---
title: "SIMS - Schools Management Information System"
ocid: "ocds-kuma6s-119855"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-kuma6s-119855"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-119855.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-119855.json"
source: "Sell2Wales"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CITY & COUNTY OF SWANSEA"
published: "2022-03-24"
---

# SIMS - Schools Management Information System

Buyer: CITY & COUNTY OF SWANSEA  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-kuma6s-119855

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## Summary

The City & County of Swansea has recently completed the procurement process for the Schools Management Information System (SIMS) under a limited award procedure, transitioning from a perpetual licence with Education Software Solutions Limited (ESS) to a software-as-a-service model directly with individual schools. This initiative aims to enhance the delivery of school management services and involves contracting for support services directly tied to the locations of the individual schools within the Swansea area. The award was finalised on 17th February 2022, with contracts intended to span a duration of 36 months.

This contract represents a significant opportunity for businesses in the education technology sector, particularly those specialising in software solutions for educational institutions. Companies that can provide reliable support services or develop innovative software offerings tailored to schools would benefit from engaging with this market. Furthermore, the planned move towards a competitive tender for SIMS services on an all-Wales basis presents potential for future growth and participation for businesses ready to explore these forthcoming opportunities.

## Notice

Transition from existing contractual model of perpetual licence of SIMS to local authority with associated support services, to software as a service model contracting directly with individual schools to provide SIMS and associated support services.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Prior to the award of these contracts, the current provider (ESS) had a contract with the local authority under which it provided a perpetual licence to the local authority for the purpose of providing SIMS to the schools in the local authority's area, with associated support services. ESS has now served notice to terminate that contract and requires that, in order to continue provision of SIMS, individual schools must enter into direct contracts with ESS to receive SIMS as software as a service. In order to bring about the transition, the local authority will enter into a Facilitation Agreement ("FA") with ESS under which nothing of value is received by ESS and no material services are provided to the local authority; it is purely an administrative arrangement to effect the transition. Each school in the local authority's area will enter into a School Contract ("SC") with ESS for the direct provision of SIMS as software as a service, at substantially the same cost as before. The highest value SC is 3,230 GBP and the lowest value SC is 55,312 GBP The schools in the local authority's area whose governing bodies will enter into contracts with ESS are as follows: List of schools:- Name Birchgrove Comprehensive Birchgrove Primary School Bishop Gore Comprehensive School Bishop Vaughan RC Comprehensive Bishopston Comprehensive School Bishopston Primary School Blaenymaes Primary School Brynhyfryd Primary School Brynmill Primary School Burlais Primary School Cadle Primary School Casllwchwr Primary School Cefn Hengoed Comprehensive School Christ Church In Wales Primary Cila Primary School City and County of Swansea Pupil Referral Unit Clase Primary School Clwyd Primary School Clydach Primary School Craigfelin Primary School Crwys Primary School Cwmglas Primary School Cwmrhydyceirw Primary School Danygraig Primary School Dunvant Primary School Dylan Thomas Community School Flying Start Settings Gendros Primary School Glais Primary School Glyncollen Primary School Gors Community School Gorseinon Primary School Gowerton Primary School Gowerton School Grange Primary School Gwyrosydd Primary School Hafod Primary School Hendrefoilan Primary School Knelston Primary School Llangyfelach Primary School Llanrhidian Primary School Mayals Primary School Morriston Comprehensive School Morriston Primary School Newton Primary School Olchfa School Oystermouth Primary School Parkland Primary School Pen-y-fro Primary School Penclawdd Primary School Pengelli Primary School Penllergaer Primary School Pennard Primary School Pentre'r Graig Primary School Pentrechwyth Primary School Pentrehafod School Hafod Penyrheol Comprehensive School Penyrheol Primary School Plasmarl Primary School Pontarddulais Comprehensive School Pontarddulais Primary School Pontlliw Primary School Pontybrenin Primary School Portmead Primary School Seaview Community Primary School Sketty Primary School St Davids RC Primary School St Helen's Primary School St Illtyds RC Primary School St Joseph's Cathedral Primary School St Joseph's RC Primary School St Thomas Community Primary School Talycopa Primary School Terrace Road Primary School Townhill Community School Trallwn Primary School Tre Uchaf Primary School Waun Wen Primary School Waunarlwydd Primary School Whitestone Primary School Y G G Bryniago Y G G Lonlas Primary School Y G G Pontybrenin YGG Llwynderw YGG Tan-y-lan Ynystawe Primary School Ysgol Bryn-Y-Mor Ysgol Crug Glas Ysgol G G Y Login Fach Prim Sch Ysgol Gyfun Bryn Tawe Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr Ysgol Gymraeg Y Cwm Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Gellionnen Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tirdeunaw Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn The local authority publishes this notice on behalf of itself and the schools listed above but is not acting as a central purchasing body on behalf of the schools.. Contract duration: 36 months

