This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

24 Jul 2026 at 16:06

Award

23 Jul 2026 at 13:33

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process encapsulates a strategic direct award contract facilitated by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council in collaboration with Torfaen County Borough Council, focusing on the "Provision of an Integrated HR and Payroll System." Located in the UKL16 region, the councils aim to secure services under the industry category of personnel and payroll services. This contract falls under the "services" procurement category and employs a direct procurement method. The award was made on 24th July 2026, with a standstill period ending on 5th August 2026. The contract is scheduled to commence on 1st September 2026 and will last until 31st July 2031. The primary supplier chosen is MHR International UK Limited.

This tender presents considerable opportunities for business growth, particularly for large-scale service providers specialising in HR and payroll solutions. Companies with capabilities in comprehensive system integration, hosting, maintenance, and support can competitively participate in contracts like this. The procurement method, i.e., direct award, was chosen due to the unique technical requirements and the existing integration capabilities of the supplier, making alternative solutions unfeasible. Such contracts can benefit businesses that already hold intellectual rights and technical expertise in similar platforms, allowing them to strengthen their market position and expand into government sectors requiring complex personnel management solutions.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Provision of an Integrated HR and Payroll System

Notice Description

This notice is placed on behalf of Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen County Borough Councils (The Contracting Authorities). Following the publication of the relevant UK5 Transparency Notice, The Contracting Authorities intend to enter into a joint contract for the provision of the Midland HR (iTrent) Integrated Human Resources, Payroll, Workforce Management, Recruitment, Learning Management, Employee Self-Service and Document 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; ongoing system development and enhancement services. The contract will support the delivery of critical workforce, payroll and organisational management services across Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and Torfaen County Borough Council and form a core component of the Federated Councils operating model.

Procurement Information

The Contracting Authorities consider that the circumstances for direct award under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 apply. The proposed award relies upon the Schedule 5 justification relating to the absence of competition for technical reasons and the absence of a reasonable alternative or substitute. The Authorities have undertaken a detailed options appraisal which considered: - amendment of existing contractual arrangements; - renewal of existing arrangements; - competitive procurement of an alternative solution; and - a new joint contract with Midland HR Ltd. The Authorities concluded that: - the iTrent platform currently supports critical payroll and workforce processes; - both authorities have invested significantly in configuration, workflow automation, recruitment functionality, payroll integration, employee self-service and workforce management functionality; - substantial business process integration has been developed over many years; - replacement would require significant migration activity, implementation resource, retraining and redevelopment of existing functionality; - replacement would create significant technical, operational and service continuity risks; - alternative solutions have been considered but no reasonable alternative or substitute solution has been identified capable of achieving the required outcomes within an acceptable timeframe and without disproportionate cost, disruption and implementation risk. The Authorities therefore consider the proposed direct award to be lawful, proportionate and consistent with the Procurement Act 2023.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d21a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070488-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award 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
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Jul 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
23 Jul 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
31 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2031 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

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
Post Town
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
Torfaen
Electoral Ward
Pontypool Fawr
Westminster Constituency
Torfaen

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

MHR INTERNATIONAL

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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