---
title: "Schools Information Management System (SIMS)"
ocid: "ocds-kuma6s-120648"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-kuma6s-120648"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-120648.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-120648.json"
source: "Sell2Wales"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CAERPHILLY COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL"
published: "2022-10-06"
---

# Schools Information Management System (SIMS)

Buyer: CAERPHILLY COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-kuma6s-120648

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-kuma6s-120648)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-120648.json)

## Summary

The Caerphilly County Borough Council has completed a procurement process for the Schools Information Management System (SIMS) through an Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition. The contracting organisation, Caerphilly County Borough Council, located in Hengoed, UK, issued the tender. The procurement is at the award stage, with a contract signed on 1st April 2022. The title of the tender is "Schools Information Management System (SIMS)", falling under the services category.

This tender offers an opportunity for businesses, particularly those providing education software solutions, to compete for contracts to provide SIMS and associated support services directly to individual schools in the local authority's area. The procurement process involves transitioning from a perpetual licence model to a software as a service model. The tender has created business growth potential for suppliers such as Education Software Solutions Limited, which was awarded the contract. The unique procurement method was justified by the absence of competition due to technical reasons and the urgency to ensure continuous provision of essential services to schools.

## 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 36,233.10 GBP and the lowest value SC is 378.48 GBP. The schools in the local authority's area whose governing bodies will enter into contracts with ESS are as follows: Glanynant Learning Centre (PRU) Cwm Glas Infants School Rhydri Primary School Deri Primary School Fochriw Primary Cwmaber Junior School Ty Isaf Infants School Fleur-De-Lys Primary Park Primary Crumlin High Level Primary Llanfabon Infants School Cwmaber Infants School Phillipstown Primary School Ynysddu Primary School Pentwynmawr Primary School Bryn Awel Primary School Penllwyn Primary Llancaeach Junior School Ysgol Gymraeg Gilfach Fargod Hendre Infants School Tiryberth Primary Bedwas Infants Upper Rhymney Primary School Bryn Primary Bedwas Junior Maesycwmmer Primary School Graig-Y-Rhacca Primary Derwendeg Primary School Hengoed Primary Machen Primary School Hendre Junior School Waunfawr Primary Markham Primary Trinant Primary Ysgol Bro Sannan Gilfach Fargoed Primary Greenhill Primary Ysgol Y Lawnt Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Cwm Derwen Pantside Primary Trinity Fields School Coed-Y-Brain Primary Ysgol Gymraeg Trelyn Cwmfelinfach Primary Pengam Primary Tyn-y-Wern Primary Ysgol Penalltau Pontllanfraith Primary School Nant Y Parc Primary School White Rose Primary School Hendredenny Park Primary Ysgol Gymraeg Cwm Gwyddon Aberbargoed Primary School Glyn-Gaer Primary School St Helens Rc Primary Cwmcarn Primary School Cwm Ifor Primary School Ysgol Ifor Bach Abercarn Primary School Cefn Fforest Primary Tynewydd Primary School. Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Allta St James Primary School Risca Primary Plasyfelin Primary School Cwrt Rawlin Primary School Libanus Primary St Gwladys Bargoed School Blackwood Primary Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili Y G G Y Castell Ystrad Mynach Primary Twyn Primary Ty Sign Primary School Rhiw Syr Dafydd Primary School Heolddu Comprehensive School Lewis School Pengam Risca Community Comprehensive Lewis Girls' Comprehensive School Bedwas High School Idris Davies School 3 to 18 Blackwood Comprehensive School Newbridge School Islwyn High School St Cenydd School Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni 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 from 1 April 2022

### Procurement Information

This contract award notice is pursuant to Reg. 93(2), (3) and (4) of the PCR 2015. It is published on a voluntary basis and without prejudice to the LAs and governing body of each school's position that no prior publication of a contract notice and no competitive tender exercise was required in respect of the Facilitation Agreement (FA) and the individual Schools Contracts (SC). Neither the LA nor the governing body of the schools listed above accepts that the FA and SCs are within the scope of application of Part 2 of the PCR 2015 (as amended). The FA has no value but simply puts in place a mechanism to manage the transition of contracts from LAs to schools. It is therefore below the threshold set out in Reg. 5 (as reviewed pursuant to Reg. 5A) of the 2015 Regulations and Part 2 of the 2015 Regulations does not apply. The governing body of each school is a separate contracting authority and each SC is a separate contract. Due to the value each contract being below the threshold set out in Reg. 5 (as reviewed pursuant to Reg. 5A) of the 2015 Regulations and Part 2 of the 2015 Regulations does not apply. Neither the FA nor the SCs are subject to a requirement to carry out prior publication of a contract notice and any form of competitive tender, as the services can only be provided by one supplier (ESS), as competition is absent for technical reasons pursuant to Reg. 32(2)(b)(ii) of the 2015 Regulations. This is because most schools in the local authority's area use ESS' SIMS product. It would take a minimum of 6 weeks to transition from ESS' product to another, including implementation, testing, training and migration of data. To avoid serious disruption to school's functions the transition has to take place over the long summer holidays. ESS served 90 days' notice to terminate current contracts Christmas 2021. It would not be possible in the timescales imposed by ESS, for schools to tender 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 may require schools to close. Neither the FA nor the SCs are subject to a requirement to carry out prior publication of a contract notice and/or any form of competitive tender, because of urgency pursuant to Reg. 32(2)(c) of the 2015 Regulations. The provision of an information management system is essential and a school cannot function without it.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Sell2Wales |
| Latest notice | https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=120648 |
| 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 | 6 Oct 2022 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 Apr 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 | CAERPHILLY COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL |
| Locality | HENGOED |
| Post town | Cardiff |
| Postcode | CF82 7PG |
| Country | Wales |
| ITL 1 | TLL Wales |
| ITL 2 | TLL5 South East Wales |
| ITL 3 | TLL53 Gwent Valleys |
| Local authority | Caerphilly |
| Electoral ward | Ystrad Mynach |
| Westminster constituency | Caerphilly |
| Delivery location | TLL16 Gwent Valleys |

## 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

- 6 Oct 2022 at 00:00 - Award - OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=120648
- 15 Sep 2022 at 00:00 - Award - OJEU - F15 - Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice - https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=120648

## Documents

- https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP411574
  Schools Information Management System (SIMS) - 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.
- https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=OCT413865
  Schools Information Management System (SIMS) - 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-120648
- https://www.caerphilly.gov.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-kuma6s-120648. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-kuma6s-120648.json.