--- title: "Durham County Council - Appointment of an Independent Person to the Pension Fund" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0793d8" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0793d8" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0793d8.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0793d8.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "Durham County Council" published: "2026-10-29" --- # Durham County Council - Appointment of an Independent Person to the Pension Fund Buyer: Durham County Council Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0793d8 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0793d8) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0793d8.json) ## Summary Durham County Council is seeking an independent person for the Durham County Council Pension Fund. This is a pension governance and scrutiny service, not a delegated decision-making role, and it does not transfer or change the Fund’s statutory responsibilities. The appointee will independently review investment, funding, governance and administration arrangements, and scrutinise advice, performance, risk, responsible investment and pooling. The work also covers assurance on controls, conflicts of interest, data, cyber resilience and business continuity, attendance at Pension Fund Committee meetings, and agreed member development. Regulated investment advice is excluded. The Fund is based in County Durham, where the service is delivered. The core service includes five meetings in each annual cycle. The Council invited offers through a below-threshold open competition. The enquiry deadline was 20 November 2026 at 10:00, and the offer submission deadline was 27 November 2026 at 10:00. The contract is scheduled to run from 30 December 2026 to 31 December 2029, with one possible 24-month extension, subject to Council approval, extending the maximum period to 31 December 2031. The estimated value is £170,000 excluding VAT (£204,000 including VAT). There is one lot. Evaluation comprises essential pass/fail questions, technical questions weighted at 40%, interviews at 40%, and price at 20%. The opportunity suits a highly credible pensions professional with significant experience in pension fund governance, investment, funding and administration. The work calls for independent scrutiny across a broad range of pension fund operations, including assessing advice and performance, identifying risks, and reviewing responsible investment and pooling arrangements. Suppliers also need to provide assurance on controls, conflicts, data, cyber resilience and continuity, attend committee meetings, and support agreed member development. The role is open to an individual working as a sole trader or to an organisation, and the requirement is marked as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a route to contribute to governance and strategic decisions at one of the largest Local Government Pension Scheme funds in England and Wales, on behalf of scheme members and employers. ## Notice Durham County Council Pension Fund is seeking an experienced Independent Person. The role carries no delegated authority and does not affect statutory responsibilities. The Independent Person will provide independent expertise, scrutiny and challenge to support effective governance, oversight and decision-making. We are looking for a highly credible pensions professional with significant experience in pension fund governance, investment, funding and administration. This can either be a sole trader or an Organisation. Services will include review of investment, funding, governance and administration arrangements; scrutiny of advice, performance, risk, responsible investment and pooling; assurance on controls, conflicts, data, cyber resilience and continuity; attendance at Committee meetings; and support for agreed member development. Regulated investment advice is excluded. The successful supplier will play a key role in supporting good governance, effective decision-making and regulatory compliance across one of the largest LGPS funds in England and Wales. This is an exciting opportunity to influence strategic decision-making and contribute to the long-term success of the Fund on behalf of its Scheme members and Scheme employers. The core service includes attendance at five meetings in each annual cycle: four Pension Fund Committee meetings and one annual meeting ### Lot Information Lot 1 Renewal: One extension period of 24 months subject to Council approval ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/102761-2026 | | Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Below threshold - open competition | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 29 Oct 2026 | | Submission deadline | 27 Nov 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 30 Dec 2026 - 31 Dec 2029 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £170,000 | | Lots value | £170,000 | | 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 | Durham County Council | | Locality | DURHAM | | Postcode area | Durham | | Postcode | DH1 5WB | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | | ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham | | Local authority | County Durham | | Electoral ward | Framwellgate & Newton Hall | | Westminster constituency | City of Durham | | Delivery location | TLC14 Durham | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 66 - Financial and insurance services ### Codes - 66520000 - Pension services ## Release History - 29 Oct 2026 at 15:30 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/102761-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/102761-2026 29th October 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.durham.gov.uk/ - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## 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-0793d8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0793d8.json.