Standard Life has added Vanguard funds for retail and corporate clients to its pension platform.

The 12 core index Vanguard funds will be a mix of bond and equity index funds.

All funds are already available on the platform, excluding the SL Vanguard US Equity Pension Fund which will be available from the end of January 2012.

Standard Life is the first defined contribution platform to offer Vanguard funds and is the first time pension investors have access to the funds through a major pension provider’s product.

Eddy Reynolds, head of investment solutions at Standard Life, said: “We are continually striving to ensure Standard Life’s investment offering meets the needs of our customers. The addition of the Vanguard funds to our platform provides our customers with yet another strong investment range to choose from to help them achieve their investment goals.

He said the firm had been impressed by the choices the IFP-sponsor firm offered.

“Throughout our discussions with Vanguard we have been impressed by the scale of their business and the investment choices they offer. They have a global presence and bring a wealth of investment expertise.”

This is the second Vanguard offering this month, earlier it was announced that Hargreaves Lansdown was offering Vanguard funds on its Vantage platform.

The range includes Vanguard equity funds, fixed income funds and blended index funds.