Official UK procurement notice
Account Payable Audit Solution
Authority: Essex County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionProvision of a cloud-based Accounts Payable Audit Solution (SaaS) to support Essex County Council in identifying and preventing duplicate invoice payments and duplicate supplier records before payment is made.
The contract includes software licences for implementation, data migration, training, hosting, maintenance, support, reporting functionality, and ongoing system updates. The solution will enable Council staff to undertake self-service duplicate checking, audit management, and reporting, with secure hosting and compliance with accessibility and data protection requirements. The contract is for an initial term of two years, with an option to extend for a further one year.
CPV: Information technology services · Software package and information systems
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedProcedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Below threshold - limited competition
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 2 Apr 2026, 15:43 BST
- Last source update
- 8 Sept 2026, 10:03 BST
- Authority reference
D025PA- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-084723- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-067c2cFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
2 Apr 2026 → 1 Nov 2026 · 4 dates- Planning notice published206 days ago2 Apr 2026, 15:43 BST
- Market engagement193 days ago15 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
For this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise, please respond by downloading, completing and submitting the attached document by the deadline of[16:00]on[15/04/2026].
Please register as supplier as response your interest and complete the technical questionnaire via Open Platform (www.open-uk.org ↗). The project is # OPEN2026632.
How to register on Open
Registration is free, easy and can be done now. To register:
- Visit www.open-uk.org ↗
- Click the 'get started' button.
- On the 'who are you' tab, select supplier.
- Select your company type.
- Complete the form as directed.
Tips for smooth registration and accessing support.
- Look out for the email with your temporary password which is only valid for 3 days. If expired, please email [email protected] to request a new temporary password.
- If you don't receive your temporary password, please check your junk/quarantine areas.
- Add your Companies House number to populate fields for quicker setup.
- Once registered, select Codes & Categories relevant to your business area to receive tender notifications
- Add [email protected] to your safe sender list.
Support for the system is available via the OPEN Hub: www.open-hub.org ↗
The Open Hub has resources to help you get the most out of the system. There's a range of how-to-guides so you can learn about Open at your pace and a Frequently Asked Questions section to answer common questions.
You will also find details of the latest news and supplier training sessions for Open (www.nepo.org/suppliers/nepo-suppl… ↗).
- Latest notice published48 days ago8 Sept 2026, 10:03 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 6 days1 Nov 2026
Notice history
5 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 2 Apr 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published2 Apr 2026, 15:43 BSTUK2
- Contract award notice published8 Sept 2026, 10:03 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete8 Sept 2026, 10:03 BST
- Procurement method changed8 Sept 2026, 10:03 BST
- Contract signature expected15 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Partnership LimitedSME1 Dec 2026 – 30 Nov 2028 · up to 30 Nov 2029Extensions: The contract may be extended for a further 12 months at the Authority's discretion, subject to satisfactory supplier performance and the Authority's ongoing business and technology requirements. · Options: The Authority may purchase additional user licences during the contract term to accommodate changes in service requirements, including increases in user numbers. Any additional licences would be procured on the terms and pricing mechanisms set out in the contract. | £47,250 | 22 Jul 2026 | Awarded |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4final-stage tenders | 4 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- APLX LTDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender