--- title: "Procurement of an HR and Payroll System" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078481" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078481" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078481.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078481.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "Look Ahead Care and Support" published: "2026-10-09" --- # Procurement of an HR and Payroll System Buyer: Look Ahead Care and Support Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078481 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078481) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078481.json) ## Summary Look Ahead Care and Support Limited is seeking a supplier to replace its HR system and provide a managed UK payroll and pensions service. The solution must cover the employee lifecycle: workforce records and administration, absence, recruitment and onboarding, compliance, learning integration, employee relations and case management, reporting, security, and employee and manager self-service. The work also includes integrating with existing systems, migrating data from iTrent, implementation, training, transition and ongoing support. Integration with the existing Learning Pool is part of the core system; replacing it is an optional later phase. Separately priced options include rostering. Services are for Look Ahead’s operations across England, with delivery addresses spanning the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber, East and West Midlands, East of England, London, South East and South West. Look Ahead invited offers through an open procedure for a single-lot services contract. The tender deadline was 20 November 2026 at 17:00 UTC; questions were due by 13 November 2026 at 12:00 UTC. The initial contract period runs from 10 March 2027 to 9 March 2030, with an option to extend by up to two years, giving a maximum potential term to 9 March 2032. The estimated gross value is £1.5 million. Evaluation weights are 70% written quality, 10% product demonstration, 10% social value and 10% commercial. To progress, suppliers must achieve at least 60% of the available written quality and social value score. A shortlisted supplier will be invited to demonstrate its product. The planned award decision date was 26 February 2027. This requirement suits suppliers with an established HR information system and the ability to deliver managed UK payroll and pensions administration alongside implementation and continuing support. Bidders need evidence of legal and financial capacity and completed contracts of similar value. The buyer gives preference to suppliers holding a G-Cloud framework place. Strong bids will need to demonstrate capability across workforce administration, statutory payroll and pension processes, recruitment, compliance, employee relations, reporting and secure access controls. Experience migrating HR data and integrating with systems such as Unit4, Learning Pool, identity and finance platforms, pension providers and compliance services is relevant. Suppliers must be able to support testing, training, cutover, hypercare and handover into business as usual. SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises are considered suitable to compete. ## Notice The scope of the tender is to identify a suitable supplier for the implementation and ongoing support of a replacement HR system and managed UK payroll service for Look Ahead Care, Support & Housing. The required solution must support the full employee lifecycle, workforce administration, managed payroll and pensions administration, recruitment, onboarding, compliance, employee relations, reporting, integrations, data migration, implementation and transition to business as usual. Unless expressly identified as a separately priced option or Phase 2 requirement, Tenderers should assume that all items listed in this section form part of the core day-one scope and must be included within the tendered solution and commercial response. * Core HR and workforce administration: employee records, organisational structure, position and employee references, contracts and terms, multiple concurrent engagements per individual, establishment management and post control, including budgeted posts, position management, organisational hierarchy, approval workflows and reporting-line management. * Payroll and pensions: fully managed UK payroll service, including statutory filing, year-end activity, managed pensions administration, auto-enrolment, opt-outs, contribution submissions, provider returns, pension query support, statutory payments, salary sacrifice, attachment of earnings, off-cycle or emergency payments, payroll queries, Average Holiday Pay and NMW/NLW compliance calculations. * Absence management: sickness, annual leave, family leave, sabbaticals, AWOL, authorised absence, return-to-work processes and associated workflow, reporting and audit requirements. Fully customisable T&Cs in line with either Organisation policy or TUPE-in policy * Recruitment, onboarding, compliance and learning: recruitment and applicant tracking, candidate portal, document upload, job board integration or linking to the Look Ahead website, regulatory and safer-recruitment compliance records, dedicated DBS integration and tracking, expiry alerting, evidence capture, employee document management, retention and deletion rules, onboarding, pre-employment compliance, offboarding and leaver workflows. DBS functionality should support integration with a third-party DBS checking provider where required, including application status tracking, outcome recording, renewal monitoring, expiry reporting and audit history. * Employee, manager and workforce development: employee and manager self-service, performance and supervision recording, talent, succession and workforce development management, including talent profiles, succession planning, career development, skills