Official UK procurement notice
Provision of flexible Benefits Administration Services and Platform
Authority: Ofcom (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionOfcom has a requirement for the provision of an end-to-end flexible benefits administration service for up to five years from July 2027.
As a minimum, the service must deliver the following:
- SCHEME ADMINISTRATION
- Management of annual and open enrolment processes. Annual enrolment window currently held in November for benefits effective 1 January
- Management of in year enrolment for new starters and life events
- Timely and accurate monthly payroll deduction reporting in the agreed format in accordance with monthly processing timelines
- Timely and accurate monthly provider reporting of colleagues in the agreed format to benefit providers in order to provide a seamless service to colleagues for onward enrolment in relevant benefits at the correct choice level
- Communications functionality to inform colleagues on key process issues such as enrolment process
- 1st line query management from colleagues and Ofcom Team within pre-agreed SLA
- Build Benefit changes as and when required
- Communications with members regarding workflow of benefit choices
- Confirmation communication of benefit choices when confirmed
- Management of pension re-enrolment on a three yearly cycle
- PLATFORM
- Maintenance of online benefit platform and all information held on it
- Helpdesk functionality and for registration and access issues on benefit platform if not SSO
- Cloud platform to enable colleagues select their benefits, and to find out information on each benefit
- Ofcom would want to understand platform capability in modelling cost effect of benefits selected including whether tax and NI implications can be shown
- Provide online Total Reward Statements
- Single Sign On capability
- Technical specification in line with Ofcom Security Requirements
- Ability for the platform to act as a single, central engagement hub for all Ofcom benefits and wellbeing offerings.
- CUSTOMER SERVICES
- Responsive and proficient support service, with access to email / web queries and telephone helpdesk if required
- Supplier invests in maintaining a strong and effective partnership with Ofcom, with positive attitude to ensuring exemplary service
- Proactive
- Access to benefit reporting, detailed MI and analytics for Ofcom
CPV: Financial and insurance services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£350,000
- Economic & financial standing
As set out in the invitation to tender document
- Technical & professional ability
As set out in the invitation to tender document
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 (6)
- Flexible Benefits Administration. Extent to which the proposed provider can meet the requirements set out in section 2.4 (A-E & G) of the specification: 20%
- Management Information • Extent to which the proposed provider can meet the requirements set out in Section 2.4 (F) of the specification: 15%
- Technology Extent to which the proposed provider can meet the requirements: 20%
- Implementation, Mobilisation and Transition: 10%
- Price: 25%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (6)
- Flexible Benefits Administration. Extent to which the proposed provider can meet the requirements set out in section 2.4 (A-E & G) of the specification: Quality of the administration and reconciliation processes for both Reward and Payroll teams and colleagues. • Quality of the support that will be provided via the helpdesk. • Extent to which the provider can support the pension re-enrolment • Extent to which the provider demonstrates the ability to provide effective colleague communication
- Management Information • Extent to which the proposed provider can meet the requirements set out in Section 2.4 (F) of the specification: Quality of the standard reporting and customised reporting that is available • Quality of the advanced analytics capabilities • Extent to which administrators can securely access date and employee records
- Technology Extent to which the proposed provider can meet the requirements: • Supports the delivery of flexible benefits administration and acts as a central hub for benefits and wellbeing. • Extent to which the proposed provider can effectively engage and support colleagues with their benefits • Integration capabilities available within the platform both with Ofcom and benefit providers
- Implementation, Mobilisation and Transition: Quality of plan established for implementation and transition to new provider • Extent of resources and knowledge to effectively manage the transition of the service
- Social Value: • Demonstrate a clear understanding of Ofcom’s diverse workforce and how colleagues value and access benefits at different life stages and with differing needs • Demonstrate understanding of how wider initiatives can enhance colleague wellbeing
- Price: total fixed prices for providing the proposed flexible benefits administration services for the seven years of the contract
- Economic & financial standing
As set out in the invitation to tender document
- Technical & professional ability
As set out in the invitation to tender document
- Price carries 25 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2.5 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £139,847 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Ofcom buys Financial and insurance services (CPV 66), and who usually turns up
Ofcom’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Financial and insurance services (CPV 66) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means registered in Greater London (authority’s region).
