Official UK procurement notice
Westcountry Schools Trust Provision of HR System and Payroll Service
Authority: Westcountry Schools Trust (Education)·On behalf of: PHP LAW LLP
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis tender opportunity was issued by Westcountry Schools Trust and Contractors were invited to tender for the provision of a HR System and Fully Managed Payroll Service.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Nov 2032, 23:59 GMT.
- No preliminary market engagement: The requirements are not complex or niche and the Contracting Authority already has an understanding of what they want the service to deliver and the market is known.
CPV: Payroll management services · Personnel and payroll services · Time accounting or human resources software package
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£1,050,000
- Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check Insurance a. Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £5m b. Public Liability Insurance = £10m c.Professional Indemnity = £1m d. Cyber Insurance = £1m
- Technical & professional ability
Provide upto 3 relevant previous contract examples. To constitute a pass, the contract examples provided shall be relevant to the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer’s established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts. The contracts must be within the education sector and similar complexity. Tenderers confirm they have or be committed to have in place at point of contract signature: 1) Be supported by ISO27001 or Cyber Essentials (or equivalent) accreditation. 2) Accredited with the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP),Payroll Assurance Scheme or equivalent.
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 (7)
- Service Provision: 20%
- Service Delivery: 20%
- Expertise?Experience: 10%
- Quality of Service: 10%
- Fully Inclusive Annual Service Cost: 30%
- Implementation Cost: 5%
- Tables C-F Annual Service Costs for Different Employee Bandings: 5%
Published award criteria (7)
- Service Provision
- Service Delivery
- Expertise?Experience
- Quality of Service
- Fully Inclusive Annual Service Cost
- Implementation Cost
- Tables C-F Annual Service Costs for Different Employee Bandings
- Economic & financial standing
A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check Insurance a. Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £5m b. Public Liability Insurance = £10m c.Professional Indemnity = £1m d. Cyber Insurance = £1m
- Technical & professional ability
Provide upto 3 relevant previous contract examples. To constitute a pass, the contract examples provided shall be relevant to the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer’s established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts. The contracts must be within the education sector and similar complexity. Tenderers confirm they have or be committed to have in place at point of contract signature: 1) Be supported by ISO27001 or Cyber Essentials (or equivalent) accreditation. 2) Accredited with the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP),Payroll Assurance Scheme or equivalent.
- 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
- Services
- 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
- Yes · next expected 1 Nov 2032
- First published
- 24 Nov 2025, 18:24 GMT
- Last source update
- 30 Apr 2026, 10:28 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 13 Feb 2026
- Authority reference
WCST01.20- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-076666- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area in notice
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e7dbFind a Tender- Contract terms summary
The Trust requires the following payment profile: a. Table A Implementation Costs i. 25% invoiced upon Contract Signature ii. 25% invoiced upon completion of the build iii. 25% following completion of testing iv. 25% following go live plus 1 month b. Table B All Inclusive Cost i. 1st Month Invoice in Arrears following the end of the month after Go Live. ii. The invoice will be the cost per payslip under Table B * by the actual number of payslips processed. c. Commissionable Items i. Charged post Go Live in arrears, separately itemised in the All-Inclusive Cost Monthly Invoice d. Optional Add-Ons i. Additional Functionality Implementation. Charged against the same breakdown model as Table A ii. Additional Functionality Annual Cost – Charged annually in advance. e. All pricing is fixed for the contract duration including extensions, subject to CPI inflation which can be applied each year on the anniversary of Contract Commencement. Contract Invoicing The Contractor shall operate the Service efficiently and provide a commercial solution that offers best value to the Trust, proactively assessing where efficiencies can be made and discussing these and their cost benefits with the Trust. The Contractor shall submit invoices and associated documentation by email and in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the contract. Invoicing will be monthly, in arrears from the end of the previous month. Costs of providing new schools to the Trust will be based upon a price per payslip. Where, during a monthly period, it has been identified, and agreed, that adjustments are required (in respect of service credits, additional works, errors or omissions), these will be taken account of within the invoice for the following month.
- Risks
Compliance & Regulatory Risks Failure to meet GDPR, HMRC, LGPS, and TPS standards can lead to legal penalties and reputational damage. Incorrect pension contributions or PAYE submissions may result in fines and audit failures. Data Security & Confidentiality Outsourcing introduces vulnerabilities in handling sensitive employee data (payroll, medical records). Breaches or mismanagement of data by the provider could expose the Trust to GDPR liabilities. Operational Risks Poor integration between HR and payroll systems can cause duplication, errors, and delays in pay runs. Lack of robust validation controls may lead to inaccurate data entry and compliance failures. Vendor Performance Risks Service gaps or delays in resolving critical payroll issues can disrupt staff payments and erode trust. Limited oversight and dependency on the provider for system updates and maintenance. Integration Failures Poor HR–Payroll integration leads to manual work, errors, and compliance penalties. Education-Specific Compliance Challenges PAYE and HMRC real-time reporting. Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) compliance. Auto-enrolment and minimum wage adherence for term-time staff.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 12 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 12 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
24 Nov 2025 → 30 Apr 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published338 days ago24 Nov 2025, 18:24 GMT
- Clarification questions by289 days ago12 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadline289 days ago12 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by257 days ago13 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts245 days ago26 Feb 2026
- Assessment summaries sent238 days ago5 Mar 2026
- Standstill ends226 days ago16 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Latest notice published181 days ago30 Apr 2026, 10:28 BST
Notice history
6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 24 Nov 2025- Tender notice published24 Nov 2025, 18:24 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published5 Mar 2026, 16:29 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete5 Mar 2026, 16:29 GMT
- Buyer details updated5 Mar 2026, 16:29 GMT
- Contract signature expected17 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Contract details notice published30 Apr 2026, 10:28 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access UK LtdWestcountry Schools Trust Provision of HR System & Payroll Service17 Mar 2026 – 16 Mar 2029 · up to 16 Mar 2033Extensions: The option of one further 2 year extension with a further option of two further one year extensions (3+2+1+1) · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. To include: -additional optional HR Modules and Commissionable Services. -ability to include additional schools to the payroll and HR system should additional schools join the Trust. -ability to include a trading subsidiary to the payroll and HR system should the Trust add this to their organisational structure. | £615,600 | 4 Mar 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Westcountry Schools Trust Provision of HR System and Payroll Service · Access UK Ltd
- Signed
- 17 Mar 2026
- Value
- £615,600
- Period
- 17 Mar 2026 – 16 Mar 2029 · up to 16 Mar 2033 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- The option of one further 2 year extension with a further option of two further one year extensions (3+2+1+1)
- Options
- The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. To include: additional optional HR Modules and Commissionable Services. ability to include additional schools to the payroll and HR system should additional schools join the Trust. ability to include a trading subsidiary to the payroll and HR system should the Trust add this to their organisational structure.
4 agreed KPIs: Accuracy Pay · Accuracy Statutory Reporting · Timeliness Pay …
- Accuracy Pay, 98% Measured by no of payments made in period which are accurate divided by total payments made in period
- Accuracy Statutory Reporting, 100%
- Timeliness Pay, 100% paid on the agreed payment day Measured by no of payments made for period which were on time divided by total payments made for period
- Timeliness Statutory Reporting, 100%
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9final-stage tenders · 11 at stage one | 5 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- PHP LAW LLPProcess contact pointProcuring entityProcurement Consultant
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Access UK LimitedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender