Award of Pension Administration Software Contract to Heywood Limited by Kent County Council

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Kent County Council awarded a contract to Heywood Limited for the delivery of Pension Administration Software for a five-year period from 1 May 2023 to 30 April 2028, valued at £3,907,902.

The contract was awarded under Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) without prior publication of a call for competition due to the absence of competition for technical reasons.

The Council determined that only the incumbent supplier could continue the service because of the impact and timing of the McCloud judgment on LGPS funds, which prevented scoping technical requirements or transitioning to a new supplier within the current contract cycle; the unreasonable cost and scarcity of resources for transition due to recruitment difficulties in pensions administration; and LGPS changes to pension re-evaluation dates that altered technical parameters in a manner only the incumbent system could meet.

These changes in pensions law and guidance, outside the Council's control, meant that the 12–18 months required for procurement and transition made it technically impossible for any other provider to fulfil the service requirements at the required time.