Award

Voluntary ex ante transparency notice - Provision of Firefighter Pension Administration and Pensioner Payroll Services

COUNTY DURHAM AND DARLINGTON FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

13 Feb 2025 at 09:29

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service has awarded a contract for the provision of Firefighter Pension Administration and Pensioner Payroll Services. This contract was awarded through a negotiated procedure without prior publication, under Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 due to technical reasons. The contract, valued at £119,161, will run from 24 February 2025 to 23 February 2028. The service covers pension administration, workflow, document imaging, and pensioner payroll for the firefighters' pension schemes, including monthly data collection and employer online services. Key procurement stages have been completed, with an award date of 12 February 2025 and a publication date of 13 February 2025, followed by a 10-day standstill period ending on 23 February 2025. This procurement falls under the industry category of Pension Fund Administration Services (CPV: 66523100).

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in pension administration services, particularly those with capabilities to manage comprehensive pensioner payroll and data management systems. The contract's requirement to handle legislative changes, such as the McCloud Judgment and LGPS re-evaluations, highlights the need for companies with robust technical expertise and stability. Businesses that can provide seamless integration with evolving public sector pension schemes and the upcoming National Pension Dashboard will find this contract well-suited to their strengths. Large-scale providers, like the named supplier – Contractor City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, are particularly well-suited given the complexity and continuity required for this procurement.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Start Free Trial Book a Demo
All Features Pricing

Notice Information

Notice Title

Voluntary ex ante transparency notice - Provision of Firefighter Pension Administration and Pensioner Payroll Services

Notice Description

A full pension administration service in respect of the Firefighters' Pension Scheme and includes workflow and document imaging functionality, pensioner payroll provision and a facility to make immediate payments and includes all active schemes. The requirement includes making the best use of systems including monthly data collection and employer on-line services. It is considered that this contract can be placed using the Negotiated Procedure without Prior Publication of a Contract Notice pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 on the basis that the contract may be awarded only to the Company for technical reasons. This VEAT notice is not a request for Expressions of Interest (EOI). This notice advises that County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority has decided to negotiate a contract with the named supplier on a single source basis and is published for reasons of transparency. The contract would be awarded for a further 3 years support of the Firefighter's pension scheme. Additional information: Negotiated without a prior call for competition The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: absence of competition for technical reasons Explanation: Regulation 32(2)(B)(ii) states: (2) The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases:- (b)where the works, supplies or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator for any of the following reasons:- (i)competition is absent for technical reasons The reasons for this are as follows: 1. In 2015, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Government's public sector pension changes unlawfully treated existing public sectors differently in relation to age discrimination. This is referred to as the McCloud Judgement. Public sector pension schemes are required to assess member benefits and make changes to member service, which will include paying compensation during the 'remedy period' which is April 2014 to March 2022. The huge impact and timing of McCloud on LGPS funds means that it is not possible to scope the technical requirements or implement a transition to a new software supplier to coincide with the current contract cycle. There is also the Matthews case which deals with a similar remedy for retained firefighters and is also having a huge impact. 2. The unreasonable cost (due to scarcity) of resource to dedicate to a transition to a new supplier, due to difficulty recruiting staff within the public sector pensions administration sector. 3.LGPS changes to the re-evaluation dates of the pensions have altered the technical parameters of the system. It would be a significant risk to move away from the incumbent system while this work is taking place. 4. The National Pension Dashboard, which is being developed by the Government will allow individuals to see all their pension benefits and pension savings in one place. It would be a significant risk to move away from the incumbent system before the due date as the transfer may jeopardise the ability to meet the onboarding deadlines. 5. The above changes in pensions regulations and associated law, which are outside the control of the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority means that the timescales required for procurement and transition to a new supplier (between 12 -18 months) are such that it is not technically possible for any other provider to fulfil the Authority's service requirements at the time required. The intention will be to run a competitive procurement process at around the end of year 3 of the proposed new contract. A 10-day standstill period will now commence which will expire midnight 23/02/2025

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-5a23e9bd-e97e-4497-b4a4-24e19b466da9
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/7495658c-a04e-49cb-a807-b5986f4c6345
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Other - Voluntary ex ante transparency notice
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

66 - Financial and insurance services

CPV Codes

66523100 - Pension fund administration services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£119,161 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£119,161 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
13 Feb 20251 years ago
Submission Deadline
23 Feb 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
12 Feb 20251 years ago
Contract Period
24 Feb 2025 - 23 Feb 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
COUNTY DURHAM AND DARLINGTON FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE
Contact Name
Tracy Ridley
Contact Email
tridley@ddfire.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 1TW
Post Town
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Belmont
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

