Tender

Tender for a concession agreement to provide Secure English Language Testing services

HOME OFFICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

09 Feb 2024 at 12:11

Summary of the contracting process

The Home Office has issued a tender for a concession agreement to provide Secure English Language Testing services. This procurement process is currently in the active stage and involves two lots: one for the UK and another for the Rest of the World (ROW). The total value of the procurement is £727 million. The tender period ends on April 19, 2024, with the bid opening scheduled for the same day. The duration of the concession agreement is 36 months, with potential extensions. Businesses in the services sector, particularly those providing general personnel services for the government and education and training services, would find this opportunity suitable.

Participating in this tender could create growth opportunities for businesses offering language courses and personnel services. The Home Office, the buying organisation, based in London, United Kingdom, seeks operators to become approved providers for Secure English Language Tests. The procurement method is an open procedure covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). Interested suppliers must adhere to the suitability criteria outlined in the ITT instruction to the bidder pack on the Home Office's eSourcing tool. The tender specifically targets suppliers with expertise in conducting language tests under secure conditions. The award criteria for this tender is split into two lots - UK and ROW, encompassing different test volumes and geographies.

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Notice Title

Tender for a concession agreement to provide Secure English Language Testing services

Notice Description

The Home Office seeks to award concession Agreements for operators to become approved providers in the UK (Lot 1) and the Rest of the World (Lot 2) ("ROW") of a Secure English Language Test (SELT), aligned to the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). These tests will be used to prove English language abilities for UK visa or citizenship applications that require an applicant to prove their knowledge of English. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prove-your-english-language-abilities-with-a-secure-english-language-test-selt

Lot Information

UK Lot

The Secretary of State for the Home Department, acting through the Home Office's UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), is the Authority which seeks to award concession Agreements for operators to become approved providers in the UK (Lot 1) of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) aligned to the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Home Office immigration policy establishes an English language requirement that customers may be required to evidence for UK visa or citizenship applications. The SELT assesses a customer's competency in speaking and listening and dependent on the route of entry, reading and writing English, between levels A1 to C1 of the CERF. Tests are taken under UKVI-prescribed secure conditions where secure relates to: 1. Processes to verify the identity of the customer; 2. Ensuring that it is only the validated customer who takes the test and does so under exam conditions with an appropriately trained invigilator to eliminate the ability to cheat; 3. Ensuring results are not released until the provider has completed additional verification checks to ensure that collusion and fraud have not taken place; and 4. Ongoing audits, both internal and via external independent auditors, of the physical test points, processes and delivery systems in order to ensure that the security and integrity protocols are being strictly adhered to. Approximately 133,000 2-facet (speaking and listening) and 30,000 4-facet (reading, writing, speaking and listening) tests were taken in the UK in the period April 2022 to March 2023 inclusive. The Authority plans to award a maximum of two UK concession Agreements but reserves the right to award to fewer. Additional information on the service can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prove-your-english-language-abilities-with-a-secure-english-language-test-selt

Renewal: The concession Agreement will run for 36 months with an option to extend for a further 12 months and a further 12 months after that

Rest of the World ("ROW")

The Secretary of State for the Home Department, acting through the Home Office's UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), is the Authority which seeks to award concession Agreements for operators to become approved providers in the Rest of the World excluding the UK (Lot 2) of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) aligned to the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Home Office immigration policy establishes an English language requirement that customers may be required to evidence for UK visa or citizenship applications. The SELT assesses a customer's competency in speaking and listening and dependent on the route of entry, reading and writing English, between levels A1 to C1 of the CERF. Tests are taken under UKVI-prescribed secure conditions where secure relates to: 1. Processes to verify the identity of the customer; 2. Ensuring that it is only the validated customer who takes the test and does so under exam conditions with an appropriately trained invigilator to eliminate the ability to cheat; 3. Ensuring results are not released until the provider has completed additional verification checks to ensure that collusion and fraud have not taken place; and 4. Ongoing audits, both internal and via external independent auditors, of the physical test points, processes and delivery systems in order to ensure that the security and integrity protocols are being strictly adhered to. Approximately 58,000 2-facet (speaking and listening) and 495,000 4-facet (reading, writing, speaking and listening) tests were taken across 143 countries (excluding the UK) in the period April 2022 to March 2023 inclusive. For this tender the requirement spans 144 countries. Only the top 90% by volume for the period April 2022 to March 2023 are sown in the NUTS code field. The Authority plans to award a maximum of four ROW concession Agreements but reserves the right to award to fewer. Additional information on the service can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prove-your-english-language-abilities-with-a-secure-english-language-test-selt

Renewal: The concession Agreement will run for 36 months with an option to extend for a further 12 months and a further 12 months after that

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0438ca
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004412-2024
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

75131100 - General personnel services for the government

80000000 - Education and training services

80580000 - Provision of language courses

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
£727,000,000 £100M-£1B
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Feb 20242 years ago
Submission Deadline
19 Apr 2024Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HOME OFFICE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
sts24selt@homeoffice.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
N/A
Post Town
Not specified
Country
Not specified

Major Region (ITL 1)
Not specified
Basic Region (ITL 2)
Not specified
Small Region (ITL 3)
Not specified
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England), TLN Northern Ireland

Local Authority
Not specified
Electoral Ward
Not specified
Westminster Constituency
Not specified

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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.

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