Official UK procurement notice
Cabot Learning Federation - Provision of HR and Payroll System
Authority: Cabot Learning Federation Multi Academy Trust (Public body)·Consortium: 2 public authorities
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionTenderers are invited to tender for the provision of an HRIS solution and fully managed payroll service. Tenderers may propose either a fully integrated solution or separate HR and payroll systems, provided that data can be transferred securely, accurately and efficiently between the two systems, with minimal manual intervention. Full details of all contract requirements are set out in this document – Document 2: Specification of Requirements.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 31 Mar 2032, 23:59 BST.
No preliminary market engagement: The Trust initially intended to award the contract by way of a call-off under an existing framework and engaged with suppliers appointed to that framework to explore that route. As the engagement was undertaken in connection with the proposed framework call-off, the Trust did not publish a preliminary market engagement more…
notice. Information obtained through the engagement informed the Trust’s procurement strategy, following which it decided not to proceed with the framework call-off and instead to conduct an open procedure. The Trust has taken appropriate steps to ensure that suppliers involved in the engagement are not unfairly advantaged and that competition is not distorted, including making relevant information arising from the engagement available through the procurement documents.
CPV: Payroll management services · Personnel and payroll services · Software package and information systems
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Lot 1RenewalPublished value£1,400,000
- Value
- £1,400,000 exc. VAT · £1,680,000 inc. VAT
- Extensions
The description of the options. The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. To enable schools who join the Trust to be added to the Contract and for additional modules or services to be included that relate to HR and Payroll and Pension Service. · The estimated contract start date will be 15th January 2027, with the system/service go-live planned for June – July 2027 and is to be for a period of more…
four (4) years from system go-live, with the possible extension of two (2) further years in 12-month intervals (4 + 1 +1).
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published — the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (2)
- Quality Assessment — 60%
- Price Assessment — 40%
Published award criteria (2)
- Quality Assessment — (Software Functionality) 35% (Quality Questions) 25%
- Price Assessment — The Tenderer with the lowest overall price position for the Trust over the contract period of 6 years will be awarded the full 40% the marks available for overall price. All other Tenderers’ scores will be calculated relative to this best overall financial offer
- Economic & financial standing
Bidders must demonstrate that their financial position is sufficiently robust to support both the implementation and ongoing delivery of the System. Bidders must provide their audited financial statements for the previous two financial years. Where audited more…
accounts are not available, bidders should provide certified accounts or equivalent financial information. Bidders should disclose any known events that may materially impact their financial position during the contract term (for example, planned sale, refinancing, or restructuring). Minimum Turnover Requirement The bidder’s annual turnover must be at least two times the estimated annual contract value. Net Asset Position Bidders must demonstrate a positive net asset position in their most recent financial statements Liquidity and Access to Financial Resources Bidders must demonstrate access to adequate financial resources to support ongoing business operations and contractual commitments. Revenue Model Stability Bidders must describe their revenue model, including the proportion of income that is recurring, contractually committed, or otherwise predictable. The Trust will assess the economic and financial standing of bidders to ensure that the successful supplier has the financial capacity and resilience required to deliver the contract for its full duration. The Trust is seeking a financially resilient supplier capable of sustaining long-term service delivery. The assessment is designed to ensure resilience rather than fa… - Technical & professional ability
Relevant experience and contract examples – Provide details of up to three contracts to meet conditions of participation relating to technical ability set out in the relevant notice or procurement documents, in any combination from the education sector. The more…
examples must be from the past three years. To constitute a pass, the minimum of two contract examples provided shall be relevant to the complexity of the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer’s established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts from the education sector providing this HRIS Solution &Payroll and Pension service. Organisational Standards - Please provide details of the Quality Management and Information, Security standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, or equivalent internationally recognised certifications. You must confirm that the scope of these certifications explicitly covers the services proposed within this procurement. Where equivalent standards are offered, please explain how they meet or exceed the requirements of the specified ISO standards. Bidders must submit the following evidence: • Copies of current certification issued by an accredited certification body. • Copy of the certification scope statement demonstrating that the services being procured fall within the accredited scope. •Confirmation of certification validity dates. • Details of any non-conformities identified during the most recent audit and the corrective acti…
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Cabot Learning Federation Multi Academy Trust buys Accounting and auditing services (CPV 7921) — and who usually turns up
Cabot Learning Federation Multi Academy Trust’s own published record, next to the South West England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Accounting and auditing services (CPV 7921) →
How the contest usually goes
Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.
