Scope
Reference
HCC2516611
Description
Hertfordshire County Council is currently out to procurement for the Provision of an Applicant Tracking System
The current contract for the provision of an Applicant Tracking System will expire in March 2026. The primary goal of this procurement is to secure a new contract that aligns with Hertfordshire County Council's price and quality specifications.
In November 2024, PPME was conducted under the PCR2015 ref: 2024/S 000-037432 and by consulting with the following groups:
Suppliers registered with the Council's e-tendering system completed a questionnaire.
Other Local Authorities that utilise an Applicant Tracking System and
Engagement with internal stakeholders who will be using the system
The objectives of this engagement were to:
Shape our requirements specification,
Understand how the market has evolved and what new functionalities are available since the Council last tendered for this contract.
Determine contract length and budgets that are suitable for both the Council and Suppliers, ensuring they align with our requirements.
Assist with establishing timelines for the procurement process, including implementation and mobilisation period.
Explore future innovations in the sector that could be incorporated into the contract during this term.
Provide evidence to support our key requirement of making the system user-friendly and enabling the automation of processes to reduce manual administration.
The findings from the PPME have been factored into the agreed tender process and supporting documentation.
Since the Council published its PPME, the English Devolution white paper, was published in December 2024. It outlines the Central Government's plan to reform local government. These changes are expected to occur during the tenure of this Contract, potentially altering the structure, shape and size of the organisation, though the specifics are currently unknown. Therefore, the services of this Contract may be expanded, contracted, or otherwise adjusted by mutual agreement with the successful Tenderer to reflect changes in local or regional priorities arising from devolution. Any changes shall be subject to a Variation procedure and priced accordingly and must be in accordance with public procurement legislation and Council contracting regulations.
The Contract has not been split into lots as the Council is purchasing one solution to be managed by one central team, the Applicant Tracking System purchased will fulfil all our requirements and it is not reasonably practicable for it to be supplied by more than one Supplier.
The Council will procure this contract using the Competitive Flexible Procedure as defined in the Procurement Act 2023, which will allow us to run a multistage procurement process as explained above.
Organisations wishing to take part in this project are invited to 'express an interest' and also 'opt in' which will give access to the full procurement documents in the e-tendering system.
To be considered as a Tenderer you must complete and submit a Tender by the deadline of 12 noon on the 20th June 2025
Please allow sufficient time to make your return, as Tender submissions cannot be uploaded and submitted after this return deadline.
Please ensure that where possible documents are uploaded as a PDF and that file names are succinct.
Any questions relating to this procurement must be made via correspondence on the website, in accordance with the procurement documents, and can be addressed to the main contact as shown in the details above.
Tenderers should be aware that due to the nature of the Services provided, any Contract formed as a result of this procurement process shall be executed as a deed. Tenderers should seek independent legal advice on the implications of this prior to submitting their Tender, where appropriate.
Please note that the contract requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands.
To access this opportunity please visit https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home
If you are experiencing problems In-Tend offer a help section which includes a dedicated UK support desk which can be contacted via email: support@in-tend.co.uk or Telephone: +44 1144070065 for any website/technical questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:00.
The Council reserves the right at any time to cease the procurement process and not award a Contract or to award only part of the opportunity described in this notice. If the Council takes up this right, then they will not be responsible for or pay the expenses or losses, which may be incurred by any organisation or tenderer as a result.
As per the Procurement Act 2023, the Council reserves the right during the Award phase of this procurement exercise to: -
Amend the stages of the Competitive Flexible Procedure where further stages are required to come to a fuller understanding between parties of the scope or requirement or other such necessary elements.
Amend the specification
Define or refine sub-weightings, particularly for price if it is not possible to fix costs for significant element(s) of the Statement of Requirement.
Any amendments will be communicated in full to all Tenderers.
Total value (estimated)
- £450,000 excluding VAT
- £540,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 30 September 2025 to 1 April 2028
- Possible extension to 1 April 2030
- 4 years, 6 months, 2 days
Description of possible extension:
The core Contract Periods is two (2) years and six (6) months with the option to extend for up to two (2) further years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 72500000 - Computer-related services
- 79600000 - Recruitment services
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 48900000 - Miscellaneous software package and computer systems
- 48000000 - Software package and information systems
Contract locations
- UKH23 - Hertfordshire
Participation
Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Submission type
Tenders
Tender submission deadline
20 June 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
20 August 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Simple description | Please refer to Section 4 of the Instructions to Tenderers for a full breakdown of the Award Criteria Stage 1 - Part 1 and 2 consists of Pass/Fail criteria as listed in Section 4 Table A of the... |
Price |
Weighting description
Please refer to Section 4 of the Instructions to Tenderers for a full breakdown of the Award Criteria
Stage 1 - Part 1 and 2 consists of Pass/Fail criteria as listed in Section 4 Table A of the Instructions to Tenderers
Stage 1 - Part 3 - Award
Tier 1 - Price - 40%
Tier 2 - Pricing Schedule - 100%
Tier 1 - Quality - 60%
Tier 2 - System Capabilities and Features, core functionalities of an end-to-end automated process - 20%
Tier 2 - Implementation and Mobilisation - 10%
Tier 2 - Contract Management/...
Other information
Payment terms
Invoices are to be submitted to the Council, in accordance with the Prices and Payment clause in the Conditions of Contract. Payment will normally be made within thirty (30) days of receipt of a correct invoice.
Description of risks to contract performance
The Contract will be based on the Council's standard terms. There are no known immediate risks to performance during the initial two-year fixed term of this contract. However, a key strategic risk relates to potential future policy changes surrounding devolution and governance arrangements. Such changes could directly affect the structure, scope, or continuation of the contract beyond the fixed term. While no decisions have been made at this stage, the contracting authority is actively monitoring the evolving landscape. Suppliers should be aware that any resulting implications will be managed in accordance with applicable legislation and clear communication will be provided should any material change arise. Such changes will be agreed between both parties in writing with a variation.
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Competitive flexible procedure description
The Council will procure this contract using the Competitive Flexible Procedure as defined in the Procurement Act 2023, which will allow us to run a multistage procurement process, the process will be in 2 Stages as follows:
Stage 1 - Tenderers will complete the Response Document (including the pricing schedule) and submit in line with the deadlines outlined in section 2 of the Instructions to Tenderers document.
All Tenderers are required to pass Part 1 (Registration on FTS (CDP) and Exclusions Information) and Part 2 (Conditions of Participation and Project Specific Questions ) (Bid Forms 1 - 12) before proceeding to be evaluated and moderated at Part 3 - Award Criteria.
Stage 2 - The top three Tenderers based on scores from Bid Forms 13 to 19 (Part 3 - Award Criteria) will advance to Stage 2, where they will be invited to demonstrate their system and provide access to a test site for user evaluation.
Tenderers should be aware that the Council may raise clarifications based on your quality response before the top scoring Tenderers are invited to Stage 2.
Once Stage 2 is completed, the Council will collate all scores for stages 1 and 2 and the Council will award the Contract to the highest scoring organisation in terms of the stated award criteria.
Full details of the requirement and context of the procurement can be found in the Service Specification which is in Schedule 1 of the Contract Document.
For the full breakdown of the award criteria please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document (Section 4)
Documents
Associated tender documents
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home
Please either register or log in to the above web address, and then 'express interest' and 'opt in' in order to view the full set of documentation relating to this tender opportunity
Contracting authority
Hertfordshire County Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PWJT-5264-WYMY
County Hall
Hertford
SG13 8DQ
United Kingdom
Region: UKH23 - Hertfordshire
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government