Operational Finance - 67919 Financial Systems Development Delivery Service

Description

Work done so far There are several projects at different stages of development and delivery, ranging from Discovery to Live. Existing services are continuously being improved, with a scheduled pipeline of future releases in place. Which phase the project is in Not applicable Existing team There is an existing external managed service in place delivering this work which will require a robust handover if a new supplier is appointed. The supplier will receive Statements of Work (SOW), they will engage with a coherent internal delivery team. They will also engage with other managed services and Suppliers. The wider DfE's finance community will actively define scope of the pipeline. We are looking for a range of standard GDS roles to deliver the Departments Digital requirements to improve and develop the financial systems/interfaces. Address where the work will be done The Managed Service can deliver work where they see appropriate. At times it may be necessary and/or most effective to deliver services on site. The primary location of the deliverables will be at DfE site - Cheylesmore House, Coventry, although travel to other DfE sites to support business facing workshops and meetings including collection of requirements should be anticipated. Remote working. Working arrangements The Delivery Partner will receive a Statement of Work outlining the digital delivery commitments. Progress will be managed through an existing Governance Board and Steering Group, chaired by the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO). Oversight will sit with the Deputy Director (SRO). The supplier must provide weekly progress and performance updates to the Head of Financial Systems or their delegate. The standard working week is Monday to Friday. However, system releases will need to take place over weekends or bank holidays to maintain service continuity. Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Provide more information about your security requirements: Security Check (SC) Provide more information about your security requirements: The successful supplier will demonstrate their compliance with ISO27001. Their employees should be security cleared (SC) or be willing to undertake SC level within 4 weeks of the Contract being awarded. Latest start date 2025-10-20 Enter the expected contract length: 2 years Special terms and conditions Bidders must respond to the opportunity using the response template found within the project attachments. Only essential and nice to have criteria require responses at stage 1. Special terms and conditions In order to participate in this opportunity, DOS6 awarded suppliers should have followed all necessary registration steps through the Public Procurement Gateway, operated by Crown Commercial Service (CCS). Please follow instructions sent to you at the email address supplied during the DOS6 application process. Special terms and conditions The Supplier shall ensure that no Supplier Staff who discloses that they have a Relevant Conviction, or who is found to have any Relevant Convictions (whether as a result of a police check or through the vetting procedure of HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard or through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or otherwise), is employed or engaged in any part of the provision of the Services without the prior written approval of the Buyer. Subject to the Data Protection Legislation, the Supplier shall disclose the results of their vetting process, immediately to the Buyer. The decision as to whether any of the Supplier’s Staff are allowed to perform activities in relation to the Call Off Contract, is entirely at the Buyer’s sole discretion. The Supplier shall be required to undertake annual periodic checks during the Call Off Contract Period of its Staff, in accordance with HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard so as to determine the Supplier Staff suitability to continue to Framework Schedule 6 (Order Form Template, Statement of Work Template and Call-Off Schedules) 5 provide Services under the Call Off Contract. The Supplier shall ensure that any Supplier Staff who discloses a Relevant Conviction (either spent or unspent) or is found by the Supplier to have a Relevant Conviction through standard national vetting procedures or otherwise, is immediately disclosed to the Buyer. The Supplier shall ensure that the individual staff member immediately ceases all activity in relation to the Call Off Contract, until the Buyer has reviewed the case, on an individual basis, and has made a final decision. Where the Buyer decides that a Supplier Staff should be removed from performing activities, as a result of obtaining information in relation to the Call Off Contract, or for any other reason, the Supplier shall promptly and diligently replace any individual identified. Special terms and conditions Expenses will not be paid for the monthly meet ups. The primary location of work will be specified in each Statement of Work (SoW) and expenses cannot be claimed for travel to that location. Expenses can be claimed for travel to any secondary location of work as required and agreed. Expenses are capped to the value specified in the Statement of Work (SoW). When travel to secondary DfE sites is required, all costs incurred must comply with the prevailing DfE Travel and Subsistence policy. Parking is not available on DfE sites. Should base location vary it will be outlined and agreed upon the individual statements of work. Special terms and conditions The latest start date will be outlined in each individual statement of work. Except for in exceptional circumstances, and as agreed with the buyer Special terms and conditions Service provider resources must work within the United Kingdom unless agreed by the Department on an individual basis. Departmental equipment must not be taken abroad or access the departmental network whilst outside the United Kingdom unless agreed by the Department on an individual basis Special terms and conditions The Department’s standard approach to pricing mechanism will be ‘Capped Time and Materials’ (CTM) however we reserve the right to use any of the other approaches as listed in the call-off charges section. Special terms and conditions General Information Standard Framework and Call Off Terms and Conditions will apply Suppliers must agree to all DFE security clearance policies and processes. Suppliers must