### Procurement Information

This contract award notice is published on a wholly voluntary basis and without prejudice to the local authority's and the governing body of each individual school's position that no prior publication of a contract notice, and thus no competitive tender exercise, was required in respect of the Facilitation Agreement (FA) and/or the individual Schools Contracts (SC). Neither the local authority nor the governing body of any of the schools listed above accepts that the FA and/or the individual SCs are within the scope of application of Part 2 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended). (1) The FA simply puts in place an administrative mechanism to manage the transition of contracts from local authorities to schools and therefore has no 'value'. Each school is a separate contracting authority and each SC is a separate contract. The values of each SC is below the threshold in Reg. 5 (as reviewed pursuant to Reg. 5A) of the 2015 Regulations. (2) The services can only be provided by one particular economic operator (ESS) - competition is absent for technical reasons pursuant to Reg. 32(2)(b)(ii) of the 2015 Regulations. (3) All the schools in the local authority's area currently use ESS' SIMS product. It would take a minimum of 6 weeks to transition from ESS' SIMS product to another product. To avoid serious disruption to the school's functions, that transition has to take place over the long summer holidays. ESS served 90 days' notice to terminate current arrangements. It would not be possible, in the timescales imposed by ESS, for schools to tender for and purchase an alternative product and transition to it, without suffering serious disruption to essential services which would affect the ability of schools to continue to function and which may require schools to close. The urgency provisions pursuant to Reg. 32(2)(c) of the 2015 Regulations apply. Due to the short notice given by ESS, together with the time it would take to prepare a specification and to transition to a new product, the timescales for the open or restricted procedure, or competitive procedure with negotiation, cannot be complied with in the time available. It is intended in the future to advertise a competitive tender exercise for SIMS on an all-Wales basis, with transition to the new contracts resulting from such tender to coincide with the end of the 3-year term of the SCs entered into with ESS. Pre-tender market testing is likely to commence in the near future.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Sell2Wales |
| Latest notice | https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=119855 |
| Notice type | OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Mar 2022 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 17 Feb 2022 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CITY & COUNTY OF SWANSEA |
| Locality | SWANSEA |
| Post town | Swansea |
| Postcode | SA1 3SN |
| Country | Wales |
| ITL 1 | TLL Wales |
| ITL 2 | TLL4 Mid and South West Wales |
| ITL 3 | TLL43 Swansea |
| Local authority | Swansea |
| Electoral ward | Waterfront |
| Westminster constituency | Swansea West |
| Delivery location | TLL18 Swansea |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | EDUCATION SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 72260000 - Software-related services
- 72261000 - Software support services
- 72268000 - Software supply services
- 72300000 - Data services
- 72310000 - Data-processing services
- 72320000 - Database services

## Release History

- 24 Mar 2022 at 00:00 - Award - OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=119855

## Documents

- https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR392751
  SIMS - Schools Management Information System - Transition from existing contractual model of perpetual licence of SIMS to local authority with associated support services, to software as a service model contracting directly with individual schools to provide SIMS and associated support services.

## Notice URLs

- https://api.sell2wales.gov.wales/v1?lang=cy/Notice?id=ocds-kuma6s-119855
- https://www.swansea.gov.uk/dobusiness

## 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-kuma6s-119855. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-119855.json.