URL: https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=2733

Decision Maker: Corporate Director of Resources (Section 151)

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Purpose: This report seeks the approval to award a contract for the provision of the Council’s Liberty Create Low Code Platform for a period of a maximum of 5 years, broken into 3 + 1 + 1 years, following a direct award tender conducted using a government framework. The recommended supplier submitted a compliant tender, meeting the Council’s specification and delivered a social value offer.   The Council currently uses the Liberty Create Low Code Platform for a range of end-to-end products, community and business support applications. The platform is a key element needed for the Transformation programme to be delivered successfully, and to achieve its objectives and related savings targets.   The Liberty Create Low Code Platform has provided the foundation to build a wide range of applications for services including, housing, Council forms, blue badges, streets and more. The technology really proved its worth during COVID, enabling the Council to quickly build and develop end to end products, community and business support applications.   There is a continuing requirement to use the Liberty Create Low Code Platform to improve and develop online services throughout the Council. For each online process that is built on the platform there will be a positive impact upon services in the council, as they will be built in a user-centred way, designed to minimise processing tasks by making use of good data management, automation, and collaboration between teams. This should reduce the time it takes to resolve cases.   Failure to have entered into a new agreement before the current agreement ends will result in the Council being unable to access the Liberty Create Low Code Platform, which would mean the Council would have to rebuild all applications on the new chosen platform.  

Content: This report seeks the approval to award a contract for the provision of the Council’s Liberty Create Low Code Platform for a period of a maximum of 5 years, broken into 3 + 1 + 1 years, following a direct award tender conducted using a government framework. The recommended supplier submitted a compliant tender, meeting the Council’s specification and delivered a social value offer.   The Council currently uses the Liberty Create Low Code Platform for a range of end-to-end products, community and business support applications. The platform is a key element needed for the Transformation programme to be delivered successfully, and to achieve its objectives and related savings targets.   The Liberty Create Low Code Platform has provided the foundation to build a wide range of applications for services including, housing, Council forms, blue badges, streets and more. The technology really proved its worth during COVID, enabling the Council to quickly build and develop end to end products, community and business support applications.   There is a continuing requirement to use the Liberty Create Low Code Platform to improve and develop online services throughout the Council. For each online process that is built on the platform there will be a positive impact upon services in the council, as they will be built in a user-centred way, designed to minimise processing tasks by making use of good data management, automation, and collaboration between teams. This should reduce the time it takes to resolve cases.   Failure to have entered into a new agreement before the current agreement ends will result in the Council being unable to access the Liberty Create Low Code Platform, which would mean the Council would have to rebuild all applications on the new chosen platform.   For the reasons set out in the report, the Corporate Director of Resources and s.151 Officer AGREED:   To agree to award a contract  for the provision of the Council’s Liberty Create Low Code Platform for a maximum period of 5 years with a 3 year initial period + 1 + 1 years optional extensions (3+1+1), to the provider and for the contract value stated in the Part B report.   The Council has a contract in place with a supplier for the provision of the Council’s Liberty Create Low Code Platform. This contract was put in place in 2021, and with the contract expiration on 29 March 2026, it was therefore necessary to procure a new contract.   A strategy approving this approach was previously approved KDN Ref: 0525ACE, PB-2526-000040-S.   The recommended supplier submitted a compliant tender, meeting the Council’s specification and delivered a social value offer.   The Council currently uses the Liberty Create Low Code Platform for a range of end-to-end products, community and business support applications. The platform is a key element needed for the Transformation programme to be delivered successfully, and to achieve its objectives and related savings targets.             There is a continuing requirement to use the Liberty Create Low Code Platform to improve and develop online services throughout the Council. For each online process that is built on the platform there will be a positive impact upon services in the Council, as they will be built in a user-centred way, designed to minimise processing tasks by making use of good data management, automation, and collaboration between teams. This should reduce the time it takes to resolve cases.   Alternative options were considered when reviewing this re-procurement and when the procurement strategy was approved.   CDS Commercial Contracts Manager and a Senior Strategic Procurement Specialist have researched online and on G-cloud to look for an alternative solution and commercials related to the solution. Once the parameters are input into G-cloud, there was only one alternative solution, which was the Power Platform/Microsoft Dynamics 365 option.   The Microsoft solution is currently being researched by the Transformation team, and it will take the Council 2-4 years to migrate away from the   Liberty Create Low Code platform onto a Microsoft platform.   It is also worth noting that the Council migrated away from Microsoft CRM to avoid increasing licencing and hosting costs from Microsoft and to also improve online services for residents.   The alternative options were detailed in Liberty Create Low Code Platform Procurement Strategy PB-2526-000040-S.  

Date of Decision: May 13, 2026