Find a TenderAwardedContract details notice

Published 16 Sept 2025, 09:00 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Wessex Learning Trust - Provision of Human Resources Information System

Official notice

Authority: Wessex Learning Trust (Central government)·On behalf of: PHP LAW LLP

GoodsOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable

Sectors: Software Packages & ERP (48) Delivery: South West (UKK)

Published estimate£1,000,000≈ £333k / year · £1,200,000 inc. VAT

Submissions closed 23 Oct 2025awarded 17 Dec 2025

Awarded to Staff Absence Management Ltd

Contract term 3 yrsends 1 Apr 2029 · up to 1 Apr 2032 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

This tender opportunity was issued by Wessex Learning Trust ("the Trust"). The contract will be for the provision of a cloud-based HR System and the intention is to have fully implemented and operational systems in place for September 2026. Key products and services will include:

a. Bespoke Services - Bidders are encouraged to assess how they can deliver the HR Management Information System, demonstrating its effectiveness, how it will benefit the HR service whilst promoting efficiency.

b. Greater digitalisation, including employee and manager self-service.

c. Human Resources functions: enhanced efficiency of back-office services to enable effective absence management, contract management, case management and reporting.

d. The option to include Onboarding (including monitoring pre-employment checks), Establishment Management and Applicant Tracking, Performance and Learning management.

e. Support and account management: to include an effective and efficient transition/implementation, beneficial SLAs, contract reviews and KPI monitoring.

CPV: Business transaction and personal business software package · Time accounting or human resources software package

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published

Lot #1AwardedRenewal 3 yrsSMEPublished value£1,000,000

Contract period: 1 Apr 2026 – 1 Apr 2029 (3 yrs) · up to 1 Apr 2032 with extensionsValue: £1,000,000 exc. VAT · £1,200,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: South WestEligibility: SME eligible

Extensions: The estimated contract value for the HR system is £500k, to enable the inclusion of the following: *Contract extensions for a 3 further years *Additional Schools to join the Trust *CPI from year 2 In addition, a further £500k has been added to the contrct value to enable the potential for a payroll service to be included within the scope of the contract in the future. · Option of three further one year extensions (3+1+1+1)

48400000 Business transaction and personal business software package 48450000 Time accounting or human resources software package

Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2

Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check
Technical & professional ability
Please confirm whether you already have, or can commit to obtain, prior to the award of the contract, the requirements indicated below: Please confirm whether you already have, or can commit to obtain, prior to the award of the contract, the requirements indicated below:
- Cyber Essentials
- ISO/IEC 27001 – Information Security Management or equivalent
- ISO 9001 – Quality Management Systems or equivalent Confirm you have experience of similar contract delivery of implementing and supporting a cloud based HR system with capability of adding in a payroll service to the education sector. Three previous contract examples to be provided.

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 were scored

Quality: 60%Price: 40%

Published sub-criteria (8)

Technical Functionality: 10%
Core HR Functionality: 17.5%
Technical Requirements: 7.5%
Support & Maintenance: 7.5%
Account Management: 7.5%
Implementation & Training: 7.5%
Added Value: 2.5%
Cost: 40%

Published award criteria (8)

Technical Functionality
Core HR Functionality
Technical Requirements
Support & Maintenance
Account Management
Implementation & Training
Added Value
Cost

Conditions of participation2

Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check
Technical & professional ability
Please confirm whether you already have, or can commit to obtain, prior to the award of the contract, the requirements indicated below: Please confirm whether you already have, or can commit to obtain, prior to the award of the contract, the requirements indicated below:
- Cyber Essentials
- ISO/IEC 27001 – Information Security Management or equivalent
- ISO 9001 – Quality Management Systems or equivalent Confirm you have experience of similar contract delivery of implementing and supporting a cloud based HR system with capability of adding in a payroll service to the education sector. Three previous contract examples to be provided.

What this means for your bid

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: Goods
Notice status: Awarded
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: 16 Sept 2025, 09:00 BST
Last source update: 26 Oct 2026, 16:07 GMT
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 8 Dec 2025
Authority reference: WLT01.01
FTS notice number: 2025/S 000-056776
Latest notice: Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV): Business transaction and personal business software packageTime accounting or human resources software package
Delivery area: South West (UKK)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-059ada Find a Tender
Contract terms summary: An agreed payment profile will be formulated with the successful bidder. Example below: Milestone Description Payment % Contract Signature & Mobilisation - Project kick-off, resource allocation, initial planning - 10% System Configuration Setup of system modules, workflows, user roles, and integrations -20% Data Migration Transfer and validation of legacy HR data into the new system - 10% User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Completion of UAT with key stakeholders, issue resolution - 20% Training & Documentation Delivery of user training sessions and system manuals - 10% Go-Live Full deployment across the trust, system operational -20% Post-Implementation Review Final review after 30–60 days, performance check, transition to support phase -10%

