Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 9 Oct 2026, 11:20 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Procurement of an HR and Payroll System

Authority: Look Ahead Care & Support Ltd

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Published estimate£1,500,000≈ £500k / year · £1,500,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 20 Nov 202617:00 GMT · 23 days left
Clarification cut-off 13 Nov 202612:00 GMT · questions to the authority
Contract term 3 yrsends 9 Mar 2030 · up to 9 Mar 2032 with extensions · starts 10 Mar 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The scope of the tender is to identify a suitable supplier for the implementation and ongoing support of a replacement HR system and managed UK payroll service for Look Ahead Care, Support & Housing. The required solution must support the full employee lifecycle, workforce administration, managed payroll and pensions administration, recruitment, onboarding, compliance, employee relations, reporting, integrations, data migration, implementation and transition to business as usual. Unless expressly identified as a separately priced option or Phase 2 requirement, Tenderers should assume that all items listed in this section form part of the core day-one scope and must be included within the tendered solution and commercial response.

  • Core HR and workforce administration: employee records, organisational structure, position and employee references, contracts and terms, multiple concurrent engagements per individual, establishment management and post control, including budgeted posts, position management, organisational hierarchy, approval workflows and reporting-line management.
  • Payroll and pensions: fully managed UK payroll service, including statutory filing, year-end activity, managed pensions administration, auto-enrolment, opt-outs, contribution submissions, provider returns, pension query support, statutory payments, salary sacrifice, attachment of earnings, off-cycle or emergency payments, payroll queries, Average Holiday Pay and NMW/NLW compliance calculations.
  • Absence management: sickness, annual leave, family leave, sabbaticals, AWOL, authorised absence, return-to-work processes and associated workflow, reporting and audit requirements. Fully customisable T&Cs in line with either Organisation policy or TUPE-in policy
  • Recruitment, onboarding, compliance and learning: recruitment and applicant tracking, candidate portal, document upload, job board integration or linking to the Look Ahead website, regulatory and safer-recruitment compliance records, dedicated DBS integration and tracking, expiry alerting, evidence capture, employee document management, retention and deletion rules, onboarding, pre-employment compliance, offboarding and leaver workflows. DBS functionality should support integration with a third-party DBS checking provider where required, including application status tracking, outcome recording, renewal monitoring, expiry reporting and audit history.
  • Employee, manager and workforce development: employee and manager self-service, performance and supervision recording, talent, succession and workforce development management, including talent profiles, succession planning, career development, skills and competency tracking, performance and appraisal linkage, succession risk reporting, development plans and management reporting.
  • Learning Pool: Learning Pool will remain in use during Phase 1. Integration with Learning Pool is core scope at HRIS go-live, while replacement of Learning Pool or the Learning Management System is a Phase 2 priced option and is not part of the day-one core replacement.
  • Employee relations and HR case management: case creation, categorisation, allocation, workflow, task management, document storage, confidentiality controls, restricted access, audit trail, key date tracking, outcome recording, reporting and the ability to manage multiple case types such as disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence, capability, probation and flexible working.
  • Reporting, governance and security: reporting, analytics, statutory reporting including Gender Pay Gap reporting, audit trails, data retention, GDPR reporting, information governance reporting, Subject Access Request and IG request support, workflow and authorisation, role-based access control, user security administration, permission management and auditable security access reporting.
  • Integrations and interfaces: key systems and data flows required to support HR, payroll, recruitment, compliance, learning, finance and reporting, including Unit4, Neuven bank and agency portal, identity provider, Active Directory and single sign-on, pension providers, Learning Pool, Access Group compliance portal, Cardinus, DBS checking providers or other third-party pre-employment compliance services, the Look Ahead website and reporting, data warehouse or Power BI feeds.
  • Data migration, implementation and transition: data migration from the incumbent iTrent system, cleansing, reconciliation, testing, training, cutover, hypercare, knowledge transfer and transition to business as usual, including system administration handover, support model definition and retained configuration documentation.
  • Separately priced options: Tenderers must provide separately priced options where requested in the Cost Schedule, including integrated or natively supported rostering and any Phase 2 replacement of Learning Pool or the Learning Management System. Such options are not part of the core day-one HR system and managed payroll replacement unless expressly confirmed by Look Ahead following evaluation and contract award.

