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Provision of an Integrated HR and Payroll System

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

22 Sep 2026 at 09:30

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

24 Jul 2026 at 17:06

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

23 Jul 2026 at 14:33

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and Torfaen County Borough Council jointly procured an integrated human resources, payroll and workforce management service. The requirement covers the provision, hosting, licensing, maintenance, support and ongoing development of MHR’s iTrent platform. Its scope includes payroll processing, workforce management, recruitment and onboarding, learning and development, employee and manager self-service, document management, implementation, data migration and configuration. The system supports the councils’ human resources, payroll, recruitment, organisational development and related collaborative services, using a common platform while preserving each authority’s separate governance and financial responsibilities. The work is for services delivered across the Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen council areas, centred on the councils’ shared operating model.

This procurement is complete and was awarded through a direct award to MHR International UK Limited following an options appraisal. The award was made on 24 July 2026, with a gross value of £2,505,724.08 (£2,088,103.40 excluding VAT). The resulting contract was signed on 1 September 2026 and runs from 14 February 2027 to 13 February 2032. The direct award rationale was that replacing the existing platform would involve substantial migration, implementation, retraining and redevelopment, creating significant technical, operational and service-continuity risks; a joint arrangement with the incumbent was judged the most economically advantageous and operationally effective option. The procurement was a single complete lot and was above the relevant threshold.

This requirement demonstrates demand for a large, integrated public-sector HR and payroll platform rather than a single-function payroll product. Suppliers seeking to compete for comparable work with these councils would need credible capability across hosted software, payroll processing, workforce management, recruitment and onboarding, learning and development, employee and manager self-service, and document management. They would also need to deliver implementation, migration and configuration, followed by dependable maintenance, user support and continuing product development. Relevant competitors should be able to evidence service continuity during transition, manage complex public-sector workforce data and support a shared platform used by two councils with distinct governance arrangements. Experience delivering and evolving established HR and payroll systems would be particularly relevant.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of an Integrated HR and Payroll System

Notice Description

Following the publication of the required UK5 and UK6 Notices, This UK7 notice is placed on behalf of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and Torfaen County Borough Council, together referred to as the Contracting Authorities. The Contracting Authorities have entered into a joint contract with MHR International UK Limited for the provision, hosting, maintenance, support and ongoing development of the iTrent integrated human resources, payroll and workforce management platform. The contract includes: software licensing; hosted software services; payroll processing functionality; workforce management functionality; recruitment and onboarding modules; learning and development modules; employee and manager self-service functionality; document management functionality; maintenance and support services; implementation, migration and configuration services; and ongoing system development and enhancement services. The contract supports the delivery of critical human resources, payroll, recruitment, Organisational development, workforce management and associated services across Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and Torfaen County Borough Council. The joint arrangement establishes a common platform supporting the Federated Councils' operating model and the delivery of collaborative services, while maintaining the political, financial and democratic sovereignty of each authority.

Procurement Information

The direct award followed an options appraisal covering amendment of the existing arrangements, separate renewal of the existing contracts, a competitive procurement for an alternative solution and a new joint contractual arrangement with the incumbent supplier. The appraisal concluded that replacing the existing platform would require substantial migration, implementation, retraining and redevelopment activity and would create significant technical, operational and service-continuity risks. The joint contract was considered the most economically advantageous and operationally effective option.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d21a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089426-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79631000 - Personnel and payroll services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£2,088,103 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£2,088,103 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
24 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
14 Feb 2027 - 13 Feb 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Additional Buyers

Torfaen County Borough 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
EBBW VALE
Postcode
NP23 6DN
Postcode Area
Newport
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL53 Gwent Valleys
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Blaenau Gwent
Electoral Ward
Ebbw Vale South
Westminster Constituency
Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

MHR International UK 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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