comply with the Regulation (GDPR) Regulation May 2018; the (DPA) Act 2018, the Law Enforcement Directive and any subsequent amendments/changes to date including providing sufficient guarantees to meet the requirements of GDPR in line with Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 02/18 May 2018 which updates PPN 03/17 All Project-Specific IPRs (as defined) and the Deliverables shall vest in the Buyer unconditionally and immediately upon their creation. Special terms and conditions Suppliers will be required to undertake Financial and Security Due Diligence as part of the tender process, prior to award. Special terms and conditions Non-Solicitation Clause: 1.1 The Supplier shall not, either directly or indirectly, by or through itself, its affiliate, its agent or otherwise, or in conjunction with its affiliate, its agent or otherwise, whether for its own benefit or for the benefit of any other person solicit, entice or induce, or endeavour to solicit, entice or induce, any employees of the Buyer who are employed or engaged in the performance of the Services with a view to employing or engaging the employee of the Buyer during the Call-Off Contract Period and for a period of [9 months] thereafter. 1.2. Notwithstanding clause 1.1 the Supplier may employ or engage any employees of the Buyer which have responded directly to a bona fide recruitment drive either through a recruitment agency engaged by the Supplier or via an advertisement placed publicly by the Supplier (either in the press, social media, online or in trade and industry publications). Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: 5770600 Indicative minimum: 5246000 Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Summary of work We are seeking a managed service provider to support the delivery and development of our Financial Systems and Services, working in collaboration with a Microsoft Gold Partner and other suppliers involved in the service. This will include ongoing enhancements to existing systems, as well as the end-to-end delivery of new systems and services—from discovery through to live deployment—in line with our programme pipeline. Where the supplied staff will work West Midlands Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Who the organisation using the products or services is Department for Education Why the work is being done The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for the secure and timely distribution of approximately £100 billion of public funds each year to schools, colleges, teachers, employers, suppliers, and staff. To support this function, the DfE relies on core financial systems—primarily Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Adaptive Planning—alongside a range of corporate systems used for payments, identity verification, procurement (Jaggaer), HR (Workday), and other internal operations. These systems are connected through a suite of digital products and interfaces, mainly enterprise APIs. To ensure the Department can continue to deliver public services effectively, and to keep pace with changing government policy, industry standards, and emerging technology, DfE maintains a continuous programme of investment in its systems, processes, and data. Financial services are delivered through a shared service model that supports multiple entities within the Department. Maintaining and improving these systems is essential to meeting legal and financial obligations, safeguarding public funds, and ensuring operations remain secure, transparent, and efficient. There is a defined programme of work over the next two years to enhance and develop the financial systems and their supporting technology. This will enable the DfE to continue delivering its responsibilities with the necessary speed, accuracy, and resilience. The business problem you need to solve The Department for Education (DfE) must modernise and strengthen its financial services to ensure they remain secure, efficient, and suitable for future needs. These services underpin the management and distribution of substantial public funds and rely on core systems such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Adaptive Planning, alongside a range of supporting digital platforms. To deliver this, the DfE requires a delivery partner to support the implementation and management of a programme of digital improvements. Key priorities include harmonising financial processes across different entities within Business Central, advancing its transition to a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, and progressing a defined backlog of enhancements. The programme also includes supporting the implementation of a Data Lake to meet user and reporting needs. In addition, the delivery team will be responsible for applying regular security updates, implementing a modern payments solution, and enhancing the APIs that integrate financial systems with other departmental services. This work is critical to maintaining accuracy, transparency, and security in managing public money. The delivery partner will be expected to support 5 to 10 live projects at any time, enabling the DfE to meet its financial obligations while adapting to evolving priorities and technological opportunities. First user type: Approximately 1,800 users rely on the Department for Education’s (DfE) financial systems to carry out their roles effectively. Their ability to perform key tasks is essential to ensure the Department complies with relevant Accounting Standards, UK legislation, and the principles set out in Managing Public Money. These tasks include, but are not limited to: • Raising, receipting, and approving purchase orders to ensure suppliers and educational institutions are paid securely, accurately, and on time—supporting the continued delivery of DfE policies. • Managing budgets and forecasts robustly and accurately. • Collecting financial and operational data from a range of internal and external stakeholders. • Ensuring that every transaction is supported by appropriate evidence and approval. • Identifying and resolving IT-related issues and user requests promptly, to enable staff to meet their objectives. • Proposing system improvements and monitoring their implementation to drive greater efficiency and value for money. All of this work must be carried out with minimal risk and error, maintaining the highest standards of security and transparency. Protecting public funds is critical, and users must maintain clear, accurate, and auditable records always.