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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 17:07

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Cabinet Office is extending business-critical back-office services covering human resources, finance and accounts, payroll, and procurement. These shared services support the department’s operational continuity while it moves to replacement providers through the Matrix programme. The requirement concerns business and management support services, including the continued operation of systems and processes that underpin payroll, HR and financial administration. Delivery is for the Cabinet Office in the United Kingdom.

The procurement is complete and the Cabinet Office selected Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) through a direct award. The award is valued at £22,918,000 excluding VAT (£27,501,600 including VAT). The contract period runs from 1 May 2027 to 31 October 2028, following an award dated 2 October 2026. The procurement comprises one lot. The Cabinet Office justified the direct award on technical grounds: the services depend on SSCL-managed proprietary systems and a complex legacy operating platform, making an interim supplier liable to cause incompatibility, disruption and duplicated costs. The extension continues services originally competitively procured in 2013 while the replacement arrangements are implemented.

For suppliers considering comparable future work with the Cabinet Office, this award shows demand for integrated, business-critical shared services across HR, payroll, finance, accounts and procurement. A credible competitor would need the capacity to maintain dependable, uninterrupted operations at central-government scale, alongside strong expertise in complex legacy platforms and interfaces. The transition context also points to the importance of supporting data migration, parallel running, cutover and exit from existing systems without disrupting payroll or financial processing. Cyber security, operational resilience and the ability to manage dependencies between legacy and replacement services would be material strengths. SSCL’s selection reflects the technical continuity requirements of this extension; suppliers seeking to compete for a later, replacement arrangement would need to demonstrate that they can meet the Cabinet Office’s service needs while managing transition risks.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

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 make a direct award to Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) to extend the Call-Off Contract held under the ISSC2 Framework for up to an additional 18 months. The 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 direct award is justified under Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 due to technical constraints and the absence of competition for technical reasons, as an interim supplier would cause severe technical incompatibility, service disruption, and substantial duplication of costs.

Procurement Information

Single supplier - technical reasons: The back-office operations rely on the legacy Single Operating Platform (SOP). The highly complex architecture and proprietary systems managed by SSCL mean no alternative supplier can step in for an interim period without causing severe operational disruption to payroll, HR, and financial administration. Additional or repeat goods, services or works - extension or partial replacement: This extension provides additional continuity of identical services following the original 2013 competitive procurement, where switching to an interim supplier before the Matrix go-live would cause disproportionate technical difficulty and substantial duplication of costs.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07802e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093554-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency 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

79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 May 2027 - 31 Oct 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

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

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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