Review and risk notes

Risks: Implementation Risks *Delayed Delivery *Missed milestones due to poor planning or resource constraints. Impact: Disruption to HR operations and trust-wide rollout. Data Migration Failures *Incomplete or inaccurate transfer of legacy HR data. Impact: Loss of critical employee records, payroll errors. Insufficient User Training *Poor adoption due to lack of training or support. Impact: Reduced system effectiveness and user frustration. Integration Issues *Failure to integrate with payroll, finance, or MIS systems. Impact: Manual workarounds, data silos, and inefficiencies. Operational Risks *System Downtime or Performance Issues Unreliable access or slow performance of the cloud platform. Impact: Interruptions to HR processes and reporting. Cybersecurity Breaches *Exposure of sensitive personal data due to weak security. Impact: Legal liability, reputational damage, ICO investigations. Non-Compliance with GDPR *Inadequate data protection measures or unclear data processing agreements. Impact: Regulatory penalties and trust-wide audits. Supplier Financial Instability *Risk of supplier insolvency or acquisition. Impact: Service disruption or loss of support. Contractual & Governance Risks *Ambiguous Service Level Agreements (SLAs) Lack of clarity on uptime, response times, and support obligations. Impact: Difficulty enforcing performance standards. Inadequate Exit Strategy *No clear plan for data retrieval or system transition at contract end. Impact: Vendor lock-in or costly migration. Change Control Failures *Unmanaged scope changes or feature requests. Impact: Budget overruns and timeline slippage. Lack of Performance Monitoring *No KPIs or regular reviews built into the contract. Impact: Issues go unnoticed until they escalate.

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: EU-Supply (CTM) · Who buys & how to bid on EU-Supply

Public notice page · account needed to bidElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN

Access & registration note: Free · 5–10 minutes

Submission deadline: 23 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline: 23 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
Submission channel: Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission: Allowed
Accepted languages: en

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_… ↗

Timeline

16 Sept 2025 → 26 Oct 2026 · 8 dates

Tender notice published
16 Sept 2025, 09:00 BST
Clarification questions by368 days ago
23 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
Submission deadline368 days ago
23 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
Award decision expected by322 days ago
8 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
Assessment summaries sent295 days ago
5 Jan 2026
Standstill ends285 days ago
14 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
Contract starts209 days ago
1 Apr 2026
Latest notice published10h ago
26 Oct 2026, 16:07 GMT

Notice history

6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 16 Sept 2025

Tender notice published
16 Sept 2025, 09:00 BST
UK4
Contract award notice published
5 Jan 2026, 16:50 GMT
UK6
Status changed to complete
5 Jan 2026, 16:50 GMT
Buyer details updated
5 Jan 2026, 16:50 GMT
Contract signature expected
30 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
scheduled
Contract details notice published
26 Oct 2026, 16:07 GMT
UK7

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £1,000,0001 award exc. VAT

Bids received 44 from SMEs

Contracts signed 1latest 22 Oct 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Staff Absence Management LtdSMEProvision of Human Resources Information System1 Apr 2026 – 1 Apr 2029 · up to 1 Apr 2032Extensions: Option of three further one year extensions (3+1+1+1) · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. The estimated contract value for the HR system is £500k, to enable the inclusion of the following: Contract extensions for a 3 further years Additional Schools to join the Trust *CPI from year 2 In addition, a further £500k has been added to the contract value to enable the potential for a payroll service to be included within the scope of the contract in the future.	£1,000,000	17 Dec 2025	Awarded

Contracts

Provision of Human Resources Information System · Staff Absence Management LtdSME
Signed
22 Oct 2026
Value
£1,000,000
Period
22 Oct 2026 – 1 Apr 2029 · up to 1 Apr 2032 with extensions
Status
active
Extensions
Option of three further one year extensions (3+1+1+1)
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. The estimated contract value for the HR system is £500k, to enable the inclusion of the following: *Contract extensions for a 3 further years *Additional Schools to join the Trust *CPI from year 2 In addition, a further £500k has been added to the contract value to enable the potential for a payroll service to be included within the scope of the contract in the future.
3 agreed KPIs: Response time two (2) hour average · First time support rate · System Availability rate
- Response time two (2) hour average
- First time support rate
- System Availability rate

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
4final-stage tenders · 6 at stage one	4	0	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

WESSEX LEARNING TRUST

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentPublic authority - central government GB-COH: 07348580 · GB-PPON: PMBL-4155-MYDV The Kings Of Wessex Academy, Cheddar, South West, BS27 3AQContact email

Consortium members and other public bodies

PHP LAW LLPProcess contact pointProcuring entityProcurement AdvisorGB-COH: OC429243GB-PPON: PPRM-9434-VNYQ Totnes, South WestContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

STAFF ABSENCE MANAGEMENT LTDAwarded supplierGB-COH: 09098826GB-PPON: PPNY-1916-DQXG Fora - Great Eastern Street, 4th Floor, 21-33 Great Eastern Street,, London, London, EC2A 3EJContact email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender26 Oct 2026, 16:07 GMT
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender5 Jan 2026, 16:50 GMT
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender16 Sept 2025, 09:00 BST