Cabot Learning Federation Multi Academy Trust
contract notices in 36 months: 2 in all categories
i
How many companies usually bid for work like this.
Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 10 lots. All 10 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices, which count bids assessed.
Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.
i
How often only one company bid.
Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 10 lots.
High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.
i
Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.
Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 5 pairs.
A past pattern, not a price to bid.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 2 notices. Small sample.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
i
How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.
Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.
Nothing published for this buyer in this sector: no amendment history.
i
How often this buyer awards without a competition.
Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.
Nothing published for this buyer in this sector: no notices in this market.
South West England · Accounting and auditing services (CPV 7921)
contract notices delivered in South West England in 36 months: 66 in CPV 7921 (43 competed, 9 route not published) · 653 in division 79 (409 competed, 122 route not published)
i
How many companies usually bid for work like this.
Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.
Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7921), last 36 months: 27 lots. 15 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 12 from older notices (bids received, middle 5).
Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.
i
How often only one company bid.
Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.
Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7921), last 36 months: 27 lots.
High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.
i
Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.
Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.
Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7921), last 36 months: 15 pairs.
A past pattern, not a price to bid.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7921), last 36 months: 15 notices.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
i
How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.
SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.
Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7921), last 36 months: 22 lots.
i
How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.
Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.
Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7921), last 36 months: 32 awards.
Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.
i
Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.
We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.
Based on this buyer’s own usual movement over 5 lots (all categories), applied to the £1,400,000 estimate on this notice.
A benchmark, not a price to bid.
Coverage and what to read with care
- Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
- Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
- “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 31 Mar 2032
- First published
- 30 Sept 2026, 16:46 BST
- Last source update
- 30 Sept 2026, 16:46 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end — 17 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Authority reference
CLF01.01- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077e0eFind a Tender- Contract terms summary
- The Trust requires the following payment profile: a. Implementation Costs • 25% invoiced upon Contract Signature • 25% invoiced upon completion of the build • 25% following completion of testing • 25% following go live plus 1 month All Inclusive Cost • System & Support – annually in advance • Payroll & Pension Service - Monthly invoice in arrears, per payslip charge
- Risks
1. Data Accuracy & Input Risk: Inconsistent or late inputs from academies can cause payroll errors. 2. Integration & Systems Compatibility Risks: Unclear or evolving integration requirements may disrupt operations. 3. Implementation & Transition Risks: Complex migrations, legacy data, and tight timelines can cause more…
failures. 4. Compliance & Legislative Risk: High risk of non?compliance with LGPS, TPS, HMRC, and sector requirements. 5. Governance & Approval? Chain Risk: Multi-level approvals may delay payroll runs. 6. Service Reliability & Business Continuity: Outages or poor resilience may cause missed pay dates. 7. Vendor Performance, Capacity & Resourcing Risks: Under?resourcing can slow turnaround and increase errors. 8. Query Management & Support Risk: Insufficient helpdesk responsiveness impacts accuracy and staff satisfaction. 9. Contractual & Liability Risks: Liability caps may be insufficient for high?impact payroll errors. 10. Scalability & Expansion Risks: Onboarding new schools can be delayed or inaccurate. 11. Cultural, Process & Change Management Risk: Low adoption and inconsistent processes increase error likelihood. 12. Trust Control & Visibility Risk: Reduced visibility or audit access undermines governance.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via EU-Supply (CTM)- Expression of interest (EOI)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 6 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
5 published dates · Europe/London- Tender notice publishedearlier today30 Sept 2026, 16:46 BST
- Clarification questions byin 23 days23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadlinein 37 days6 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 78 days17 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 106 days15 Jan 2027, 00:00 GMT
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published30 Sept 2026, 16:46 BSTUK4
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- PHP Law LLPContracting authorityProcess contact pointPublic authority - sub-central government
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Conflict of interest declarationNot published
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender