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Account Payable Audit Solution

Essex County Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

08 Sep 2026 at 10:03

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Planning

02 Apr 2026 at 15:43

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council procured a cloud-based accounts payable audit solution delivered as software-as-a-service. The service is intended to identify and prevent duplicate invoice payments and duplicate supplier records before payment. It includes software licences, implementation, data migration, staff training, hosting, maintenance, support, reporting, audit management, self-service duplicate checking and ongoing system updates. The solution must provide secure hosting and meet accessibility and data protection requirements. This is a technology and auditing service, classified under software and information systems, information technology services, accounting software and auditing services. The buying organisation is Essex County Council, with delivery across Essex, England. The requirement was structured as a single lot and is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded following a below-threshold limited competition. Four bids were received, all four reaching the final stage and all four coming from SMEs. APLX LTD was awarded the contract on 22 July 2026. The awarded value is £47,250 excluding VAT, or £56,700 including VAT. The awarded contract runs from 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2028, with the authority able to extend it by a further 12 months, subject to satisfactory performance and continuing business and technology requirements. The council may also buy additional user licences during the contract on the contract’s terms and pricing mechanisms. A future contract signature milestone is scheduled for 15 November 2026.

This award shows demand from Essex County Council for a specialist SaaS platform combining accounts payable controls, duplicate-payment prevention, supplier-record checking and audit management. Suppliers well placed for a future requirement would need a proven accounting or audit software product, secure cloud hosting, implementation and data-migration capability, user training, technical support, maintenance and regular system updates. The service must support council staff with self-service checking and reporting, while addressing accessibility and data protection requirements. Relevant experience should cover public-sector finance controls or comparable accounts payable environments, including dependable handling of supplier and invoice data. The procurement also indicates that an SME can compete for this type of integrated software and professional service requirement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Account Payable Audit Solution

Notice Description

Provision of a cloud-based Accounts Payable Audit Solution (SaaS) to support Essex County Council in identifying and preventing duplicate invoice payments and duplicate supplier records before payment is made. The contract includes software licences for implementation, data migration, training, hosting, maintenance, support, reporting functionality, and ongoing system updates. The solution will enable Council staff to undertake self-service duplicate checking, audit management, and reporting, with secure hosting and compliance with accessibility and data protection requirements. The contract is for an initial term of two years, with an option to extend for a further one year.

Planning Information

For this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise, please respond by downloading, completing and submitting the attached document by the deadline of[16:00]on[15/04/2026]. Please register as supplier as response your interest and complete the technical questionnaire via Open Platform (www.open-uk.org). The project is # OPEN2026632. How to register on Open Registration is free, easy and can be done now. To register: • Visit www.open-uk.org • Click the 'get started' button. • On the 'who are you' tab, select supplier. • Select your company type. • Complete the form as directed. Tips for smooth registration and accessing support. • Look out for the email with your temporary password which is only valid for 3 days. If expired, please email open.support@nepo.org to request a new temporary password. • If you don't receive your temporary password, please check your junk/quarantine areas. • Add your Companies House number to populate fields for quicker setup. • Once registered, select Codes & Categories relevant to your business area to receive tender notifications • Add notifications@open-uk.org to your safe sender list. Support for the system is available via the OPEN Hub: https://www.open-hub.org/ The Open Hub has resources to help you get the most out of the system. There's a range of how-to-guides so you can learn about Open at your pace and a Frequently Asked Questions section to answer common questions. You will also find details of the latest news and supplier training sessions for Open (https://www.nepo.org/suppliers/nepo-supplier-partnership-programme).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067c2c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084723-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - limited competition
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

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

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

48000000 - Software package and information systems

48443000 - Accounting software package

72222300 - Information technology services

79212000 - Auditing services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£80,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£47,250 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Sep 20264 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
22 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Dec 2026 - 30 Nov 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Essex County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Postcode Area
Chelmsford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH36 Heart of Essex
Delivery Location
TLH3 Essex
Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Audit Partnership Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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