UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES RETIREMENT SAVINGS SCHEME

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1 UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES RETIREMENT SAVINGS SCHEME PENSIONS PEOPLE VALUE FROM MERCER

2 MERCER DC AND SAVINGS PENSIONS PEOPLE VALUE, WHATEVER THEIR PRIORITIES IN LIFE You employ different people with widely differing aspirations, attitudes, and priorities. So how can you engage all of them in thinking seriously about the value of pensions and savings? Mercer s strategic and collaborative approach to workplace pensions and savings is designed to help ensure that employees outcomes are at the centre of pension provision by creating pensions people value. Pensions and savings aren t just about personal finances they are about people as individuals and employees. Effectively managed, pensions and savings can help to motivate your people and ensure that they continue to contribute to the success of your business. This is why Mercer has created a single team combining a wide range of pensions and savings experts. Dedicated to ensuring that all of your employees understand, value, and appreciate their pensions and savings benefits, our people want to ensure your people are able to retire at a time that is right for them and you.

3 INTRODUCING THE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES RETIREMENT SAVINGS SCHEME The Universities and Colleges Retirement Savings Scheme (UCRSS) is a defined contribution (DC) scheme for the higher and further education sector. It is a centrally arranged scheme, established under a Framework Agreement with Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges Limited. UCRSS is available to employers that are members of one of the following Procurement Consortia: Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC). Southern Universities Purchasing Consortia (SUPC). London Universities Purchasing Consortia (LUPC). North East Universities Purchasing Consortia (NEUPC). North West Universities Purchasing Consortia (NWUPC). Higher Education Purchasing Consortia Wales (HEPCW). Universities and colleges may choose to join for the following reasons: Auto-enrolment compliance purposes (for those that have not yet staged). Replacement of an existing auto-enrolment scheme. As an offering for staff not eligible for an existing defined benefit (DB) scheme. Replacement of an existing DC scheme. An alternative scheme offering for staff. Mercer has a long, established relationship with the sector and has designed the scheme to offer state-of-the-art functionality, strong governance, and competitive pricing all designed with your employees outcomes in mind. UCRSS is fully flexible; universities and colleges decide for whom UCRSS will be made available and the contribution rates they wish to pay. KEY FEATURES UCRSS is delivered through the Mercer Master Trust a pooled pension scheme with economies of scale that enable employers to reduce their operational and governance costs (compared to operating individual schemes). The scheme combines: A genuinely independent trustee. Access to Mercer s best DC investment ideas and thinking making funds available that are designed to enhance and optimise returns and balance risk while keeping charges at a competitive level. Built-in operational governance with regular monitoring and review against service standards, clear accountability, and penalties for non-performance. A full open-market retirement option as the final step in delivering better retirement incomes for employees. Scheme administration via Friends Life, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Ongoing scheme governance by Mercer, which is also authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. A competitive structure, as UCRSS has been able to use the bulk-buying power of multiple universities and colleges and Mercer to secure a competitive deal, reflecting the scale of a sector-wide scheme. 1

4 BENEFITS FOR UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES UCRSS is centrally established through a Framework Agreement and is fully approved for use throughout the Higher Education Sector. The Scheme was chosen as a result of an extensive public sector tender exercise. It enables universities and colleges to place a direct call off with Mercer under the Framework Agreement without the need for individual institutions to conduct their own market reviews or procurement exercises, saving significant amounts of money and time. Individual Institutions choose their contribution rates and their employees and, subject to fulfilling the eligibility and entry requirements of other schemes they participate in, offer entry of UCRSS to any part of their workforce. UCRSS is designed to be fully compliant with autoenrolment legislation. UCRSS ADDRESSES KEY ISSUES RAISED BY THE PENSIONS REGULATOR TPR S SIX ELEMENTS Appropriate contribution decisions* Appropriate investment decisions Efficient and effective administration Protection of assets Value for money Appropriate decumulation decisions CAN THE MERCER SOLUTION HELP? * The Mercer UCRSS solution provides tools and education to support member contribution decisions. Contribution levels are at the discretion of the employer, subject to statutory duties. Competitive terms are available. Mercer s oversight of governance and quality of service delivery aims to ensure that UCRSS will offer terms and services in line with the market and will swiftly resolve any issues that might arise. UCRSS is adaptable and has built-in future-proofing with administration provided through Friends Life, a leading UK DC pension provider. Established terms and conditions, negotiated with APUC on behalf of the Sector. 2

5 HOW UCRSS WORKS UCRSS uses the core elements of an independent trustee, Friends Life s administration, and Mercer s governance and best ideas in DC investment. INDEPENDENT TRUSTEE MERCER FRIENDS LIFE INDEPENDENT TRUSTEE Mercer has appointed BESTrustees one of the UK s leading independent trustees. BESTrustees is an experienced, well-resourced, and totally independent trustee. There is no Mercer representation on the Master Trust board, reducing potential for conflicts of interest. BESTrustees was chosen following a rigorous selection exercise, which focused on high-governance principles. Critically, BESTrustees has genuine power to act in the interest of members in relation to both administration and investment. BESTrustees will: Ensure that the trust meets high standards of governance and operations. Ensure that the administrators deliver high-quality services to employers. Appoint professional advisors to provide the trustee with advice and auditing services. FRIENDS LIFE Mercer undertook a detailed process to identify a best in class administrator. Friends Life s services include administration, communication, tools, education, and investment solutions. Friends Life will act as the first point of contact for you and your employees, providing member and investment recordkeeping and front-line support via a dedicated helpline and website. Recognising that member understanding is a critical issue, Friends Life will also provide interactive tools and information for your members to aid this and support their decision-making as they plan for retirement. MERCER GOVERNANCE Friends Life s pension and administration services are overlaid with Mercer investment and operational governance services. UCRSS uses Mercer s solution to provide administration, communication, and investment services to members. Delivery of the solution is through the Mercer team, which also acts as the interface between administrators and the trustee, manages the administrators and their adherence to service-level agreements, and ensures that the solution is continually developed in line with best-market practices. ACCESS TO MERCER S BEST IDEAS IN DC INVESTMENT Mercer s award-winning investment team uses Mercer s continuously evolving best practice DC investment framework of diversified growth and targeted retirement date funds. This means that investment options reflect best market practice and ideas and are future-proofed as they continue to evolve with Mercer s best thinking. Apply for accreditation (including Pension Quality Mark) and ensure that the Mercer Master Trust complies with pension regulation. 3

6 4 WHY MERCER? Mercer has ongoing appointments to provide pensions and related advice to numerous higher education clients, including many of the largest pension schemes in the sector and dozens of universities across the country. Mercer is the market leader in advising the sector on pensions and benefits issues and has developed a reputation for quality and sector-specific service delivery. Our understanding of the higher education sector s pension environment enables us to provide advice that is appropriate to the needs of the sector, bearing in mind each university s particular circumstances.

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8 To find out more about UCRSS, or for answers to specific questions about the solution, please contact Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Denmark Finland France Germany Hong Kong India Indonesia Ireland Italy Japan Mainland China Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Saudi Arabia Singapore South Africa South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Venezuela Issued in the United Kingdom by Mercer Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England No Registered office: 1 Tower Place West, Tower Place, London, EC3R 5BU. Copyright 2014 Mercer LLC. All rights reserved RE