CONTRACTOR CITY OF BRADFORD METROPOLITAN DISTRICT COUNCIL (AS

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-b5fd17-5a23e9bd-e97e-4497-b4a4-24e19b466da9-2025-02-13T09:29:03Z",
    "date": "2025-02-13T09:29:03Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-b5fd17-5a23e9bd-e97e-4497-b4a4-24e19b466da9",
    "language": "en",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "tender": {
        "id": "D&D 138",
        "title": "Voluntary ex ante transparency notice - Provision of Firefighter Pension Administration and Pensioner Payroll Services",
        "description": "A full pension administration service in respect of the Firefighters' Pension Scheme and includes workflow and document imaging functionality, pensioner payroll provision and a facility to make immediate payments and includes all active schemes. The requirement includes making the best use of systems including monthly data collection and employer on-line services. It is considered that this contract can be placed using the Negotiated Procedure without Prior Publication of a Contract Notice pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 on the basis that the contract may be awarded only to the Company for technical reasons. This VEAT notice is not a request for Expressions of Interest (EOI). This notice advises that County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority has decided to negotiate a contract with the named supplier on a single source basis and is published for reasons of transparency. The contract would be awarded for a further 3 years support of the Firefighter's pension scheme. Additional information: Negotiated without a prior call for competition The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: absence of competition for technical reasons Explanation: Regulation 32(2)(B)(ii) states: (2) The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases:- (b)where the works, supplies or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator for any of the following reasons:- (i)competition is absent for technical reasons The reasons for this are as follows: 1. In 2015, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Government's public sector pension changes unlawfully treated existing public sectors differently in relation to age discrimination. This is referred to as the McCloud Judgement. Public sector pension schemes are required to assess member benefits and make changes to member service, which will include paying compensation during the 'remedy period' which is April 2014 to March 2022. The huge impact and timing of McCloud on LGPS funds means that it is not possible to scope the technical requirements or implement a transition to a new software supplier to coincide with the current contract cycle. There is also the Matthews case which deals with a similar remedy for retained firefighters and is also having a huge impact. 2. The unreasonable cost (due to scarcity) of resource to dedicate to a transition to a new supplier, due to difficulty recruiting staff within the public sector pensions administration sector. 3.LGPS changes to the re-evaluation dates of the pensions have altered the technical parameters of the system. It would be a significant risk to move away from the incumbent system while this work is taking place. 4. The National Pension Dashboard, which is being developed by the Government will allow individuals to see all their pension benefits and pension savings in one place. It would be a significant risk to move away from the incumbent system before the due date as the transfer may jeopardise the ability to meet the onboarding deadlines. 5. The above changes in pensions regulations and associated law, which are outside the control of the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority means that the timescales required for procurement and transition to a new supplier (between 12 -18 months) are such that it is not technically possible for any other provider to fulfil the Authority's service requirements at the time required. The intention will be to run a competitive procurement process at around the end of year 3 of the proposed new contract. A 10-day standstill period will now commence which will expire midnight 23/02/2025",
        "status": "complete",
        "classification": {
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "id": "66523100",
            "description": "Pension fund administration services"
        },
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "postalCode": "DH1 1TW"
                    }
                ]
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amount": 119161,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Other - Voluntary ex ante transparency notice",
        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2025-02-23T23:59:00Z"
        },
        "contractPeriod": {
            "startDate": "2025-02-24T00:00:00Z",
            "endDate": "2028-02-23T23:59:59Z"
        },
        "suitability": {
            "sme": false,
            "vcse": false
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services"
    },
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-SRS-sid4gov.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/p6mu7UBB",
            "name": "County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service",
                "scheme": "GB-SRS",
                "id": "sid4gov.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/p6mu7UBB"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "CDDFRS, Belmont Business Park",
                "locality": "Durham",
                "postalCode": "DH1 1TW",
                "countryName": "England"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Tracy Ridley",
                "email": "tridley@ddfire.gov.uk"
            },
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.ddfire.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ]
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-CFS-309629",
            "name": "Contractor City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (as ad",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "Contractor City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (as ad"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "City Hall, Bradford. BD1 1HY"
            },
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ]
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-SRS-sid4gov.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/p6mu7UBB",
        "name": "County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service"
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "ocds-b5fd17-5a23e9bd-e97e-4497-b4a4-24e19b466da9-1",
            "status": "active",
            "date": "2025-02-12T00:00:00Z",
            "datePublished": "2025-02-13T09:29:03Z",
            "value": {
                "amount": 119161,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-CFS-309629",
                    "name": "Contractor City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (as ad"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2025-02-24T00:00:00Z",
                "endDate": "2028-02-23T23:59:59Z"
            },
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "description": "Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder",
                    "url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/7495658c-a04e-49cb-a807-b5986f4c6345",
                    "datePublished": "2025-02-13T09:29:03Z",
                    "format": "text/html",
                    "language": "en"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}