The list above is not exhaustive and is intended to summarise the principal areas included within the scope of the tender.

CPV: Information technology services · Software package and information systems

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 3 yrsSMEVCSEPublished value£1,500,000
Contract period: 10 Mar 2027 – 9 Mar 2030 (3 yrs) · up to 9 Mar 2032 with extensionsValue: £1,500,000 exc. VAT · £1,500,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: North East, North West, Yorkshire & Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South WestEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£999,088/yr≈ 2× annual value
Extensions: 1. Integrated or natively supported rostering - Must be priced separately in Annex 4. - It is not part of the core day-one solution unless Look Ahead elects to take it up. 2. Phase 2 replacement of Learning Pool / the Learning Management System - Must be offered as a separately priced option. - For Phase 1, integration with the existing Learning Pool remains a core requirement. 3. Contract extension - Initial term: 3 years - Optional extension: up to 24 months. - Maximum potential term: 5 years. 4. Usage-based or pay-as-you-go services - Allowed only where Annex 4 expressly provides for them. - Unit rates, charging basis, assumptions, and minimum or maximum volumes must be stated. Charges apply only where Look Ahead authorises the service in advance. 5. Ad hoc services and consultancy - A separate rate card is required in Annex 4. - The rate card is for information and is not scored. 6. Other optional, additional, or out-of-scope services - These may be offered if they are clearly separated from the core service. - The submission must explain the charging basis and when the charges would apply. 7. Proposed contract variances - Suppliers may submit requested changes to the draft terms in a separate evaluation matrix. - Look Ahead is not obliged to accept them, and material qualifications could make the tender non-compliant. · The HR and Payroll System supports essential services that are fundamental to the operation of the organisation. Any disruption could result in: Failure to process payroll accurately and on time. Errors in pension, tax and statutory deductions. Loss of access to workforce and employment data. Increased risk of non-compliance with employment and payroll legislation. Significant reputational and employee relations impacts. A contract extension will ensure stability and continuity whilst future arrangements are established.
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Legal and financial capacity must adhere to Annex 3 PSQ of the tender document providing confirmation of compliance.

    Financial capacity must evidence completion of contracts to similar value of the tender

    Preference will be given to tenderers who are a G-Cloud framework holder

  • Technical & professional ability

    Tenderers must achieve at least 60% of the available written quality and social value score to progress. This minimum threshold will be assessed after the written quality, social value and commercial evaluations have been completed, and before any invitations to demonstrations are issued.

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids are scored
Quality: 80%Price: 10%Social value: 10%
Published sub-criteria (4)
  • Quality: 70%
  • Demonstration: 10%
  • Commercial: 10%
  • Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (4)
  • Quality
  • Demonstration: Shortlisted suppliers will be invited to demonstration of product
  • Social Value
  • Commercial
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Legal and financial capacity must adhere to Annex 3 PSQ of the tender document providing confirmation of compliance.

    Financial capacity must evidence completion of contracts to similar value of the tender

    Preference will be given to tenderers who are a G-Cloud framework holder

  • Technical & professional ability

    Tenderers must achieve at least 60% of the available written quality and social value score to progress. This minimum threshold will be assessed after the written quality, social value and commercial evaluations have been completed, and before any invitations to demonstrations are issued.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 10 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 1 point. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
  • Turnover usually expected at this size: about £999,088 (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 Look Ahead Care & Support Ltd buys Systems and technical consultancy services (CPV 7222), and who usually turns up

Look Ahead Care & Support Ltd’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Systems and technical consultancy services (CPV 7222) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerLook Ahead Care & Support Ltd · all categories
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 2 of 3 known-size awards · market: CPV 7222 · UK-wide, n=625
2 of 347%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no winner locations published · market: CPV 7222 · UK-wide, n=479
—41%

