Official UK procurement notice
Procurement of an HR and Payroll System
Authority: Look Ahead Care & Support Ltd
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe 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 publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£1,500,000
- 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 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 (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
- 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.
- 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) →
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.
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.
No winner locations published for this authority. Local means a registered address in the region where that award was delivered.
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.
Half of these awards have an award date within 48 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.
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.
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 bid13%
2–333%
4–624%
7+30%
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 estimate41%
Within ±2%45%
Above estimate14%
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 #1CPV 7222Published estimate£1.5m
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 bid6%
2–321%
4–630%
7+43%
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.
Middle 50%£1.4m–£1.5m
Estimate£1.5m
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.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
DeloitteLarge | £277m111 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 25 live · £237m 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. | 3% below n=14 |
Infosys LimitedLarge | £88m12 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 3 live · £84m 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=1 |
CIVICA UK LIMITEDLarge | £47m158 awards in 36m · last this month | 63 live · £163m 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. | 7% below n=19 |
| £36m52 awards in 36m · last this month | 17 live · £17m 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=15 | |
Access UK LtdLarge | £44m92 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 33 live · £66m 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. | 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)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078481Find 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
Submission of tender responses will be through Delta.
Timeline
9 Oct 2026 → 10 Mar 2027 · 5 dates- Tender notice published19 days ago9 Oct 2026, 11:20 BST
- Today28 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 16 days13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 23 days20 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 121 days26 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 132 days10 Mar 2027
Notice history
2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 9 Oct 2026- Tender notice published9 Oct 2026, 11:20 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published9 Oct 2026, 11:54 BSTUK4
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
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender