Tender

Wessex Learning Trust - Provision of Human Resources Information System

Wessex Learning Trust

UK4: Tender notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-056776

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-059ada

Published 16 September 2025, 9:00am

Scope

Reference

WLT01.01

Description

This tender opportunity has been issued by Wessex Learning Trust ("the Trust"). The proposed contract will be for the provision of a cloud-based HR System and the intention is to have fully implemented and operational systems in place for September 2026. Key products and services will include: a. Bespoke Services - Bidders are encouraged to assess how they can deliver the HR Management Information System, demonstrating its effectiveness, how it will benefit the HR service whilst promoting efficiency. b. Greater digitalisation, including employee and manager self-service. c. Human Resources functions: enhanced efficiency of back-office services to enable effective absence management, contract management, case management and reporting. d. The option to include Onboarding (including monitoring pre-employment checks), Establishment Management and Applicant Tracking, Performance and Learning management. e. Support and account management: to include an effective and efficient transition/implementation, beneficial SLAs, contract reviews and KPI monitoring.

Total value (estimated)

£1,000,000 excluding VAT
£1,200,000 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Contract dates (estimated)

1 April 2026 to 1 April 2029
Possible extension to 1 April 2032
6 years, 1 day

Description of possible extension:

Option of three further one year extensions (3+1+1+1)

Options

The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.

The estimated contract value for the HR system is £500k, to enable the inclusion of the following: *Contract extensions for a 3 further years *Additional Schools to join the Trust *CPI from year 2 In addition, a further £500k has been added to the contrct value to enable the potential for a payroll service to be included within the scope of the contract in the future.

Main procurement category

Goods

Additional procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

48450000 - Time accounting or human resources software package
48400000 - Business transaction and personal business software package

Contract locations

UKK - South West (England)

Participation

Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation

A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check

Technical ability conditions of participation

Please confirm whether you already have, or can commit to obtain, prior to the award of the contract, the requirements indicated below: Please confirm whether you already have, or can commit to obtain, prior to the award of the contract, the requirements indicated below: • Cyber Essentials • ISO/IEC 27001 - Information Security Management or equivalent • ISO 9001 - Quality Management Systems or equivalent Confirm you have experience of similar contract delivery of implementing and supporting a cloud based HR system with capability of adding in a payroll service to the education sector. Three previous contract examples to be provided.

Particular suitability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Submission

Enquiry deadline

23 October 2025, 12:00pm

Tender submission deadline

23 October 2025, 12:00pm

Submission address and any special instructions

https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=97871&B=

Tenders may be submitted electronically

Yes

Languages that may be used for submission

English

Award decision date (estimated)

8 December 2025

Award criteria

This table contains award criteria for this lot
Name	Description	Type	Weighting
Cost	Cost	Cost	40%
Core HR Functionality	Core HR Functionality	Quality	17.5%
Technical Functionality	Technical Functionality	Quality	10%
Technical Requirements	Technical Requirements	Quality	7.5%
Support & Maintenance	Support & Maintenance	Quality	7.5%
Account Management	Account Management	Quality	7.5%
Implementation & Training	Implementation & Training	Quality	7.5%
Added Value	Added Value	Quality	2.5%

Other information

Payment terms

An agreed payment profile will be formulated with the successful bidder. Example below: Milestone Description Payment % Contract Signature & Mobilisation - Project kick-off, resource allocation, initial planning - 10% System Configuration Setup of system modules, workflows, user roles, and integrations -20% Data Migration Transfer and validation of legacy HR data into the new system - 10% User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Completion of UAT with key stakeholders, issue resolution - 20% Training & Documentation Delivery of user training sessions and system manuals - 10% Go-Live Full deployment across the trust, system operational -20% Post-Implementation Review Final review after 30-60 days, performance check, transition to support phase -10%

Description of risks to contract performance

Implementation Risks *Delayed Delivery *Missed milestones due to poor planning or resource constraints. Impact: Disruption to HR operations and trust-wide rollout. Data Migration Failures *Incomplete or inaccurate transfer of legacy HR data. Impact: Loss of critical employee records, payroll errors. Insufficient User Training *Poor adoption due to lack of training or support. Impact: Reduced system effectiveness and user frustration. Integration Issues *Failure to integrate with payroll, finance, or MIS systems. Impact: Manual workarounds, data silos, and inefficiencies. Operational Risks *System Downtime or Performance Issues Unreliable access or slow performance of the cloud platform. Impact: Interruptions to HR processes and reporting. Cybersecurity Breaches *Exposure of sensitive personal data due to weak security. Impact: Legal liability, reputational damage, ICO investigations. Non-Compliance with GDPR *Inadequate data protection measures or unclear data processing agreements. Impact: Regulatory penalties and trust-wide audits. Supplier Financial Instability *Risk of supplier insolvency or acquisition. Impact: Service disruption or loss of support. Contractual & Governance Risks *Ambiguous Service Level Agreements (SLAs) Lack of clarity on uptime, response times, and support obligations. Impact: Difficulty enforcing performance standards. Inadequate Exit Strategy *No clear plan for data retrieval or system transition at contract end. Impact: Vendor lock-in or costly migration. Change Control Failures *Unmanaged scope changes or feature requests. Impact: Budget overruns and timeline slippage. Lack of Performance Monitoring *No KPIs or regular reviews built into the contract. Impact: Issues go unnoticed until they escalate.

Applicable trade agreements

Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes

Procedure

Procedure type

Open procedure

Contracting authority