastructure
  • Procurement
  • State Aid and Competition
  • 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).
  • End-to-end advice for a central government department on its procurement of an IT service desk provider under a CCS Framework Agreement (single supplier award following further competition in the tens-of-millions). Tasks undertaken include: advising on the appropriateness of the relevant CCS Framework Agreement; drafting procurement documents (ITT and evaluation questions), contract documents (amending the standard-form services contract and assisting the client with development of its Requirements), and assisting with the development of the Financial Response Template; advising on clarification questions and bidders’ suggested contractual amendments; advising on abnormally low tender concerns and subsequent processes (as per the Sourcing Playbook); and advising on legal risk of challenge arising/successful challenge in light of tender responses.
  • Procurement assurance services (LOD1) for a central government department on its highest value, highest profile procurements (multi-billion-pound awards). Tasks undertaken include: reviewing the procurement and contractual documentation; identifying and classifying concerns; and working with the client to find solutions to such concerns.
  • Advising one of the country’s largest utilities on a wide range of procurements under the UCR 2016, both in an external assurance role and as part-time secondee. Tasks undertaken include: establishing a multi-contractor Framework Agreement (valued in the tens of millions); advising on contract modifications through the lens of Regulation 88; and assuring procurement and contractual documents for high-value procurements, identifying concerns and suggesting solutions.

Proposed £67m Subsidy to Ryanair: What did the SAU Make of it and What’s Next?

6 October 2026

The Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) has advised Invest Northern Ireland to improve its case for a £67 million grant to Ryanair, including in respect of how the subsidy could affect competing airlines. Below, Oliver Slater and Beatrice Wood explore what the SAU said and what happens next. The proposed subsidy Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI)... Read more

Subsidy Control, 3.5 Years On: BIST Commit to Evolution, Not Reform

17 August 2026

The CMA published its first periodic monitoring report on the UK's subsidy control regime at the end of June this year - a weighty 168 pages of it. Following that, BIST (the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) has now had the chance to digest the report and respond. Its verdict, in short: the... Read more

The Housing Streamlined Subsidy Scheme: What Public Authorities Need To Know

16 April 2026

Beatrice Wood, Oliver Slater and Melodi Mangan review the new housing streamlined subsidy scheme, which smooths the path for awards of up to £75m on relevant housing projects. The Housing Streamlined Route Streamlined routes are a type of subsidy scheme made by government for voluntary use by any UK public authority. This article explores the... Read more
Oliver's Publications
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