Prior information notice
This notice is for prior information only
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
The City of Edinburgh Council
Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street
Edinburgh
EH8 8BG
UK
Contact person: Ben Fulton
Telephone: +44 1315296432
E-mail: ben.fulton@edinburgh.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00290
I.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Managed ICT Service Partner
Reference number: CT1861
II.1.2) Main CPV code
72500000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
A Managed ICT Service Partner for approximately 120 users within Lothian Pension Fund
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
72700000
72710000
72611000
72514000
72510000
72300000
72267000
48000000
72591000
64200000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKM75
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Lothian Pension Fund is seeking to engage with the market in advance of procuring a strategic managed ICT services partner. The organisation employs approximately 120 staff and delivers pension services to more than 103,000 members. Lothian Pension Fund requires a secure, resilient and modern ICT service to support its operations within a highly regulated pension administration and investment management environment. The anticipated scope includes service design and transition, service desk and end-user support, infrastructure and network management, cloud and Microsoft 365 services, storage, backup and data management, identity and access management, telephony, business continuity and disaster recovery, security management, supplier management, and strategic ICT advisory and project services. The successful supplier will be expected to deliver a highly available, secure and scalable technology environment that supports both day-to-day operations and the organisation's longer-term strategic objectives. The supplier will also be expected to deliver a smooth transition from the incumbent provider, ensuring continuity of service and minimising operational disruption.
Lothian Pension Fund is seeking a mature, collaborative and forward-thinking technology partner that will work transparently alongside the organisation, contributing strategic insight, innovation and continuous improvement to support its long-term objectives. The successful supplier will be expected to provide full visibility of service performance and operational information, enabling informed decision-making and effective governance. Lothian Pension Fund places significant importance on data transparency and accessibility and expects service management tooling and reporting capabilities that enable authorised personnel to independently access, analyse and report on service data. A strong focus will be placed on continuous improvement and innovation, with the successful supplier expected to proactively identify opportunities to enhance services, improve user experience, strengthen resilience and deliver measurable business value. Lothian Pension Fund is particularly interested in suppliers that can provide scalable and adaptable services, bringing industry best practice and new ideas to support the organisation's evolving needs over the life of the contract.
II.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice:
15/01/2027
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
Interested organisations are invited to note interest. At this stage the purpose of the Prior Information Notice is to establish market interest in this opportunity. Organisations may be asked to engage either with written statements or Teams meetings over the following months.
It is expected that any future tender exercise will involve a shortlisting exercise followed by rounds of dialogue or negotiation to better refine the outcome.
NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=843321.
(SC Ref:843321)
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
30/09/2026