Planning

Electronic Bill Payment Services

  • STOKE-ON-TRENT CITY COUNCIL

F01: Prior information notice (prior information only)

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-004350

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-04dd47

Published 10 February 2025, 2:27pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

STOKE-ON-TRENT CITY COUNCIL

Civic Centre

STOKE-ON-TRENT

ST41HH

Contact

Agnes Ashun

Email

agnes.ashun@stoke.gov.uk

Telephone

+44 1782237651

Fax

+44 1782237651

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKG23 - Stoke-on-Trent

Justification for not providing organisation identifier

Not on any register

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.stoke.gov.uk/

Buyer's address

https://www.stoke.gov.uk/

one.3) Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Regional or local authority

one.5) Main activity

General public services


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Electronic Bill Payment Services

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 66110000 - Banking services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is seeking to procure a provider for electronic bill payment services that will allow residents to make payments at PayPoint and Post Office locations for council-related charges, including:

- Council Tax

- Housing Rent

- Other Miscellaneous Payments Owed to the Council

The selected provider must facilitate seamless payment processing, ensure timely deposit of funds into the council's bank account, and provide secure transaction reporting.

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 30162000 - Smart cards
  • 66172000 - Financial transaction processing and clearing-house services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKG23 - Stoke-on-Trent

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The contract will involve the provision of an electronic bill payment service with the following key features:

1. Payment Processing at PayPoint and Post Office Locations:

- Residents must be able to make payments at any PayPoint or Post Office location nationwide.

- Transactions must be processed efficiently, ensuring minimal delays.

2. Transaction Rerouting:

- The provider must ensure the rerouting of transactions is completed within 4 weeks of contract commencement without any disruption to customers.

3. Custom Reference Generation:

- The council must have the ability to generate and manage unique customer references for each payment transaction.

4. Third-Party Card Printing Integration:

- The provider must enable the council to use a third-party supplier to print bill payment cards as required.

5. Timely Income Management:

- Funds collected at PayPoint and Post Office locations must be deposited into the council's designated bank account within 3 working days.

- Income can be provided net of transaction fees.

6. Secure Reporting and Data Access:

- The provider must supply a secure web-based portal for transaction monitoring.

- Transaction data must be accessible in multiple formats, including:

- Downloadable reports in .csv format.

- Automated data transfers via SFTP.

- Real-time or scheduled data access via API integration to enable seamless data exchange with council systems.

7. Scalability and Flexibility:

- The solution must accommodate fluctuating transaction volumes.

- Estimated annual volume: 215,000 transactions (125,000 PayPoint, 90,000 Post Office).

The council wishes to continue fulfilling its current services to the same high standard, though recognizes the need to engage with the innovative providers within the market to better understand the wider offer which may be available in an ever developing digital service area.

If you are interested in any further discussions regarding this notice please contact Gabriella.brown@stoke.gov.uk with the reference 'Electronic Bill Payments' where additional details can be discussed.

two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice

1 April 2025


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes


Section six. Complementary information

six.3) Additional information

The procurement will be conducted as an open and competitive tender process, ensuring compliance with public sector procurement regulations.

This PIN serves as early notification to potential suppliers regarding this upcoming opportunity. Interested parties are encouraged to express interest and provide feedback on the proposed scope of services.