Estimated Value
Up to £600,000
Deadline
15 June 2026
Published
15 May 2026
Type
services
Overview
The London Borough of Merton ("the Authority") is seeking to undertake soft market testing to understand suppliers that can provide platform, implementation, maintenance, and support for an ePayments and Income Receipting solution.
AI Analysis
Powered by AI — always verify against official documents
The London Borough of Merton is testing the market to find out which suppliers can provide an online payment system for residents and businesses to pay the council. This includes the software platform itself, setting it up, keeping it running, and providing customer support.
Requirements
- Ability to provide a complete ePayments and Income Receipting platform
- Implementation services to set up the system
- Ongoing maintenance and technical support
- Experience working with local government or public sector organisations (typical for council contracts)
- Compliance with UK data protection and security standards (GDPR, council IT security requirements)
- No specific certifications listed in the notice — check full tender documents for ISO standards or security accreditations required
Key Tasks & Deliverables
- Provide ePayments platform software that allows council customers to pay online
- Implement and integrate the system with the council's existing income and finance systems
- Provide ongoing maintenance to keep the system running 24/7
- Deliver first and second-line technical support to council staff and residents
- Handle payment processing and reconciliation with the council's banking systems
How to Read This Tender
- 1This is 'soft market testing' — the council is gathering information before issuing a formal tender, so you're not bidding yet. Respond with your capability and experience, not a full proposal or pricing.
- 2Look for the council's specific questions in the tender documents — they'll want to know what platforms you offer, your experience with councils, how you price (ongoing licence, implementation costs, support fees), and your implementation timescale.
- 3Flag your references from other councils or public sector bodies — these carry weight in local government procurement.
- 4Check the technical requirements section carefully for system integrations — councils often need connections to finance systems (SAP, Agresso, etc.) and payment gateways. Make sure your platform can do this.
- 5Watch out for service level agreements (SLAs) — councils expect uptime guarantees (typically 99.5%+) and support response times. These will be negotiated during formal procurement.
Tips for Small Businesses
- If you're a smaller payment provider without local government experience, consider partnering with a systems integrator or larger supplier who already works with councils — they often subcontract implementation and support work.
- Emphasise any social value commitments in your response (e.g. training local apprentices, supporting small business digital skills) — councils score this highly in formal tenders.
- Prepare case studies from similar implementations for other councils or large organisations — this soft market testing is where the council is deciding if you're credible enough to invite to the formal bid stage.
Before you bid, buyers check
two years of filed accountsyour financial standingturnover vs contract valueyour Companies House recordcash flow for 30-day termscredit scores and ratios
Actions
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How to Apply
Step-by-step submission guide
Submission Portal
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Download tender documents
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Submit your response
Upload completed documents through the portal before the deadline — late bids are automatically rejected
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Buyer Profile
London Borough of MertonKey Dates
Published
15 May 2026
Submission deadline
15 June 2026
Notice type
Contract
Source
contracts finder
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