Provision of Financial Management and Procurement system
Estimated value
£250k
Awarded value
—
Suppliers
0
Lots
1
Published
19 Jan 2026
This is a preliminary market engagement notice
Map the supplier landscape and document your shortlist before opening the tender. The market simulation produces a defensible audit record you can attach to your procurement file.
Description
The Academies for Character and Excellence is a growing primary school Multi-Academy Trust currently comprising 20 schools, with anticipated growth to 25 schools during the tender period with future further growth anticipated in coming years. The Trust is undertaking pre-market engagement to inform a forthcoming procurement for a new Financial Management System to be deployed across the Trust and its schools. The solution will be required to support all core finance functions including general ledger, budgetary controls, accounts payable and receivable, bank and cash management, fixed assets, and statutory and management reporting in line with ESFA and DfE requirements. The Trust is seeking a modern, cloud hosted system that offers strong multi entity capability, enabling central Trust oversight alongside appropriate devolved access for individual schools. A key element of this procurement is the provision of an integrated purchasing and procurement portal for school based users. This is expected to support requisitioning, approval workflows, purchase ordering, goods receipting, supplier management, and budgetary controls. The Trust is particularly interested in solutions that improve visibility and control of spend, reduce manual processing, and support consistent processes across a growing Trust. The Trust currently uses IMP for budget planning and forecasting and would welcome engagement with suppliers whose solutions can integrate effectively with this environment. Scalability, automation, efficiency of transactions, and robust reporting will be central considerations, with a strong emphasis on reducing central administrative workload while improving access to timely financial information.
Scope
- Reference
- ACE01.76
- Total value
- £250,000 excluding VAT£300,000 including VATAbove the relevant threshold
- Commercial tool
- Standalone contract
- Contract dates
- 01 Sept 2026 to 31 Aug 2030Possible extension to 31 Aug 2032
4 year term with the option of two further 1 year extensions (4+1+1)
- Main category
- goods
- CPV classifications
- 48440000
- Contract locations
- South West England, United Kingdom
- Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Award criteria
Criteria the buyer will use to evaluate bids.
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implementation & Transition Delivery | — | quality | 5.00% |
| Quality of People & Support Team | — | quality | 5.50% |
| Customer Retention & Client Success | — | quality | 4.50% |
| Service Support Model & Responsiveness | — | quality | 3.00% |
| Contract Management & Strategic Partnership | — | quality | 2.00% |
| Service Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement | — | quality | 2.00% |
| Innovation, Product Roadmap & Future Fit | — | quality | 1.50% |
| Complaint Resolution & Escalation | — | quality | 1.50% |
| Software Functionality | Importance of Requirement: High = 25% Medium = 10% Low = 5% | quality | 40.00% |
| Price | Whole life contract cost | cost | 35.00% |
Participation
Conditions suppliers must meet to bid.
Financial Capacity Assessment: Bidders must demonstrate that their financial position is sufficiently robust to support both the implementation and ongoing delivery of the Finance System. Bidders must provide their audited financial statements for the previous two financial years. Where audited accounts are not available, bidders should provide certified accounts or equivalent financial information. Bidders should disclose any known events that may materially impact their financial position during the contract term (for example, planned sale, refinancing, or restructuring). Minimum Turnover Requirement The bidder’s annual turnover must be at least two times the estimated annual contract value. Net Asset Position Bidders must demonstrate a positive net asset position in their most recent financial statements Liquidity and Access to Financial Resources Bidders must demonstrate access to adequate financial resources to support ongoing business operations and contractual commitments. Revenue Model Stability Bidders must describe their revenue model, including the proportion of income that is recurring, contractually committed, or otherwise predictable. The Trust will assess the economic and financial standing of bidders to ensure that the successful supplier has the financial capacity and resilience required to deliver the contract for its full duration. The Trust is seeking a financially resilient supplier capable of sustaining long-term service delivery. The assessment is designed to ensure resilience rather than favour organisations of a particular size. The assessment will be conducted in accordance with the principles of proportionality, transparency, and equal treatment. Insurance requirements - can commit to obtain, prior to the award of the contract, the levels of insurance cover indicated below a. Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance* = £5m b. Public Liability Insurance = £5m c. Professional Indemnity Insurance = £1m d. Product Liability Insurance = £1m e. Cyber and Data Protection Insurance = £1m
Relevant experience and contract examples Please provide details of up to three contracts to meet conditions of participation relating to technical ability set out in the relevant notice or procurement documents, in any combination from either the public or private sectors (which may include samples of grant-funded work). The examples must be from the past three years. To constitute a pass, the minimum of two contract examples provided shall be relevant to the complexity of the requirement, with a sufficient level of detail that provides confidence in the Tenderer’s established past experience in similar and relevant projects/contracts. Organisational Standards Please provide details of the organisational standards and certifications your organisation holds that are relevant to the delivery of this contract, including (but not limited to) Quality Management and Information Security standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, or equivalent internationally recognised certifications. You must confirm that the scope of these certifications explicitly covers the services proposed within this procurement. Where equivalent standards are offered, please explain how they meet or exceed the requirements of the specified ISO standards. Bidders must submit the following evidence: • Copies of current certification issued by an accredited certification body. • A copy of the certification scope statement demonstrating that the services being procured fall within the accredited scope. • Confirmation of certification validity dates. • Details of any non-conformities identified during the most recent audit and the corrective actions taken.