Planning

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Finance Selection Partner

Anchor Hanover Group

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

23 Oct 2026 at 15:12

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Anchor Hanover Group plans to appoint an independent Finance Systems Selection Partner for its Finance Future State Systems programme. The partner will help define requirements, assess the market and select a future core Finance technology solution; it will not supply the software or become the implementation partner. Work is expected to build on and challenge existing discovery, process, fit-gap, capability and requirements work rather than repeat it. The scope covers accounting and general ledger, purchasing and procure-to-pay, accounts payable and receivable, income processes, fixed assets, treasury and banking interfaces, reporting, financial planning, data, integration and connections to wider corporate systems. It will consider dependencies across Finance, Procurement, Technology, Data, People, Housing and Care. The service is strategic review and planning for information systems. Delivery is expected across England, including the North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, South East and South West.

This is at the planning stage: Anchor has stated its intention to procure, but has not issued an invitation to tender. It expects the contract to run from 15 March 2027 to 13 March 2028, with an estimated gross value of £210,000. One lot is planned and is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. Anchor expects to publish the next procurement notice on 11 January 2027. Before then, it plans a market-engagement webinar on 5 November 2026, optional capability and feedback summaries by 10 November, and selected one-to-one discussions on 13 November. These activities are for market research and requirement gathering; feedback will not determine eligibility or selection for the future tender. The planned selection approach is outcome-led and evidence-based, using business scenarios, demonstrations and stakeholder participation rather than a simple feature comparison.

The work is suited to consultancies and specialist advisers with experience selecting Finance and ERP systems, particularly for complex, highly regulated organisations or comparable environments. Anchor is seeking an independent partner able to combine Finance, technology, data, architecture, procurement and change expertise, assess product fit and implementation implications, and support evaluation, due diligence, commercial activity and transition planning. Suppliers should be able to mobilise within the anticipated period and deliver a clear, evidence-based recommendation, while critically reviewing prior discovery rather than duplicating it. A strong approach will test real business scenarios and account for links between Finance systems, operating-model choices and wider corporate services. Independence is important: suppliers should disclose vendor or implementation-partner alliances, referral or reseller arrangements, commissions and other relevant commercial relationships, and explain how actual or perceived conflicts would be recorded, managed and disclosed. Selection-partner appointment will not confer a route to implementation work.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Finance Selection Partner

Notice Description

Anchor is mobilising a Finance Future State Systems programme as part of its wider Finance transformation and Corporate Systems agenda. The programme is intended to establish a modern, scalable and sustainable Finance technology architecture, supported by appropriate processes, data, controls, integration and operating-model arrangements. Key information about the requirement: Anchor is seeking to appoint an independent and experienced Finance Systems Selection Partner to support the controlled definition, market assessment and selection of its future core Finance technology solution. The appointment is an enabling stage within Anchor's wider Finance Future State Systems programme. It is not an appointment to supply the Finance software itself or to act as the subsequent implementation partner. Considerable preparatory work has already been undertaken (via a consultant PwC and internally), including: * assessment of the current Finance technology estate; * documentation of current processes; * finance maturity and capability assessments; * stakeholder-alignment activity; * high level functional requirements * high-level fit-gap and options work; * development of a Finance systems roadmap and programme charter; and * initial consideration of system, data, reporting, integration and organisational dependencies. The selected partner will be expected to build on and critically assess and revalidate this existing evidence rather than repeat work unnecessarily. The anticipated scope may include: * reviewing and assuring existing discovery, fit-gap, process, capability and requirements material; * working with Finance, Change, IT and other relevant business stakeholders to validate and deepen functional and non-functional requirements; * supporting the definition of future-state Finance capabilities and ensuring alignment with the emerging Finance Target Operating Model; * assessing relevant Finance systems and market options without predetermining a supplier or product; * helping Anchor distinguish essential requirements from areas where processes could be standardised or redesigned; * developing a proportionate and defensible evaluation framework; * supporting market engagement, longlisting and shortlisting; * designing structured supplier demonstrations, use cases, workshops, scenarios and, where appropriate, testing or sandbox activity; * supporting supplier evaluation, moderation, due diligence and reference activity; * providing independent challenge concerning product fit, implementation implications, integration, data, architecture, security, controls and deliverability; * supporting commercial and procurement activity alongside Anchor's Procurement team; * producing a clear, evidence-based recommendation for the preferred future Finance solution; and * supporting the development of the subsequent investment business case and transition into implementation mobilisation. The initial programme scope is expected to include core Finance capabilities such as: * core accounting and general ledger; * procure-to-pay and purchasing; * accounts payable and receivable; * income-related Finance processes; * fixed assets; * cash, treasury interfaces and banking; * financial reporting, controls and auditability; * financial planning and analysis; * relevant data, master-data and integration requirements; and * interfaces with Finance-adjacent and wider corporate systems. The work must consider dependencies across Finance, Procurement, Technology, Data, People, Housing, Care and other relevant services. It must also recognise that the Finance technology solution and the Finance Target Operating Model will evolve iteratively, with operating-model decisions informing technology requirements and technology opportunities informing future processes, roles and ways of working. Anchor is not seeking a simple product comparison based on a large static list of features. We are interested in a structured, outcome-led and evidence-based selection approach that uses representative business scenarios and stakeholder participation to test how potential solutions would operate in Anchor's environment. The detailed specification will be available on Monday 26th October.

