Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Cafcass
70 Grays Inn Road
London
WC1X 8NH
Contact
Mrs Jane Bate
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Social protection
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Human Resources (HR), Payroll, Finance, Recruitment, Learning Development and Procurement Systems – Soft Market Testing CAF409-23
Reference number
CAF409-23
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Our requirement
Cafcass is interested in further enhancing its operations, and as part of this work is focussing on key improvements in the following areas:
• HR
• Payroll
• Recruitment and onboarding
• Planning and budgeting
• Financial management
• Accounts payable
• Fixed assets management
• Learning, development and talent management
• Procurement and contract management
• Analytics relating to the above areas
Currently, Cafcass uses a mix of best of bread systems to provide the above functionality, merging data sets where possible to meet business intelligence and system integration needs. The following cloud-hosted SaaS systems are currently in operation at Cafcass:
• MHR iTrent
• Tableau
• VMS Bridge
• Advanced (Cloud Financials, Collaborative Planning, Making Tax Digital)
• Proactis Procontract
• Networx Recruitment
• Learning Nexus
• Adapt
• Experian
• Experian Rio
• PowerBI
• Business Objects
• Microsoft Forms
• Microsoft PowerApps
• Microsoft Power Automate
Contracts for several of the above solutions are approaching end of life and therefore Cafcass are taking this opportunity to understand current market opportunities. The purpose of this soft market test is to gain intelligence on the supply market for our system needs, including timescales and indicative budget.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Contracting authority
Cafcass (Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service)
Scope of procurement
Title
Human Resources (HR), Payroll, Finance, Recruitment, Learning Development and Procurement Systems – Soft Market Testing
Description of procurement
Our organisation
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) was established on 1st April 2001 as part of the government commitment to supporting children and families. It brought together the services previously provided by the Family Court Welfare Service, the Guardian ad Litem services, and the Children’s division of the Official Solicitor’s Office. Cafcass is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is a non-departmental public body.
Cafcass is independent of the courts, social services, education and health and work across England. Our workforce operates flexibility from any of our 30+ bases across England, and benefit from remote working. Cafcass are one of the largest employers of social workers in England and currently employ around 2300 staff.
Our remit
Cafcass operate within the law set by Parliament (Criminal Justice and Court Services Act, 2000) and under the rules and directions of the family courts. Their role is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children going through the family justice system by understanding their experiences and speaking up for them when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures.
Family Court Advisors may be asked by the courts to work with children and families then advise the court on what we consider to be in the best interests of children in 3 main areas:
• divorce and separation, sometimes called ‘private law,’ where parents or carers are unable to agree on arrangements for their children;
• care proceedings, sometimes called ‘public law’ where children’s services have serious concerns about the safety or welfare of a child; and
• adoption, which can be either private or public law.
Our requirement
Cafcass is interested in further enhancing its operations, and as part of this work is focussing on key improvements in the following areas:
• HR
• Payroll
• Recruitment and onboarding
• Planning and budgeting
• Financial management
• Accounts payable
• Fixed assets management
• Learning, development and talent management
• Procurement and contract management
• Analytics relating to the above areas
Currently, Cafcass uses a mix of best of bread systems to provide the above functionality, merging data sets where possible to meet business intelligence and system integration needs. The following cloud-hosted SaaS systems are currently in operation at Cafcass:
• MHR iTrent
• Tableau
• VMS Bridge
• Advanced (Cloud Financials, Collaborative Planning, Making Tax Digital)
• Proactis Procontract
• Networx Recruitment
• Learning Nexus
• Adapt
• Experian
• Experian Rio
• PowerBI
• Business Objects
• Microsoft Forms
• Microsoft PowerApps
• Microsoft Power Automate
Contracts for several of the above solutions are approaching end of life and therefore Cafcass are taking this opportunity to understand current market opportunities. The purpose of this soft market test is to gain intelligence on the supply market for our system needs, including timescales and indicative budget.
The challenges we are currently facing include:
• Inefficiencies moving data in and out of systems.
• Lack of self-service financial management.
• Multiple providers/contracts to manage and solutions to integrate.
• Ongoing challenges to resources available to run our business areas.
• Excessive onboarding time for new staff.
• Process inefficiencies for staff using multiple systems and user interfaces.
We are interested in understanding options for a partner to provide a fully integrated cloud-based enterprise solution covering the above business areas. Cafcass will be interested at looking at possible options surrounding Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or integrated best of breed solutions.
This notice is for prior information only and is intended as pre-market engagement. We intend to hold a supplier presentation in March 2024 via Teams. Suppliers wishing to participate should register by responding via the Pro Contract system by the 29th of February. Following this session, interested parties will be invited to provide a pre-market demonstration to highlight the capabilities of their solution.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
31 May 2024
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