Planning

Provision of Financial Management and Procurement system

PHP LAW LLP

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

19 Jan 2026 at 17:00

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The public procurement process for the "Provision of Financial Management and Procurement System" is currently in the planning stage. The buying organisation is PHP Law LLP, located in Totnes, United Kingdom, and the procurement is being conducted on behalf of the Academies for Character & Excellence, a Multi-Academy Trust. This process falls under the industry category of "Financial analysis and accounting software package". A preliminary market engagement exercise is scheduled to help define requirements, with meetings set to occur on the 4th and 5th of February 2026. The anticipated procurement value is £250,000, with an overall gross budget of £300,000. The contract period is expected to start on 1st September 2026, extending until 31st August 2030, with the potential for renewal up until 2032.

This tender represents a substantial opportunity for businesses in the field of financial software and cloud-based ERP systems, particularly those that can cater to the educational sector. Companies that specialise in providing scalable, cloud-hosted financial management systems with robust multi-entity capabilities and integrated procurement functionalities are well-suited to compete. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly encouraged to participate due to the tender's suitability requirements. Businesses that can offer automation, efficiency, and integration with existing systems like IMP for budget planning will have a competitive edge, as these features align closely with the Trust's criteria for enhancing financial oversight and reducing administrative workload.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Financial Management and Procurement system

Notice Description

The Academies for Character and Excellence is a growing primary school Multi-Academy Trust currently comprising 20 schools, with anticipated growth to 25 schools during the tender period with future further growth anticipated in coming years. The Trust is undertaking pre-market engagement to inform a forthcoming procurement for a new Financial Management System to be deployed across the Trust and its schools. The solution will be required to support all core finance functions including general ledger, budgetary controls, accounts payable and receivable, bank and cash management, fixed assets, and statutory and management reporting in line with ESFA and DfE requirements. The Trust is seeking a modern, cloud hosted system that offers strong multi entity capability, enabling central Trust oversight alongside appropriate devolved access for individual schools. A key element of this procurement is the provision of an integrated purchasing and procurement portal for school based users. This is expected to support requisitioning, approval workflows, purchase ordering, goods receipting, supplier management, and budgetary controls. The Trust is particularly interested in solutions that improve visibility and control of spend, reduce manual processing, and support consistent processes across a growing Trust. The Trust currently uses IMP for budget planning and forecasting and would welcome engagement with suppliers whose solutions can integrate effectively with this environment. Scalability, automation, efficiency of transactions, and robust reporting will be central considerations, with a strong emphasis on reducing central administrative workload while improving access to timely financial information.

Planning Information

https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=101610&TID=100106844&B= This pre-market engagement exercise is intended to help shape the Trust’s detailed requirements, commercial approach, and implementation planning. Suppliers will be offered a 1-hour slot on the 4th or 5th of February for a brief meeting/demo focussed on specific areas of enquiry which will be provided in advance. If you wish to book in a slot, please message the request through the tendering portal EU Supply with your email address with your preferred date and time for the 4th or 5th February. Slots will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Once all slots are booked out we will have to respectfully decline any further requests. However all information from these meetings will be shared within the tender pack, where it has been deemed as not commercially sensitive.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06093e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004525-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

CPV Codes

48440000 - Financial analysis and accounting software package

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£250,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Jan 2026Today
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
13 Feb 20264 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2030 4-5 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
PHP LAW LLP
Additional Buyers

ACADEMIES FOR CHARACTER & EXCELLENCE

Contact Name
Claire Jones
Contact Email
claire.jones@phplaw.co.uk
Contact Phone
+44 01234567890

Buyer Location

Locality
TOTNES
Postcode
TQ9 5RW
Post Town
Torquay
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK4 Devon
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK43 Devon CC
Delivery Location
TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
South Hams
Electoral Ward
Totnes
Westminster Constituency
South Devon

Further Information

Notice Documents

Notice URLs

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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