Oracle Implementation Partner - AWARD

Finance, Procurement, HR and Payroll Implementation Services for Manchester Metropolitan University (Modification)

In 2023, Manchester Metropolitan University (ManMet) ran a mini-competition for the award of a specific call-off contract under Crown Commercial Service framework agreement RM6193 (Software design and implementation services). The contract concerns the software design and implementation services required by ManMet to implement its transition to the Oracle cloud applications, to replace all current and legacy applications (including the existing SAP platform). The Oracle implementation is important in achieving ManMet's 'Road to 2030' vision, and involves the implementation of Oracle ERP, HCM, payroll and procurement applications.

The mini-competition was won by Deloitte LLP, and a call-off contract for the services was entered into with a start date of 21 August 2023, and an expiry date of the earliest of: (i) 21 August 2026 (or (ii) upon completion and sign-off by the Parties, of delivery of the final 'Hypercare' stage). The contract includes an initial go live date of November 2024 and further go live date of February 2025 (the Go Live Dates) with ongoing services required after those dates until the expiry date.

ManMet is extending the Go Live Dates to April 2025 (from November 2024 and February 2025). ManMet is currently undergoing a separate transformation project concerning its student services known as the student journey transformation project (SJTP). A delay in the implementation of SJTP means that the final implementation date for SJTP will now occur in November 2024. ManMet cannot feasibly have two major transformation programmes going live in the same month, due to the significant risk of major disruption that would entail, as well as the unmanageable demands on our resources. The change in Go Live Dates will extend the project timelines under the contract and will increase the cost of the contract by circa £2.9 million. The resourcing model used for this project is such that the team used cannot be off-boarded and re-onboarded closer to the Go Live Date. In order to achieve the new Go Live Dates, the partner resource has to be extended to ensure consistency and capacity. This has meant adding some specific 'road map' scope items to the programme and utilising the additional capacity. Such scope has been included due to the changes to Go Live Dates that have been necessitated by delays to the other transformation project and are linked to the resource model used and the extension that has become necessary.

There is a need for the modifications to ensure that the Go Live Dates do not clash with the timetable for implementation of the separate SJTP. The delay to SJTP and the resulting potential clash has been brought about by circumstances which a diligent contracting authority could not have foreseen (and was not foreseen by MMU). The delay to SJTP resulted in moving SJTP's go-live date from ...