No winner locations published for this authority. Local means a registered address in the region where that award was delivered.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no decision dates published · market: CPV 7222 · UK-wide, n=73
—48 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 48 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: exactly 2 of 4 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 7222 · UK-wide, n=939
2 of 458%

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyerToo few to chart: 2 lots with bid counts, 5 needed · all categories
The market135 lots with bid counts · CPV 7222 · UK-wide
13% had one bid
Market · select a colour for counts
1 bid13%
Market: 18 of 135 lots with published bid counts.
2–333%
Market: 44 of 135 lots with published bid counts.
4–624%
Market: 33 of 135 lots with published bid counts.
7+30%
Market: 40 of 135 lots with published bid counts.

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyerToo few to chart: 1 lot with estimate and award, 5 needed · broad CPV 72
The market95 lots with estimate and award · CPV 7222 · UK-wide
41% below estimate
Market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate41%
Market: 39 of 95 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%45%
Market: 43 of 95 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate14%
Market: 13 of 95 lots with an estimate and award.
2

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.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 722236 monthsSME suitablePublished estimate£1.5m
Expected competition
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.

5expected bids6% chance of a single bid
similar past contests in this category: 120
Forecast chances for this lot
1 bid6%
Chance this lot gets 1 bid: 6%. This is a forecast.
2–321%
Chance this lot gets 2–3: 21%. This is a forecast.
4–630%
Chance this lot gets 4–6: 30%. This is a forecast.
7+43%
Chance this lot gets 7+: 43%. This is a forecast.
Commercial price forecast
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 36 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.

£1.5mLevel with estimate
36 comparable awards
Forecast compared with the buyer’s estimate
Middle 50%£1.4m–£1.5m
Half of likely prices fall between £1,430,117 and £1,500,000.
Estimate£1.5m
The buyer published an estimate of £1,500,000 for this lot.
A 44% chance the award lands exactly on the estimate.

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.

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

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.

SupplierWon in this categoryLive contractsAward vs estimate
30 panel places
£277m111 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago25 live · £237m
i

Public 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.

3% below n=14
4 panel places
£88m12 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago3 live · £84m
i

Public 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=1
19 panel places
£47m158 awards in 36m · last this month63 live · £163m
i

Public 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.

7% below n=19
7 panel places
£36m52 awards in 36m · last this month17 live · £17m
i

Public 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=15
10 panel places
£44m92 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago33 live · £66m
i

Public 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.

11% below n=11
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.

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
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
9 Oct 2026, 11:20 BST
Last source update
9 Oct 2026, 11:54 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 26 Feb 2027
Authority reference
LACS26002HR
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-095559
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Information technology servicesSoftware package and information systems
Delivery area
North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)East Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)London (UKI)South East (UKJ)
+1 moreSouth West (UKK)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078481 Find a Tender
Contract terms summary

Payment Terms - 30 days for valid undisputed invoices

How to participate & submission route

Official notice
Requests to participate (first stage)
—
Tender submission deadline
20 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Submission of tender responses will be through Delta.

www.delta-esourcing.com ↗

Published estimate £1,500,000 excludes VAT (£1,500,000 including VAT).

Timeline

9 Oct 2026 → 10 Mar 2027 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published19 days ago
    9 Oct 2026, 11:20 BST
  2. Today
    28 Oct 2026
  3. Clarification questions byin 16 days
    13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
  4. Submission deadlinein 23 days
    20 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
  5. Award decision expected byin 121 days
    26 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT
  6. Contract startsin 132 days
    10 Mar 2027

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 9 Oct 2026
  1. Tender notice published
    9 Oct 2026, 11:20 BST
    UK4
  2. Tender notice published
    9 Oct 2026, 11:54 BST
    UK4
Published amendments (1)

Preference will be given to g-cloud Framework holders

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

LOOK AHEAD CARE AND SUPPORT LIMITED

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-COH: IP21004R · GB-PPON: PLBV-2915-MQYV 439 Caledonian Road, London, London, N7 9BGContact email

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender