Pension scheme members and employers at Southwark Council will benefit from improved digital pension services following a new five-year, £1.5m contract with global software company Civica.

The new deal for Civica’s cloud Universal Pensions Management (UPM) platform will help meet the Southwark Pension Fund’s goal to increase operational efficiency plus boost digital engagement and communication with fund members and employers.

Enhanced digital engagement and member self-service are crucial to modern pension schemes. The new platform means members and employers can find the information they need 24/7, introducing automation and self-service capabilities that significantly improve the user experience, save time and increase efficiency.

Southwark is also implementing Civica’s Pensioner Payroll. This fully integrated solution will ensure data accuracy and remove pressure from the Council’s own payroll systems.

Peter Hughes, Deputy Pensions Manager at Southwark Council said: “The new Civica platform will give us all the tools to provide a much-improved service to our members, employers and stakeholders such as the Local Pension Board. The platform will help future-proof our digital systems and we will also benefit from longer-term cost savings of around 40% in cloud deployment and support.”

Chris Jones, Managing Director, Pensions at Civica added: “We’re delighted to welcome the Southwark Pension Fund to our ever-growing LGPS family. Our UPM cloud software will help Southwark reach its strategic goals by increasing automation and compliance while reducing risk across the fund.’’