Engagement process description
1. Project Overview
Flintshire County Council (FCC) are seeking to replace their current Core Financial System, which provides the General Ledger, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable functions to all FCC Portfolios, FCC Corporate Functions and FCC Subsidiaries. This Core Finance System also takes feeds (feeders) from external suppliers and interacts a variety of systems within the wider FCC system stack.
This current software has been in service for circa 40 years and runs on servers located on-premise.
Over time, with the growing needs of the Authority, FCC have added “bolt-on” software packages. We are also seeking to potentially replace these ”bolt on” software packages with a single Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with modules which provide Corporate Finance functions.
The schematic of the additional software packages can be provided to those suppliers who express a genuine interest in this project.
A description of each of these systems is as follows:
- Core System - Provides the core Corporate Finance Functions; General Ledger, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable.
- Sub System 1 - A budget monitoring and forecasting tool, currently used to produce the monthly budget monitoring report. These reports inform the individual departments, Portfolios, Corporate Executives and Cabinet Members of the current budget position.
- Sub system 2 - Provides system reporting using data from the purchase to pay system and core finance system.
- Sub system 3 - Provides an end-to-end solution for procurement to payment of goods and services by FCC; Portfolio, Schools and Local Authority Trading Companies (LATCs). Through additional software, we scan and match invoices to purchase orders and place orders using punchout.
- Sub system 4 - Cash and Payment Management – All cashflows into FCC pass through this system. These cashflows range from Central and Welsh Government Grants, through major revenues such as (Revenues and Benefits) to individual Cash or PCI compliant Card Payments.
2. Our Vision
To modernise our current financial systems by embracing cloud-based solutions and to have greater integration to ensure all system users have access to real-time information across all systems wherever they are working. Ultimately improving our processes, removing duplication of duties and pushing through efficiencies. A summary of our vision by way of schematic can be provided to suppliers who express a genuine interest in this project.
Our solution vision will provide the best levels of affordable functionality available when replacing the current core and sub financial systems. It is envisaged the solution will be provided by modules which can be introduced into a cloud ERP system.
This modular solution approach will afford FCC the ability to bring other council systems into this environment in the future should we wish, as we believe this could also result in further future benefits for FCC.
A description of each of these other FCC systems is as follows:
- Social Care Financial Assessment Management
- Transport and Vehicle Management Software
- Council Tax and NNDR Refunds Software
- HR and Payroll Software
- Pension Fund Management Software
- Accelerated payment System
- Telecare Software (internal software)
- Asset Management Software
*This list is not exclusive
3. Market Exploration
FCC are exploring the market in order to research potential solutions which may be available for the replacement of these core and sub systems. We may invite suppliers to provide a solution overview and demonstration either on-line or in person at St. Davids Park, Ewloe, North Wales.
Specifically, in order to refine and finalise our requirements for an Open Tender, we are looking to explore and understand the functionality that is available in the market. You may be invited to attend overviews / demonstrations to help us with our understanding and we would seek specific focus on :
3.1 The level to which suppliers can absorb (replace) FCC Finance sub systems into their ERP offering.
3.2 The functionality available in a suppliers ERP offering specifically in relation to our legacy Core & Sub-systems. Demonstration of this functionality should form a large part of any supplier overviews as these will be attended in the majority by FCC Corporate Accountants together with some IT representatives.
3.3 How suppliers would propose to integrate with the other non-accounting based systems currently in place in FCC. For example, through the use of Standard APIs which would mean reconfiguration of these existing systems, or a suppliers ability to communicate with these systems with no initial changes to them, but with a path for a future standard API interactions.
3.4 How suppliers can provide Single Sign On (SSO) to their ERP environment, backed by the security provided by Multi Factor Authentication (MFA)
3.5 Where suppliers store data (geographical location) and how they ensure UK and Local Government Data Protection legislation is obeyed.
3.6 The level to which suppliers can absorb (replace) other systems in FCC's Vision into their ERP offering. The list is not exclusive and these systems are not in scope of this current project.
3.7 How suppliers can offer a pay as FCC deploy model. It is envisaged that implementation of a Finance focused ERP solution could take 12-24 month for all modules to be introduced into a suppliers ERP environment. With the implementation of some module not starting for some 12-15 months from contract signature FCC are keen to avoid paying for modules until the point of their implementation.
4. Further Information
4.1 Estimated Time Frames - subject to change.
Pre-Market Engagement Notice issue w/c 7th July 2025
Supplier Overviews / Demonstrations w/c 21th July 2025
Open Tender Issued w/c 18th August 2025
Classification Questions and Reponses until 19th September 2025.
Supplier Responses 29th September 2025
Initial scoring to be complete by 17th October 2025
Suppler Demonstrations / FCC Clarifications w/c 20th October 2025
FCC Evaluation Completion w/c 27th October 2025
Contract Decision w/c 3rd November 2025
Contract Award w/c 3rd November
Contract Start 1st December 2025
4.2 Contract T+Cs
As the contact is to be awarded under an open tender arrangement, FCC Contractual terms and conditions will apply. Our current Terms and Conditions can be provided to suppliers who express a genuine interest in this project.
If suppliers have a genuine interest in this project, please provide a brief overview of your solution/s to procurement@denbighshire.gov.uk by 17th July 2025 with your availability for demonstration w/c 21st July 2025.
Note: FCC reserve the right to review suppliers' overviews and make a decision to invite a number of suppliers to demonstrate. FCC may not invite all suppliers who have expressed a genuine interest in this project to be involved in the pre-market engagement, however all suppliers will receive the same information following the pre-market engagement.