and competency tracking, performance and appraisal linkage, succession risk reporting, development plans and management reporting. * Learning Pool: Learning Pool will remain in use during Phase 1. Integration with Learning Pool is core scope at HRIS go-live, while replacement of Learning Pool or the Learning Management System is a Phase 2 priced option and is not part of the day-one core replacement. * Employee relations and HR case management: case creation, categorisation, allocation, workflow, task management, document storage, confidentiality controls, restricted access, audit trail, key date tracking, outcome recording, reporting and the ability to manage multiple case types such as disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence, capability, probation and flexible working. * Reporting, governance and security: reporting, analytics, statutory reporting including Gender Pay Gap reporting, audit trails, data retention, GDPR reporting, information governance reporting, Subject Access Request and IG request support, workflow and authorisation, role-based access control, user security administration, permission management and auditable security access reporting. * Integrations and interfaces: key systems and data flows required to support HR, payroll, recruitment, compliance, learning, finance and reporting, including Unit4, Neuven bank and agency portal, identity provider, Active Directory and single sign-on, pension providers, Learning Pool, Access Group compliance portal, Cardinus, DBS checking providers or other third-party pre-employment compliance services, the Look Ahead website and reporting, data warehouse or Power BI feeds. * Data migration, implementation and transition: data migration from the incumbent iTrent system, cleansing, reconciliation, testing, training, cutover, hypercare, knowledge transfer and transition to business as usual, including system administration handover, support model definition and retained configuration documentation. * Separately priced options: Tenderers must provide separately priced options where requested in the Cost Schedule, including integrated or natively supported rostering and any Phase 2 replacement of Learning Pool or the Learning Management System. Such options are not part of the core day-one HR system and managed payroll replacement unless expressly confirmed by Look Ahead following evaluation and contract award. The list above is not exhaustive and is intended to summarise the principal areas included within the scope of the tender. ### Lot Information Lot 1 Options: 1. Integrated or natively supported rostering - Must be priced separately in Annex 4. - It is not part of the core day-one solution unless Look Ahead elects to take it up. 2. Phase 2 replacement of Learning Pool / the Learning Management System - Must be offered as a separately priced option. - For Phase 1, integration with the existing Learning Pool remains a core requirement. 3. Contract extension - Initial term: 3 years - Optional extension: up to 24 months. - Maximum potential term: 5 years. 4. Usage-based or pay-as-you-go services - Allowed only where Annex 4 expressly provides for them. - Unit rates, charging basis, assumptions, and minimum or maximum volumes must be stated. Charges apply only where Look Ahead authorises the service in advance. 5. Ad hoc services and consultancy - A separate rate card is required in Annex 4. - The rate card is for information and is not scored. 6. Other optional, additional, or out-of-scope services - These may be offered if they are clearly separated from the core service. - The submission must explain the charging basis and when the charges would apply. 7. Proposed contract variances - Suppliers may submit requested changes to the draft terms in a separate evaluation matrix. - Look Ahead is not obliged to accept them, and material qualifications could make the tender non-compliant. Renewal: The HR and Payroll System supports essential services that are fundamental to the operation of the organisation. Any disruption could result in: Failure to process payroll accurately and on time. Errors in pension, tax and statutory deductions. Loss of access to workforce and employment data. Increased risk of non-compliance with employment and payroll legislation. Significant reputational and employee relations impacts. A contract extension will ensure stability and continuity whilst future arrangements are established. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095598-2026 | | Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 9 Oct 2026 | | Submission deadline | 20 Nov 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 10 Mar 2027 - 9 Mar 2030 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £1,500,000 | | Lots value | £1,500,000 | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | Look Ahead Care and Support | | Locality | LONDON | | Postcode area | North London | | Postcode | N7 9BG | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East | | ITL 3 | TLI43 Haringey and Islington | | Local authority | Islington | | Electoral ward | Laycock | | Westminster constituency | Islington South and Finsbury | | Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 48 - Software package and information systems - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 48000000 - Software package and information systems - 72222300 - Information technology services ## Release History - 9 Oct 2026 at 11:54 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095598-2026 - 9 Oct 2026 at 11:20 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095559-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095598-2026 9th October 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095559-2026 9th October 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.lookahead.org.uk/ ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078481. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078481.json.