Tender

Westcountry Schools Trust Provision of HR System & Payroll Service

Westcountry Schools Trust

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

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-076666

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-05e7db

Published 24 November 2025, 6:24pm

Scope

Reference

WCST01.20

Description

1. This tender opportunity has been issued by Westcountry Schools Trust ("the Trust") and Contractors are invited to tender for the provision of a HR System and Fully Managed Payroll Service ("the Service").

Total value (estimated)

£1,050,000 excluding VAT
£1,260,000 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Contract dates (estimated)

26 February 2026 to 25 February 2029
Possible extension to 25 February 2033
7 years

Description of possible extension:

the option of one further 2 year extension with a further option of two further one year extensions (3+2+1+1)

Options

The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.

To include: -additional optional HR Modules and Commissionable Services. -ability to include additional schools to the payroll and HR system should additional schools join the Trust. -ability to include a trading subsidiary to the payroll and HR system should the Trust add this to their organisational structure.

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

79631000 - Personnel and payroll services
48450000 - Time accounting or human resources software package
79211110 - Payroll management services

Contract locations

IE053 - South-West

Participation

Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation

A financial appraisal will be based upon a credit check Insurance a. Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £5m b. Public Liability Insurance = £10m c.Professional Indemnity = £1m d. Cyber Insurance = £1m

Technical ability conditions of participation

Provide upto 3 relevant previous contract examples. To constitute a pass, the contract examples provided shall be relevant to the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer's established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts. The contracts must be within the education sector and similar complexity. Tenderers confirm they have or be committed to have in place at point of contract signature: 1) Be supported by ISO27001 or Cyber Essentials (or equivalent) accreditation. 2) Accredited with the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP),Payroll Assurance Scheme or equivalent.

Particular suitability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Submission

Enquiry deadline

12 January 2026, 12:00pm

Tender submission deadline

12 January 2026, 12:00pm

Submission address and any special instructions

https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=100063&TID105322&B=

Tenders may be submitted electronically

Yes

Languages that may be used for submission

English

Award decision date (estimated)

13 February 2026

Recurring procurement

Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 1 November 2032

Award criteria

This table contains award criteria for this lot
Name	Description	Type	Weighting
Fully Inclusive Annual Service Cost	Fully Inclusive Annual Service Cost	Cost	30%
Service Provision	Service Provision	Quality	20%
Service Delivery	Service Delivery	Quality	20%
Expertise?Experience	Expertise?Experience	Quality	10%
Quality of Service	Quality of Service	Quality	10%
Implementation Cost	Implementation Cost	Cost	5%
Tables C-F Annual Service Costs for Different Employee Bandings	Tables C-F Annual Service Costs for Different Employee Bandings	Cost	5%

Other information

Payment terms

The Trust requires the following payment profile: a. Table A Implementation Costs i. 25% invoiced upon Contract Signature ii. 25% invoiced upon completion of the build iii. 25% following completion of testing iv. 25% following go live plus 1 month b. Table B All Inclusive Cost i. 1st Month Invoice in Arrears following the end of the month after Go Live. ii. The invoice will be the cost per payslip under Table B * by the actual number of payslips processed. c. Commissionable Items i. Charged post Go Live in arrears, separately itemised in the All-Inclusive Cost Monthly Invoice d. Optional Add-Ons i. Additional Functionality Implementation. Charged against the same breakdown model as Table A ii. Additional Functionality Annual Cost - Charged annually in advance. e. All pricing is fixed for the contract duration including extensions, subject to CPI inflation which can be applied each year on the anniversary of Contract Commencement. Contract Invoicing The Contractor shall operate the Service efficiently and provide a commercial solution that offers best value to the Trust, proactively assessing where efficiencies can be made and discussing these and their cost benefits with the Trust. The Contractor shall submit invoices and associated documentation by email and in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the contract. Invoicing will be monthly, in arrears from the end of the previous month. Costs of providing new schools to the Trust will be based upon a price per payslip. Where, during a monthly period, it has been identified, and agreed, that adjustments are required (in respect of service credits, additional works, errors or omissions), these will be taken account of within the invoice for the following month.

Description of risks to contract performance

Compliance & Regulatory Risks Failure to meet GDPR, HMRC, LGPS, and TPS standards can lead to legal penalties and reputational damage. Incorrect pension contributions or PAYE submissions may result in fines and audit failures. Data Security & Confidentiality Outsourcing introduces vulnerabilities in handling sensitive employee data (payroll, medical records). Breaches or mismanagement of data by the provider could expose the Trust to GDPR liabilities. Operational Risks Poor integration between HR and payroll systems can cause duplication, errors, and delays in pay runs. Lack of robust validation controls may lead to inaccurate data entry and compliance failures. Vendor Performance Risks Service gaps or delays in resolving critical payroll issues can disrupt staff payments and erode trust. Limited oversight and dependency on the provider for system updates and maintenance. Integration Failures Poor HR-Payroll integration leads to manual work, errors, and compliance penalties. Education-Specific Compliance Challenges PAYE and HMRC real-time reporting. Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) and Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) compliance. Auto-enrolment and minimum wage adherence for term-time staff.

Applicable trade agreements

Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes

Procedure

Procedure type

Open procedure

Justification for not publishing a preliminary market engagement notice

The requirements are not complex or niche and the Contracting Authority already has an understanding of what they want the service to deliver and the market is known.

Contracting authority