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Devon Pension Fund Independent Person

Devon County Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

18 Aug 2026 at 11:39

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Devon County Council appointed an independent person for the Devon Pension Fund. The service provides independent advice and support to the Investment and Pension Fund Committee, helping it govern and manage the administration of pensions, investments and funding. The role covers investment strategy, performance monitoring and effective risk management. The fund is managed by Devon County Council as administering authority under regulations approved by Parliament. It serves more than 100,000 pension scheme members, including contributors, pensioners and deferred pensioners, and receives contributions from over 270 employers. The relevant service category is pension and insurance services (CPV 66500000). The work is for Devon County Council and concerns the Devon Pension Fund.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Apex Investment Advisers Ltd on 17 August 2026. The award is active and covers one lot. Its value is £90,000 excluding VAT, or £108,000 including VAT. The contract period runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2029, with signature scheduled by 28 August 2026. Devon County Council used a below-threshold limited competition. Four bids were received, three reached the final stage and all three final-stage bidders were SMEs. The award relates to services classified as insurance and pension services. Apex Investment Advisers Ltd is the selected supplier; the procurement was evaluated through the limited-competition process.

This award demonstrates demand for independent governance and investment advice within a substantial local government pension fund. Suppliers well placed for comparable work would need credible expertise in pension fund administration, investment strategy, funding and performance oversight, together with the ability to provide genuinely independent advice to a committee. Practical strength in risk management and public-sector governance would be important, as would the capacity to support effective scrutiny of a large, multi-employer scheme with a broad membership. The competition attracted SME participation at final stage, showing that the requirement can suit a specialist advisory firm rather than only a large corporate provider. Relevant pension and investment advisory experience would help a competitor demonstrate credibility when this requirement returns.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Devon Pension Fund Independent Person

Notice Description

Devon County Council needs to appoint an Independent Person for the Devon Pension Fund. The Devon Pension Fund is a PS6.8 billion fund, with over 270 employers paying into the fund and over 100,000 members of the Pension Scheme (contributors, pensioners and deferred pensioners). The fund is managed by Devon County Council, who act as the administering authority, in accordance with regulations approved by Parliament. The Independent Person will provide independent advice and support to the Investment and Pension Fund Committee to enable them to provide effective governance and management of the Fund's administration of pensions, and the Fund's investments and funding, including investment strategy, performance monitoring and effective risk management.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e66b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078467-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

66 - Financial and insurance services

CPV Codes

66500000 - Insurance and pension services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£90,000 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 30 Sep 2029 3-4 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
Devon 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
EXETER
Postcode
EX2 4QD
Postcode Area
Exeter
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
Not specified
Local Authority
Exeter
Electoral Ward
Newtown and St Leonard's
Westminster Constituency
Exeter

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Apex Investment Advisers Ltd

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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