Official UK procurement notice
Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice for extension to Cabinet Office Call Off from Independent Shared Service Centre 2 (ISSC2 Framework)
Authority: Cabinet Office (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis notice signals the intention of the Cabinet Office to modify the Call-Off Contract held with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) under the ISSC2 Framework by extending the term for an additional 18 months.
The original contract was awarded in 2013 following a competitive procurement published in the OJEU. The proposed extension is required to secure the continued provision of business-critical back-office operations, including human resources, finance and accounts, payroll and procurement to maintain operational continuity while transitioning services to replacement service providers under the Matrix programme.
The modification will be executed pursuant to Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. A change of contractor cannot be made for technical and economic reasons, as an interim solution would cause significant service disruption, technical incompatibility, and substantial duplication of costs.
The current contract expires on 30 April 2027, The extension will start from 1 May 2027 and run for a period of 18 months.
CPV: Business and management consultancy and related services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1The Cabinet Office intends to enter into an extension of up to 18 months to its…
The Cabinet Office intends to enter into an extension of up to 18 months to its Call-Off Contract held with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) under the ISSC2 Framework.
The contract provides essential shared back-office services across central government operations. The scope of services includes:
-Core HR and business process services
-Payroll processing for departmental employees
-Financial administration and accounting operations
-Technology and infrastructure support for the Single Operating Platform (SOP).
The underlying Call-Off Contract was awarded in 2013 following a competitive procurement procedure published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
A competitive re-procurement exercise has been conducted for replacement services under the cross-government Matrix Programme cluster (on behalf of participating central government departments, including the Cabinet Office). Due to significant delays in system implementation from the legacy Single Operating Platform (SOP), transition cannot be completed prior to the current contract expiry date.
The proposed modification is lawful pursuant to Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor).
The existing SOP platform represents a highly integrated, complex architecture supported by SSCL and specialised sub-contractors. Transitioning to an interim solution prior to the Matrix go-live presents severe technical impediments, fragmentation of critical technology, and business-critical operational risks to essential government services (including payroll, HR, and financial administration).
Procuring an interim solution would require at least 21 months to procure and transition, exceeding the target transition timeline and creating substantial, unnecessary duplication of costs.
The value of the 18-month modification is £22,918,000, which brings the total contract value from £116,827,000 to £139,745,000. The modification value represents 27.8% of the derived original contract baseline (£82,413,000), remaining within the 50% threshold set out in Regulation 72(1)(b). The Cabinet Office is observing a 10-calendar-day standstill period following the publication of this notice prior to entering into the contract modification.
The current contract expires on 30 April 2027, The extension will start from 1 May 2027 and run for a period of up to 18 months.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- 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
- 2 Oct 2026, 17:05 BST
- Last source update
- 2 Oct 2026, 17:05 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-093552- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-07802cFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to absence of competition for technical reasons
- Published justification
The Cabinet Office intends to enter into an extension of up to 18 months to its Call-Off Contract held with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) under the ISSC2 Framework.
The underlying Call-Off Contract was awarded in 2013 following a competitive procurement procedure published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
A competitive re-procurement exercise has been conducted for replacement services under the cross-government Matrix Programme cluster (on behalf of participating central government departments, including the Cabinet Office). Due to significant delays in system implementation from the legacy Single Operating Platform (SOP), transition cannot be completed prior to the current contract expiry date.
The proposed modification is lawful pursuant to Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor).
The existing SOP platform represents a highly integrated, complex architecture supported by SSCL and specialised sub-contractors. Transitioning to an interim solution prior to the Matrix go-live presents severe technical impediments, fragmentation of critical technology, and business-critical operational risks to essential government services (including payroll, HR, and financial administration).
Procuring an interim solution would require at least 21 months to procure and transition, exceeding the target transition timeline and creating substantial, unnecessary duplication of costs.
The value of the 18-month modification is £22,918,000, which brings the total contract value from £116,827,000 to £139,745,000. The modification value represents 27.8% of the derived original contract baseline (£82,413,000), remaining within the 50% threshold set out in Regulation 72(1)(b). The Cabinet Office is observing a 10-calendar-day standstill period following the publication of this notice prior to entering into the contract modification.
The previous modification was published on Find a Tender under Modification Notice 2025/S 000-051686
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared Services Connected LimitedCabinet Office Call Off from Independent Shared Service Centre 2 (ISSC2 Framework) | £22,918,000 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Cabinet Office Call Off from Independent Shared Service Centre 2 (ISSC2 Framework) · Shared Services Connected Limited
- Signed
- 2 Oct 2026
- Value
- £22,918,000
- Status
- active
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- The High CourtReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Shared Services Connected LimitedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.