Award

EA Integrated Financial Management Information System Inc. HR/Payroll (Formerly the iFS Project / now known as the EA One Project)

  • the Education Authority

F15: Voluntary ex ante transparency notice

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-052127

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-058fa8

Published 28 August 2025, 4:04pm



Section one: Contracting authority/entity

one.1) Name and addresses

the Education Authority

40 Academy Street

Belfast

BT12NQ

Email

ict.procure@eani.org.uk

Telephone

+44 2890564000

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKN06 - Belfast

Justification for not providing organisation identifier

Not on any register

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.eani.org.uk

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Body governed by public law

one.5) Main activity

Education


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

EA Integrated Financial Management Information System Inc. HR/Payroll (Formerly the iFS Project / now known as the EA One Project)

Reference number

40622

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 72250000 - System and support services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

Provision of a fully integrated Finance and HR/Payroll system for the Education Authority

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)

Value excluding VAT: £39,200,000

two.2) Description

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKN - Northern Ireland

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The contract is for an integrated Financial Management Information system and HR/Payroll (including DE's Teachers' payrolls) to meet the Financial Accounting and Reporting requirements and the HR management and Payroll requirements of the Education Authority and the Department of Eduction.

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: Yes

Description of options

The initial contract duration for the iFS Contract will be for a period of ten (10) years. The contract will include an option to extend the contract for five (5) further periods of one (1) year (15 years in total).

two.2.14) Additional information

This VEAT is to inform the market of the proposal to modify this contract to enable the addition and introduction of an e-Invoicing Module to the iFS system.

The introduction of this Module will involve the addition of £988,666.00 to the Overall Contract Value.

The revised overall contract value would then be £40,188,666.00

There was a previous modification to this contract in June 2021.

This modification under Reg 72(1)(b) was approved and awarded after publishing a VEAT and a Modification Notice in June 2021.


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below

  • The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations

Explanation:

The legislation governing the Contract Modification is the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) and Regulation 72 (Modification of contracts during their term).

Regulation 72(1)(e) states; The changes are "not substantial', and further defines "not substantial" as under Regulation 72(8) of the PCRs as:

(a) the modification does not render the contract materially different in character;

(b) the modification does not introduce any conditions which, had they been part of the initial procurement, would have (i) allowed for admission of other candidates than those initially selected; (ii) allowed for the acceptance of a tender other than that originally accepted; or (iii) attracted additional participants in the procurement procedure;

(c) the modification does not change the economic balance of the contract in favour of the contractor;

(d) the modification does not extend the scope of the contract considerably; and

(e) the modification does not replace the contractor that the contract was initially awarded to.

The introduction of the e-Invoicing module to this contract does not:

(a) render the contract materially different in character - (this is an integral module to most modern Finance and Payment systems);

(b) it doesn't introduce any new conditions that would have allowed for the admission of other candidates, or, allowed for the acceptance of another tender, or, attracted additional participants in the original procurement procedure;

(c) the modification value of £988,666.00 represents a very small percentage increase (i.e. 3.2%) to the original contract value;

(d) the scope of the modification does not extend the scope of the contract considerably (it is a fairly small piece of functionality that is being added to the overall solution); and

(e) the modification does not replace the contractor that the contract was initially awarded to (the contract remains with Fujitsu).

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

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

four.2) Administrative information

four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure

Notice number: 2015/S 239-434558


Section five. Award of contract/concession

Contract No

40622

Title

INTEGRATED FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM INC. HR/PAYROLL

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract/concession

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

30 November 2015

five.2.2) Information about tenders

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire

Fujitsu Services Limited

Bracknell

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UK - United Kingdom
Companies House

00096056

The contractor/concessionaire is an SME

No

five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)

Lowest offer: £20,000,000 / Highest offer: £30,000,000 taken into consideration


Section six. Complementary information

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

The UK does not currently have any such bodies with responsibilities for appea/mediation procedures

Belfast

Country

United Kingdom