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
Tenderers 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.
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 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
Open work like this
This notice no longer takes bids · live search, filters set
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£1,400,000
- 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 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 favour organisations of a particular size. The assessment will be conducted in accordance with the principles of proportionality, transparency, and equal treatment. Insurance requirements - can commit to obtain, prior to the award of the contract, the levels of insurance cover indicated below a. Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £10m b. b. Public Liability Insurance = £10m c. c. Professional Indemnity Insurance = £1m d. d. Product Liability Insurance = £1m e. Cyber and Data Protection Insurance = £1m
- 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 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 actions taken.
What it takes to wini
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
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 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 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…
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
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
- Closed
- 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
- Authority reference
CLF01.01- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-092572- 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
- 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 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 it was run
Official notice- 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
30 Sept 2026 → 15 Jan 2027 · 5 dates- Tender notice published45 days ago30 Sept 2026, 16:46 BST
- Clarification questions by22 days ago23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline8 days ago6 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Today15 Nov 2026
- Award decision expected byin 32 days17 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 60 days15 Jan 2027
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 (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender