Purpose

The HeyCentric income management solution is
used by the council to receive and process income from customers,
and interfaces with the council’s Business World ERP
system.

The Unit4 HeyCentric contract commenced on 1st September 2022 for
an initial 3 year contract term with an optional rolling one-year
extension beyond the initial term.

The focus of the extension is to provide the council with a
continuation of service whilst a more comprehensive review of
income management solutions is being undertaken. This will be an
extension to contract to allow continuity of services/ systems
whilst teams understand the scope for a unified solution
strategy.

Utilising the existing contract extension options to extend until
31st August 2026 with an option to extend for an additional 1 year
period to 31st August 2027, will allow the council time to make
decisions on the future of the income management solutions
including required implementation and migration activities.

Decision

To continue with the existing Unit4 HeyCentric
contract utilising the one-year rolling extension option to
continue beyond the initial 3-year contract period which ends on
31st August 2025.

The annual cost to the council is £84,424 per annum and is
subject to indexation on an annual basis.

To extend the contract from 1st September 2025 until 31st August
2026 and the option to extend for further 1 year period to 31st
August 2027.

Alternative options considered

Alternative Procurement Process:
The only alternative option is that this requirement could be
tendered to market. This will not meet the timescales required for
this project and would result in disruption to service.

The implementation costs are likely to be significant, and the
council would likely be required to commit to a minimum term of 3
years.