Planning

LCC Merchant Acquiring and Associated Services

LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

18 Dec 2025 at 16:48

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

08 Dec 2025 at 15:57

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Lincolnshire County Council is in the planning stage of procuring Merchant Acquiring and Associated Services, a key project anticipated to begin on 1st April 2027, running until 31st March 2031, with the potential for a 24-month extension. The aim is to implement a comprehensive payment processing solution across the region of UKF3, United Kingdom, within the industry category of processing and clearing services. The council has scheduled a market engagement process, encouraging suppliers to submit the Pre-Market Engagement Questionnaire by the extended deadline of 24th December 2025 at 17:00. This initiative presents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in payment processing services and compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).

This tender offers substantial opportunities for growth, particularly for companies experienced in handling merchant acquiring services and point of sale (POS) terminals. Businesses capable of providing strategic solutions in the areas of transaction fee management, contract management, and data protection compliance will find this project aligns well with their expertise. It encourages participation from suppliers who can address the council's requirements for a seamless integration across its various service areas, positioning well-suited businesses to strengthen their market presence and expand operations in the public services domain.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

LCC Merchant Acquiring and Associated Services

Notice Description

Lincolnshire County Council requires a merchant acquiring facility to work alongside a regulated payment services provider to process card payments on its behalf. The payment services provider will arrange authorisation from the customer's card issuer or bank and then collect those funds and pay them to the Council. The payment acceptance process will securely receive payments via cards, digital wallets, payment gateways and online platforms. The provider will process transactions through card issuers like Visa or Mastercard, checks fund availability, transfers payments to the Council, and ensure compliance with Payment Card Industry and Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). The requirement also includes the provision of sale (POS) terminals for face-to-face and unattended payment transactions. Within the Council's structure there are a number of service areas where card payment acceptance processing is required. The Council has identified a number of dependencies with other providers that would need to be taken account of as part of any implementation process. The Contract is anticipated to run for a period of 4 years, commencing 1st April 2027 and expiring 31st March 2031. There will be an option for the Council to extend the Contract by a period or periods of up to 24 months to ultimately expire 31st March 2033.

Planning Information

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) is looking to procure Merchant Acquiring and Associated Services, including the acceptance of payments via face to face or point of sale (POS) terminals, over the phone or on line. We are seeking to bring awareness to the market of an upcoming opportunity and understand the market’s preferred approached to a number of key issues to inform the decision-making process. The attached Questionnaire is in two sections. Section A provides the topics that we would like to discuss, and an overview of the requirement and Section B contains the market engagement questionnaire. Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) welcomes discussion about its requirement for Merchant Acquiring and Associated Services. This Market Engagement will focus on the below points: Implementation Length, Resources and Costs Fee Structure: Transactions and non-transactional fees Contract Management PCI Compliance / Data Protection Terms and Conditions Other Services Offered Other Information Suppliers are requested to download and complete the Pre-Market Engagement Questionnaire and return the completed form via the Panacea e-sourcing system https://app.panacea-software.com/lcc/Login.aspx

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f10b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084615-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

66 - Financial and insurance services

CPV Codes

66133000 - Processing and clearing services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£400,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Dec 20252 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Jun 20264 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 30 Mar 2031 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Fiona Fielding
Contact Email
fiona.fielding@lincolnshire.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LINCOLN
Postcode
LN1 1YL
Post Town
Lincoln
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF3 Lincolnshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF30 Lincolnshire CC
Delivery Location
TLF3 Lincolnshire
Local Authority
Lincoln
Electoral Ward
Carholme
Westminster Constituency
Lincoln

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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. 

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