Provision of Integrated HR & Payroll System

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 an integrated HR and Payroll solution, including the delivery of a fully outsourced payroll service. The Trust is seeking a modern, cloud-based platform to support the full employee lifecycle, providing a single, secure source of workforce data across the Trust. Core requirements are expected to include employee records management, recruitment and onboarding, contract and position management, absence and leave management, HR reporting, DfE Workforce Census, employee self-service and integration with payroll processing. A key objective of this procurement is to secure a provider with demonstrable payroll expertise within the education sector, delivering a resilient, accurate, and compliant outsourced payroll service. This is expected to include monthly payroll processing, statutory and year-end submissions, pensions administration, handling of complex pay arrangements, and appropriate support services for payroll and HR queries. The Trust places strong emphasis on service quality, continuity, and sector knowledge and expertise, not solely the provision of software. The Trust currently uses Bromcom as its Management Information System and would welcome engagement with suppliers whose HR and payroll solutions can integrate effectively with this platform. Seamless integration between HR and payroll is a priority, alongside improved access to payroll data, enhanced reporting capability, and reduced reliance on manual processes. Scalability, data security, and automation will be key considerations to support the Trust’s ongoing growth. The contract start date will be between September and November 2026