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in Greater London.
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.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 79 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid29% / 18%
2–341% / 53%
4–618% / 28%
7+12% / 1%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate14% / 62%
Within ±2%29% / 21%
Above estimate57% / 18%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1Published estimate£350k
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid13%
2–356%
4–627%
7+3%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
Based on 29 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£311k–£365k
Estimate£350k
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallagher Risk & Reward LimitedEarlier contract | Provision of Benefits Brokerage and Support Servicesnotice published Sept 2025 | — | £388k | Matched as the earlier contract |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £40m8 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 4 live · £6.0m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=7 | |
| £2.8m13 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 9 live · £552k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 4% below n=5 | |
| £1.3m19 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 15 live · £1.0m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 18% below n=5 | |
Zurich MunicipalLarge | £13m42 awards in 36m · last 7 months ago | 16 live · £18m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 5% below n=19 |
| £20m6 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
What this replaces i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
44% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
44% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (44% title match), the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid
Provision of Benefits Brokerage and Support Services — held by Gallagher Risk & Reward Limited; no contract end date published.
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
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 22 Jul 2026, 14:49 BST
- Last source update
- 19 Oct 2026, 14:38 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 22 Feb 2027
- Authority reference
COM00163 (was previously C20262770)- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-098548- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d108Find a Tender
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via Jaggaer- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 30 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 20 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Suppliers will be directed to the opportunity on the Ofcom Bravo Solutions procurement portal (Bravo) at ofcom.bravosolution.co.uk ↗ where they will find the listing on the itt section along with the Invitation to Tender document.
Suppliers will need to complete and submit their tender response via the Ofcom Bravo portal before the closing deadline of 12:00 hours on Monday 30 November 2026
Timeline
22 Jul 2026 → 1 Jul 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published90 days ago22 Jul 2026, 14:49 BST
- Market engagement67 days ago14 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
Engagement process description
This is a Preliminary Market Engagement which is taking place in July and August 2026 for an Ofcom requirement for the provision of flexible benefits Administration Services and Platform, commencing in July 2027.
The engagement takes the form of a preliminary market engagement questionnaire, and possibly some discussion between the Ofcom project team and interested suppliers.
Ofcom is undertaking this pre-procurement market engagement to inform a procurement exercise that is planned to commence in October 2026 for the provision of flexible benefits administration services and platform. The subsequent contract will commence in July 2027 and will run or three years..
Organisations are invited to complete a preliminary market engagement questionnaire to provide responses on questions which will enable Ofcom to gather general feedback to inform and help us finalise our procurement approach and documentation.
Interested suppliers should access the opportunity via the Ofcom’s Bravo solutions procurement portal at ofcom.bravosolution.co.uk ↗ (Bravo). Suppliers should access the portal and go to the PQQ/Selection Questionnaire page, complete the preliminary market engagement questionnaire and submit the questionnaire to Ofcom via the messaging facility on the Bravo portal.
The closing deadline for submitting completed questionnaires is 12:00 hours on Friday 14 August 2026
- Next notice expected4 days ago16 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published1 day ago19 Oct 2026, 14:38 BST
- Today20 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 31 days20 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 41 days30 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 125 days22 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 253 days1 Jul 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 22 Jul 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published22 Jul 2026, 14:49 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published19 Oct 2026, 14:38 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £350,00019 Oct 2026, 14:38 BSTwas £420,000
- Status changed to active19 Oct 2026, 14:38 BST
- Procurement method changed19 Oct 2026, 14:38 BST
- Deadline published: 30 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT19 Oct 2026, 14:38 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender