Press release: LPPA’s move to new cloud pension platform complete

LPPA completes switch to new cloud pension administration platform

• Smart Civica technology now empowering members to have more control of their pensions and retirement planning online
• Streamlined and consistent platform delivered in 18 months now live across 18 major funds and set to benefit over 660,000 members

Leading UK public sector pensions administrator, LPPA, has successfully deployed a new pensions platform for its 18 major public sector clients, improving services and boosting digitalisation for over 660,000 members.

Civica’s cloud Universal Pensions Management (UPM) solution has been implemented in just 18 months. Its new member portal (PensionPoint) is already giving members more control of their pension and retirement planning via improved self-service technology. This means it’s now quicker and easier for members to view and update their details 24/7 and, with increased automation, funds can prioritise their time and focus more on members.

Both LPPA and Civica are delighted with how much has been achieved in such a short period of time – especially considering the size and scale of the task. They are already planning future developments and are excited by the potential of the new system.

Jo Darbyshire, LPPA Managing Director, said: 

“Projects of this scale and complexity are rarely delivered in such a short timescale. So, I’m delighted with the way that the LPPA and Civica teams have worked together to successfully migrate all our clients to UPM – it has always felt like a partnership, right from the start.

“Paying the right members, the right amount and at the right time is always a priority, and we achieved this throughout the payroll migrations. We knew the process was going to be ‘bumpy’, but the LPPA and Civica teams always had a ‘can do’ attitude to problem solving, and we worked together to find solutions when challenges arose.

“Civica’s UPM system is an incredibly powerful product with a progressive development roadmap. We haven’t had the time to harness it to its full potential yet, but I am excited about its future potential and the step changes we can make to transform the member and employer experience.”

Martin Davidson, LPPA’s Director of Technology and Innovation, said: 

“Switching to the UPM system has provided us with a technological step forward in pension administration. It has consolidated several different legacy and non-interfacing systems into one integrated system, while providing us with more opportunities to integrate with third party services. We are delighted to be leading the way – becoming the first Civica Pensions UPM customer to use the Azure platform, which provides cloud computing services.

“We are using innovative technology to provide improved security and insights into our data with a future roadmap that includes AI. We are accelerating the automation of administration tasks to be more efficient and provide a high-quality, value for money pensions administration service.”

Robert Branagh, Chief Executive Officer, London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA), said: 

“LPFA went live with UPM in early 2022. We always knew it would be a huge undertaking with a certain amount of disruption, but it was an essential step of putting the right foundations in to provide the platform to evolve LPPA’s service. We appreciate that this is just the beginning of what will be a series of service improvements and innovation for clients, members and employers. As one of LPPA’s largest clients, we are pleased with the UPM implementation and progress that has already been made and are looking forward to seeing the many benefits that UPM will deliver in the future.”

Chris Jones, Managing Director, Pensions at Civica, added:

“This was an extremely large scale, complex project – which we’re delighted to have successfully delivered within the tight timelines. Our secure cloud pensions technology is designed to deliver a better member experience through improved automation, engagement and security.

“LPPA is a great fit, sharing many of Civica’s core values and innovation drive. We’re looking forward to working in partnership with LPPA to provide members with the technological advances and safety net they deserve.”