Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Rare Recruitment (CRS) 2026/2027

National Audit Office

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

06 Aug 2026 at 10:08

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The National Audit Office procured recruitment services for a contextual recruitment screening service supporting its graduate and apprentice programmes. The service is intended to give applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds greater flexibility to apply and be assessed, supporting the NAO’s social mobility aims. Delivery covers the United Kingdom, for the NAO’s recruitment activity. This is a specialised recruitment and candidate-screening requirement rather than a general staffing contract: suppliers need to provide a contextual assessment approach that can be applied to graduate and apprentice recruitment. The procurement is classified as recruitment services (CPV 79600000) and is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The buying organisation is the National Audit Office, based in London.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded to Rare Recruitment Limited. The award date was 19 June 2026, following a limited procedure using a competitive quotation below the threshold; the tender submission deadline was 1 June 2026 at 12:00. The awarded contract value is £14,236.80 including VAT. The contract runs from 19 June 2026 to 18 June 2027, for 12 months. The requirement was evaluated through the competitive quotation process, with the selected supplier providing the specified contextual recruitment screening service. The award is active, and Rare Recruitment Limited is the sole named supplier. The contract supports the NAO’s graduate and apprentice recruitment programmes and its objective of improving access for applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

This procurement demonstrates demand from the National Audit Office for specialist contextual recruitment screening linked to graduate and apprentice hiring. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need a proven service for assessing candidates in context, alongside recruitment expertise suited to early-career programmes. The capability should support fairer consideration of applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds and show how the approach contributes to social mobility without weakening recruitment standards. Suppliers should be able to work with a public-sector buyer, apply a consistent screening methodology across recruitment campaigns and provide outputs that recruiters can use when considering applications. The requirement is well suited to an SME with focused contextual recruitment, assessment or early-career hiring capability.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Rare Recruitment (CRS) 2026/2027

Notice Description

The National Audit Office (NAO) awarded a contract to Rare Recruitment Ltd to provide a contextual recruitment screen for the graduate and apprentice programmes. This allows flexibility for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to apply and be considered demonstrating our commitment to social mobility. The total contract value is PS14,236.80 (inclusive of VAT). The contract commenced on 19 June 2026 and will run for a period of 12 months, expiring on 18 June 2027.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-c3667777-2aa2-4c64-b012-d2b154e866c6
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/016e2ded-9cbe-4a6e-a7c8-964fc4700a54
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Competitive quotation (below threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79600000 - Recruitment services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£14,236 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£14,236 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
1 Jun 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
19 Jun 20262 months ago
Contract Period
19 Jun 2026 - 18 Jun 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
National Audit Office
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1W 9SP
Postcode Area
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
Pimlico North
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Rare Recruitment Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

Loading OCDS record...