Scope
Reference
5830322
Description
The Department of Finance's (DoF) Integr8 Programme is seeking to establish a contract for the provision of Payroll Administrative Services (PAS). The contract period will be for an initial 5 years with the option of two extension periods, the first up to 24 months and the second also up to 24 months. Please see the procurement documents which provide further information along with the full list of current and prospective Service Recipients.
The Buyer reserves the right to:
Under the Competitive Flexible Procedure, following the assessment of initial tender responses, to enter into negotiations if required.
Amend or adjust the indicative procurement stages at any time at its discretion, in accordance with the PA 2023 and the PR 2024.
Make such amendments as it may require to the Award criteria as per section 24 of PA 2023.
Make changes to the Contract and associated tender documents during the course of the procurement
Total value (estimated)
- £45,000,000 excluding VAT
- £54,000,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 22 July 2026 to 21 July 2031
- Possible extension to 21 July 2035
- 9 years
Description of possible extension:
There will be two options to extend; the first option up to 24 months and the second up to 24 months.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 79631000 - Personnel and payroll services
- 79211110 - Payroll management services
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
Conditions of Participation - Financial Capacity
CoP2 Minimum Annual Turnover
CoP3 General Assessment of Financial Standing
Technical ability conditions of participation
Conditions of Participation - Technical Ability Criteria
CoP1 Company Experience
CoP4 Human Rights
CoP5 Tackling Modern Slavery
CoP6 Data Protection
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
6 February 2026, 3:00pm
Submission type
Requests to participate
Tender submission deadline
17 February 2026, 3:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders must be submitted electronically via the relevant Call for Tender (CfT) opportunity on eTendersNI, website details immediately below.
Paper submissions will not be accepted or considered and will be rejected by the Contracting Authority / Buyer.
The tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
29 April 2026
Recurring procurement
Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 3 July 2034
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| MR1 Compliance with Requirements | Compliance with Requirements - Pass / Fail |
Quality |
| AC1 Managing a Quality Service - Payroll Processes | Payroll Processes 15.75 percent |
Quality |
| AC2 Managing a Quality Service - Service Delivery | Service Delivery 15.75 percent |
Quality |
| AC3 Testing Approach | Testing Approach 10.5 percent |
Quality |
| AC4 Implementation Plan, Transition & Approach | Implementation Plan, Transition & Approach 10.5 percent |
Quality |
| AC5 Team and Resourcing | Team and Resourcing 7 percent |
Quality |
| AC6 Social Value | Social Value 10.5 percent |
Quality |
| AC7 Cost | Cost 30 percent |
Cost |
Weighting description
70 percent quality and 30 percent cost
Other information
Payment terms
For details on invoicing procedures please see: https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/articles/account-ni-good-invoicing-practice
The estimated value figure indicated in the Scope Section represents an overall estimated contract value. This value reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account potential extension periods as detailed in the tender documents. This figure does not however take into account the application of indexation or increases to charges due to increases in the Real Living Wage. Neither CPD nor the Contracting Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Suppliers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Supplier in connection with taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and a Supplier shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority.
Description of risks to contract performance
A full list of participating bodies can be found in Schedule 17 (Service Recipients).
Exclusions
If at any time during the procurement, or post award, it comes to the attention of the Contracting Authority (CA) or CPD, by whatever means, that a Supplier has become 'excluded' or 'excludable' as per Sec 57 of the PA 2023, the CA, after compliance with its obligations under the PA 23, reserves the right to exclude said Supplier from the procurement procedure or terminate any contract they have been awarded.
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Competitive flexible procedure description
The procedure will follow a single-stage process, combining supplier assessment against the published Conditions of Participation with tender evaluation for those who qualify. If no award is made on initial tenders, the process will allow for negotiation before submission of final tenders.
Contracting authority
Department of Finance
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVTL-7513-YWVJ
Goodwood House, 44-58 May Street
Belfast
BT1 4NN
United Kingdom
Email: strategicdelivery.cpd@finance-ni.gov.uk
Website: https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/
Region: UKN06 - Belfast
Organisation type: Public authority - central government
Devolved regulations that apply: Northern Ireland
Other organisation
These organisations are carrying out the procurement, or part of it, on behalf of the contracting authorities.
CPD - Supplies & Services Division
Summary of their role in this procurement: Summary of their role in this procurement: Construction and Procurement Delivery - Supplies and Services Division, is a Centre of Procurement Expertise and provides a central procurement function for central government in Northern Ireland
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVWG-8426-YWXV
Clare House 303 Airport Road West
Belfast
BT3 9ED
United Kingdom
Region: UKN06 - Belfast