Notice Information
Notice Title
ITT for Lot 13 - Quality Assurance Proof Readers (a new Lot under the DfE's ECSC Framework )
Notice Description
The Invitation to Tender (ITT) has been issued by the Department of Education and Standards and Testing Agency (STA) in connection with a competitive procurement exercise under the Educational and Children's Social Care (ECSC) Framework. The Educational and Children's Social Care (ECSC) Framework, established on 1 February 2025, is the Department for Education's primary route for procuring specialist and advisory services. It runs for four years, with an option to extend by two, ending no later than 1 February 2031. The framework is dynamic, allowing lots to be reopened and new lots added as needed to the framework. In line with this flexibility, the Department is reopening the framework and adding Lot 13: Quality Assurance Proof Readers The purpose of this procurement is to acquire resource to support Quality Assurance processes within STA in relation to the tests that STA are responsible for developing. STA is looking to procure a pool of proofers to quality assure key stage 1 and key stage 2 national curriculum tests and reception baseline assessment to ensure that these tests are accurate and of high quality. The national curriculum tests include the year 1 phonics screening check, English grammar, punctuation and spelling (key stage 1 and key stage 2), English reading (key stage 1 and key stage 2), mathematics (key stage 1 and key stage 2), and the year 4 multiplication tables check (MTC). Government policy changes may bring other assessments within scope of any contracts awarded to successful suppliers.
Notice Details
Publication & Lifecycle
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-b5fd17-e14bc376-242e-4f1b-850d-136d4bcd4201
- Publication Source
- Contracts Finder
- Latest Notice
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bde5a07a-b450-4775-a5ba-7371faf1eecb
- Current Stage
- Tender
- All Stages
- Tender
Procurement Classification
- Notice Type
- Tender Notice
- Procurement Type
- Standard
- Procurement Category
- Services
- Procurement Method
- Not Specified
- Procurement Method Details
- Other - Open - Light Touch Procedure
- Tender Suitability
- SME, VCSE
- Awardee Scale
- Not specified
Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)
- CPV Divisions
80 - Education and training services
-
- CPV Codes
80000000 - Education and training services
Notice Value(s)
- Tender Value
- Not specified
- Lots Value
- Not specified
- Awards Value
- Not specified
- Contracts Value
- Not specified
Notice Dates
- Publication Date
- 3 Feb 20262 weeks ago
- Submission Deadline
- 13 Mar 20263 weeks to go
- Future Notice Date
- Not specified
- Award Date
- Not specified
- Contract Period
- 14 Jun 2026 - 28 Feb 2029 2-3 years
- Recurrence
- Not specified
Notice Status
- Tender Status
- Active
- Lots Status
- Not Specified
- Awards Status
- Not Specified
- Contracts Status
- Not Specified
Buyer & Supplier
Contracting Authority (Buyer)
- Main Buyer
- DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
- Contact Name
- Not specified
- Contact Email
- tenderstd.sta@education.gov.uk
- Contact Phone
- Not specified
Buyer Location
- Locality
- LONDON
- Postcode
- SW1P 3BT
- Post Town
- 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
- TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
-
- Local Authority
- Westminster
- Electoral Ward
- St James's
- Westminster Constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster
Further Information
Notice Documents
-
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bde5a07a-b450-4775-a5ba-7371faf1eecb
3rd February 2026 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder -
Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)
View full OCDS Record for this contracting process
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.
{
"tag": [
"compiled"
],
"id": "ocds-b5fd17-e14bc376-242e-4f1b-850d-136d4bcd4201-2026-02-03T12:39:27Z",
"date": "2026-02-03T12:39:27Z",
"ocid": "ocds-b5fd17-e14bc376-242e-4f1b-850d-136d4bcd4201",
"language": "en",
"initiationType": "tender",
"tender": {
"id": "tender_518863/1548815",
"title": "ITT for Lot 13 - Quality Assurance Proof Readers (a new Lot under the DfE's ECSC Framework )",
"description": "The Invitation to Tender (ITT) has been issued by the Department of Education and Standards and Testing Agency (STA) in connection with a competitive procurement exercise under the Educational and Children's Social Care (ECSC) Framework. The Educational and Children's Social Care (ECSC) Framework, established on 1 February 2025, is the Department for Education's primary route for procuring specialist and advisory services. It runs for four years, with an option to extend by two, ending no later than 1 February 2031. The framework is dynamic, allowing lots to be reopened and new lots added as needed to the framework. In line with this flexibility, the Department is reopening the framework and adding Lot 13: Quality Assurance Proof Readers The purpose of this procurement is to acquire resource to support Quality Assurance processes within STA in relation to the tests that STA are responsible for developing. STA is looking to procure a pool of proofers to quality assure key stage 1 and key stage 2 national curriculum tests and reception baseline assessment to ensure that these tests are accurate and of high quality. The national curriculum tests include the year 1 phonics screening check, English grammar, punctuation and spelling (key stage 1 and key stage 2), English reading (key stage 1 and key stage 2), mathematics (key stage 1 and key stage 2), and the year 4 multiplication tables check (MTC). Government policy changes may bring other assessments within scope of any contracts awarded to successful suppliers.",
"datePublished": "2026-02-02T15:58:48Z",
"status": "active",
"classification": {
"scheme": "CPV",
"id": "80000000",
"description": "Education and training services"
},
"items": [
{
"id": "1",
"deliveryAddresses": [
{
"region": "North East",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "North West",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "Yorkshire and the Humber",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "East Midlands",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "West Midlands",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "East of England",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "London",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "South East",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "South West",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "North East",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "North West",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "Yorkshire and the Humber",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "East Midlands",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "West Midlands",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "East of England",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "London",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "South East",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
},
{
"region": "South West",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
}
]
}
],
"procurementMethodDetails": "Other - Open - Light Touch Procedure",
"tenderPeriod": {
"endDate": "2026-03-13T12:00:00Z"
},
"contractPeriod": {
"startDate": "2026-06-15T00:00:00+01:00",
"endDate": "2029-02-28T23:59:59Z"
},
"suitability": {
"sme": true,
"vcse": true
},
"mainProcurementCategory": "services",
"documents": [
{
"id": "1",
"documentType": "tenderNotice",
"description": "Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder",
"url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bde5a07a-b450-4775-a5ba-7371faf1eecb",
"datePublished": "2026-02-02T15:58:48Z",
"format": "text/html",
"language": "en",
"dateModified": "2026-02-03T12:39:27Z"
},
{
"id": "2",
"description": "Jaggaer e-procurement portal LINK:",
"url": "https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html"
},
{
"id": "3",
"description": "n/a",
"url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/29d741c0-8261-41bc-8896-a885c352cb52",
"format": "application/pdf"
}
]
},
"parties": [
{
"id": "GB-CFS-198376",
"name": "Department for Education",
"identifier": {
"legalName": "Department for Education"
},
"address": {
"streetAddress": "Sanctuary Bld, Great Smith Stret",
"locality": "London",
"postalCode": "SW1P 3BT",
"countryName": "England"
},
"contactPoint": {
"email": "TendersTD.STA@education.gov.uk"
},
"roles": [
"buyer"
]
}
],
"buyer": {
"id": "GB-CFS-198376",
"name": "Department for Education"
}
}