Planning Information

Pre-market engagement will be in the form of a one hour presentation/webinar (with an opportunity for Q&A at the end) to interested parties giving an overview of our requirements which will start to form the basis of dialogue with interested parties. The online presentation/webinar will be held on MS Teams between 16.00 and 17.00 on the 5th November 2026. The link to join the presentation is below:- Microsoft Team meeting Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/374373925543262?p=uCFL8EGSdcHPq8b4rT Should you be unable to attend this meeting, we will be uploading the recording on our eProcurement portal (see link below). To help us refine our requirements we will be inviting all interested parties to submit a brief, up to 4 pages Capability and Feedback Summary (this is optional). Please structure your response around the following key areas based on the provided scope of requirements in the description and following our presentation: • your capacity to mobilise within the anticipated period; • relevant Finance and ERP selection experience; • experience of working with complex, highly regulated or comparable organisations; • the proposed blend of Finance, technology, data, architecture, procurement and change expertise; • how they would maintain independence and manage potential conflicts of interest; • whether they have commercial relationships with software vendors or implementation partners; • their proposed high-level approach and principal deliverables; • any initial observations on the proposed scope or procurement approach; • an indicative delivery duration and resource profile; • indicative pricing or pricing assumptions, if requested by Anchor; and • any information or decisions they would require from Anchor before bidding. Independence and conflicts of interest:- Anchor requires transparency regarding any relationships that could affect, or reasonably be perceived to affect, the supplier’s independence. Suppliers must identify relevant alliances, referral arrangements, implementation partnerships, reseller relationships, commissions or other commercial relationships with Finance software vendors or implementation providers that may be considered during the selection. Suppliers should explain how any actual, potential or perceived conflicts would be recorded, managed and disclosed throughout the engagement. Appointment as the selection partner will not confer any right or expectation of appointment to a subsequent software implementation or systems-integration role. Anchor reserves the right to establish proportionate restrictions within the subsequent procurement documentation. Please follow the link below on Anchor's eProcurement portal to see our open opportunities (where you will be able to register your interest via the Anchor Supply Portal, your company on our e-procurement portal, review the specification and upload any supporting documentation - https://www.anchor.org.uk/about-anchor/become-a-supplier Please respond with your Capability and Feedback summary by lunchtime (13.00) 10th November 2026 via Anchor's eProcurement portal, where Anchor will use a targeted approach to allocate slots and will prioritise suppliers whose summaries most closely meet the above areas. This exercise is strictly for market research and requirement-gathering purposes. Your response will not be scored, graded, or used to select or disqualify suppliers for the future formal tender. Choosing not to submit a summary will not disadvantage your organisation in any future formal procurement process. Anchor will then be hosting a MS Teams 1-2-1 session 13th November 2026 (14.30-16.30/30mins) for some of the interested parties. This 1-2-1 session will include a short supplier presentation, based on feedback summary including indicative costs and pricing assumptions and an opportunity to flag restrictive, missing or technically unviable requirements in the draft scope. This will be an opportunity for the market to have a two-way dialogue with the Anchor team to understand and help shape the requirements and strategy for the procurement and to also comment on the proposed procurement process. It will also allow Anchor to understand the capacity and capability of the market and the art of the possible. Any findings during these sessions which are relevant to the tender will be made clear and accessible to all participants during the submissions period.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078f55
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100626-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72222000 - Information systems or technology strategic review and planning services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£210,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
11 Jan 20273 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
15 Mar 2027 - 13 Mar 2028 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Anchor Hanover Group
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BRADFORD
Postcode
BD1 2ST
Postcode Area
Bradford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE4 West Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE41 Bradford
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Bradford
Electoral Ward
City
Westminster Constituency
Bradford West

Further Information

Notice Documents

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.

Loading OCDS record...