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Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice for extension to Cabinet Office Call Off from Independent Shared Service Centre 2 (ISSC2 Framework)

Cabinet Office

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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02 Oct 2026 at 17:05

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Cabinet Office is extending its shared back-office services contract with Shared Services Connected Limited. The work supports central government departments and covers core human resources and related business processes, employee payroll, financial administration and accounting, and technology and infrastructure for the Single Operating Platform. These services underpin essential government operations and are intended to maintain continuity while replacement services are transitioned under the cross-government Matrix programme. The requirement is business and management support services, including operational and technology support. The Cabinet Office is the buyer; the services are for central government operations across the UK. The scope combines ongoing transactional services with support for a complex, integrated platform, rather than a standalone software supply or consultancy assignment.

The procurement is complete and the contract modification has been awarded to Shared Services Connected Limited; the contract is active and was signed on 2 October 2026. The Cabinet Office is extending the existing call-off under the ISSC2 framework for 18 months, starting 1 May 2027, following the existing contract’s expiry on 30 April 2027. The modification is valued at £22,918,000, bringing the stated total contract value from £116,827,000 to £139,745,000. The Cabinet Office used a limited procedure, negotiated without publishing a contract notice, relying on technical constraints and the risks and costs of changing provider. Replacement services had been competitively re-procured through the Matrix programme. The notice describes the legal basis for the modification but gives no separate scoring criteria for this extension.

For suppliers seeking comparable work from the Cabinet Office, this award demonstrates demand for dependable, large-scale shared services spanning HR processes, payroll, finance and accounting, and supporting technology infrastructure. A credible competitor would need to manage these operational services together and maintain continuity for government departments, including where a complex legacy platform is involved. The award rationale makes platform integration, technical compatibility and a controlled transition particularly relevant capabilities: disruption to payroll, HR or financial administration was treated as a material operational risk. Suppliers would also need the capacity and experience to support business-critical public-sector operations while services move to a replacement arrangement. This procurement is an extension of an established framework call-off, rather than a new standalone competition, and reflects the value placed on continuity with the incumbent during transition.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice for extension to Cabinet Office Call Off from Independent Shared Service Centre 2 (ISSC2 Framework)

Notice Description

This notice signals the intention of the Cabinet Office to modify the Call-Off Contract held with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) under the ISSC2 Framework by extending the term for an additional 18 months. The original contract was awarded in 2013 following a competitive procurement published in the OJEU. The proposed extension is required to secure the continued provision of business-critical back-office operations, including human resources, finance and accounts, payroll and procurement to maintain operational continuity while transitioning services to replacement service providers under the Matrix programme. The modification will be executed pursuant to Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. A change of contractor cannot be made for technical and economic reasons, as an interim solution would cause significant service disruption, technical incompatibility, and substantial duplication of costs. The current contract expires on 30 April 2027, The extension will start from 1 May 2027 and run for a period of 18 months.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Cabinet Office intends to enter into an extension of up to 18 months to its Call-Off Contract held with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) under the ISSC2 Framework. The contract provides essential shared back-office services across central government operations. The scope of services includes: -Core HR and business process services -Payroll processing for departmental employees -Financial administration and accounting operations -Technology and infrastructure support for the Single Operating Platform (SOP). The underlying Call-Off Contract was awarded in 2013 following a competitive procurement procedure published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). A competitive re-procurement exercise has been conducted for replacement services under the cross-government Matrix Programme cluster (on behalf of participating central government departments, including the Cabinet Office). Due to significant delays in system implementation from the legacy Single Operating Platform (SOP), transition cannot be completed prior to the current contract expiry date. The proposed modification is lawful pursuant to Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor). The existing SOP platform represents a highly integrated, complex architecture supported by SSCL and specialised sub-contractors. Transitioning to an interim solution prior to the Matrix go-live presents severe technical impediments, fragmentation of critical technology, and business-critical operational risks to essential government services (including payroll, HR, and financial administration). Procuring an interim solution would require at least 21 months to procure and transition, exceeding the target transition timeline and creating substantial, unnecessary duplication of costs. The value of the 18-month modification is PS22,918,000, which brings the total contract value from PS116,827,000 to PS139,745,000. The modification value represents 27.8% of the derived original contract baseline (PS82,413,000), remaining within the 50% threshold set out in Regulation 72(1)(b). The Cabinet Office is observing a 10-calendar-day standstill period following the publication of this notice prior to entering into the contract modification. The current contract expires on 30 April 2027, The extension will start from 1 May 2027 and run for a period of up to 18 months.

Procurement Information

The Cabinet Office intends to enter into an extension of up to 18 months to its Call-Off Contract held with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) under the ISSC2 Framework. The underlying Call-Off Contract was awarded in 2013 following a competitive procurement procedure published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). A competitive re-procurement exercise has been conducted for replacement services under the cross-government Matrix Programme cluster (on behalf of participating central government departments, including the Cabinet Office). Due to significant delays in system implementation from the legacy Single Operating Platform (SOP), transition cannot be completed prior to the current contract expiry date. The proposed modification is lawful pursuant to Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor). The existing SOP platform represents a highly integrated, complex architecture supported by SSCL and specialised sub-contractors. Transitioning to an interim solution prior to the Matrix go-live presents severe technical impediments, fragmentation of critical technology, and business-critical operational risks to essential government services (including payroll, HR, and financial administration). Procuring an interim solution would require at least 21 months to procure and transition, exceeding the target transition timeline and creating substantial, unnecessary duplication of costs. The value of the 18-month modification is PS22,918,000, which brings the total contract value from PS116,827,000 to PS139,745,000. The modification value represents 27.8% of the derived original contract baseline (PS82,413,000), remaining within the 50% threshold set out in Regulation 72(1)(b). The Cabinet Office is observing a 10-calendar-day standstill period following the publication of this notice prior to entering into the contract modification. The previous modification was published on Find a Tender under Modification Notice 2025/S 000-051686

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07802c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093552-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
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

79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£22,918,000 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Cabinet Office
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1A 2AS
Postcode Area
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Shared Services Connected Limited

Further Information

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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