Award

Financial Software System

FENLAND DISTRICT COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

20 Dec 2024 at 15:02

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Fenland District Council has awarded a contract for a Financial Software System to UNIT4 Business Software Limited. The procurement falls under the industry category of System and Support Services (CPV code 72250000) and is located in March, England (postal code PE15 8NQ). The contract was awarded without prior publication due to extreme urgency, in accordance with Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015. The contract, valued at £240,000, starts on 1st April 2026 and ends on 31st March 2029. The procurement stage is complete, with the award date on 17th December 2024 and the contract notice published on 20th December 2024.

This tender provides significant opportunities for businesses specialising in finance system software, particularly those capable of delivering immediate support and services under urgent conditions. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with robust solutions and a proven track record in system and support services are well-suited to compete in similar urgent procurement processes. The Council's need for business continuity and statutory compliance highlights the importance of reliable and efficient service providers in this sector.

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

Financial Software System

Notice Description

The Council considers that the award of the contract to UNIT4 is permitted by Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR). Regulation 32 of the PCR allows contracting authorities to award a public contract by a negotiated procedure without prior publication in specified circumstances. Regulation 32(2)(c) allows the award of a public contract by negotiated procedure without prior publication for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority, where the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with. UNIT4 gave notice that it would unilaterally withdraw its on premise software support from31st December 2024 and the Council considers that it has insufficient time to conduct market testing, performing a full scoping and specification exercise, carrying out an adequate procurement exercise and implementing a new cloud based solution. This is one of the Council's most fundamental and strategic software systems and the Council cannot risk operating on an unsupported finance system. Accordingly, the award of a contract to UNIT4 pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(c) is necessary, for reasons of extreme urgency, to enable the Council to ensure that it has business continuity and maintains statutory compliance. The Council has awarded a contract to UNIT4 for the minimum necessary period offered by UNIT4 and the Council will therefore be able in that time to review its potential options and carry out a procurement exercise.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-c5b4d2a9-df54-43bf-9fac-0a76e94a161d
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/a0d70e12-3415-41b4-8602-74a1a9302baa
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 - In accordance with regulation 32
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72250000 - System and support services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£240,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£240,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Dec 20241 years ago
Submission Deadline
17 Dec 2024Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Dec 20241 years ago
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 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
FENLAND DISTRICT COUNCIL
Contact Name
Procurement
Contact Email
procurement@fenland.gov.uk
Contact Phone
01354622429

Buyer Location

Locality
MARCH
Postcode
PE15 8NQ
Post Town
Peterborough
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH4 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH42 Cambridgeshire CC
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Fenland
Electoral Ward
March North
Westminster Constituency
North East Cambridgeshire

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

UNIT4 BUSINESS SOFTWARE

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-c5b4d2a9-df54-43bf-9fac-0a76e94a161d-2024-12-20T15:02:54Z",
    "date": "2024-12-20T15:02:54Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-b5fd17-c5b4d2a9-df54-43bf-9fac-0a76e94a161d",
    "language": "en",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "tender": {
        "id": "Financial Software System",
        "title": "Financial Software System",
        "description": "The Council considers that the award of the contract to UNIT4 is permitted by Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR). Regulation 32 of the PCR allows contracting authorities to award a public contract by a negotiated procedure without prior publication in specified circumstances. Regulation 32(2)(c) allows the award of a public contract by negotiated procedure without prior publication for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority, where the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with. UNIT4 gave notice that it would unilaterally withdraw its on premise software support from31st December 2024 and the Council considers that it has insufficient time to conduct market testing, performing a full scoping and specification exercise, carrying out an adequate procurement exercise and implementing a new cloud based solution. This is one of the Council's most fundamental and strategic software systems and the Council cannot risk operating on an unsupported finance system. Accordingly, the award of a contract to UNIT4 pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(c) is necessary, for reasons of extreme urgency, to enable the Council to ensure that it has business continuity and maintains statutory compliance. The Council has awarded a contract to UNIT4 for the minimum necessary period offered by UNIT4 and the Council will therefore be able in that time to review its potential options and carry out a procurement exercise.",
        "status": "complete",
        "classification": {
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "id": "72250000",
            "description": "System and support services"
        },
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "postalCode": "pe15 8nq"
                    }
                ]
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amount": 240000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Other - In accordance with regulation 32",
        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2024-12-17T09:00:00Z"
        },
        "contractPeriod": {
            "startDate": "2026-04-01T00:00:00+01:00",
            "endDate": "2029-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
        },
        "suitability": {
            "sme": true,
            "vcse": false
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services"
    },
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-LAE-FEN",
            "name": "Fenland District Council",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "Fenland District Council",
                "scheme": "GB-LAE",
                "id": "FEN"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Fenland District Council, Fenland Hall, County Road",
                "locality": "March",
                "postalCode": "PE15 8NQ",
                "countryName": "England"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Procurement",
                "email": "Procurement@fenland.gov.uk",
                "telephone": "01354622429"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ]
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-01737985",
            "name": "UNIT4 Business Software Limited",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "UNIT4 Business Software Limited",
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "01737985"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Portwall Place Portwall Lane Bristol BS1 9HS"
            },
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ]
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-LAE-FEN",
        "name": "Fenland District Council"
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "ocds-b5fd17-c5b4d2a9-df54-43bf-9fac-0a76e94a161d-1",
            "status": "active",
            "date": "2024-12-17T00:00:00Z",
            "datePublished": "2024-12-20T15:02:54Z",
            "value": {
                "amount": 240000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-COH-01737985",
                    "name": "UNIT4 Business Software Limited"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2026-04-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2029-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "description": "Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder",
                    "url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/a0d70e12-3415-41b4-8602-74a1a9302baa",
                    "datePublished": "2024-12-20T15:02:54Z",
                    "format": "text/html",
                    "language": "en"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}