Award

Provision of PRINCE2(r) Examination and Certification Services

BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

TenderCancellation

08 Aug 2025 at 11:13

Award

24 Jun 2025 at 14:59

Award

12 Jun 2025 at 15:25

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process for the "Provision of PRINCE2® Examination and Certification Services" was initiated by the Business Services Organisation, a public authority in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The tender was classified under the "Specialist training services" category and focused on the direct procurement method due to exclusive intellectual property rights held by the supplier, PEOPLECERT QUALIFICATIONS LTD. The process reached the award stage, with a contract period set from 1st September 2025 to 31st March 2028, and a potential extension until March 2029. A publication date of 12th June 2025 marks the contract's transparency notice, with key milestones and agreements endorsed by the legal framework of the 2023 UK Procurement Act.

This tender creates substantial opportunities for businesses specializing in training and certification services, particularly those in the education technology sector. By directly awarding the contract to PEOPLECERT QUALIFICATIONS LTD, the supplier capitalises on its exclusive rights to PRINCE2® courseware, which underscores the importance of possessing niche expertise in IP-specific areas. Enterprises capable of replicating similar models with exclusive certifications or training provisions may find significant growth opportunities in analogous tenders where such exclusive standing brings competitive advantages.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of PRINCE2(r) Examination and Certification Services

Notice Description

The intended contract is for the supply of official Prince2 e-vouchers to be redeemed for items such as Official Training Materials (OTM), examvouchers and one-year PeopleCert Plus membership subscriptions to allow for mock exams and re-takes to be accessed. The contract will supply the HSC LeadershipCentre, part of Business Services Organisation, as an Authorised Training Organisation (ATO) for Prince2 training for a period of two years and 7months, up to a contract value of PS550,000

Procurement Information

This direct award to PeopleCert is justified under the Procurement Act 2023, Section 41(1)(b), which allows a contracting authority to award a public contract without advertising where: "the contract can only be supplied by a particular supplier for technical reasons, or because of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights." a) Exclusive Intellectual Property Rights PeopleCert is the exclusive owner of the intellectual property for PRINCE2(r), following its acquisition of Axelos. This includes all courseware, examination content, certification frameworks, and trademark rights. No other provider may legally replicate or certify against PRINCE2(r) without direct authorisation from PeopleCert. b) Sole Awarding Body PeopleCert is the sole global awarding body authorised to deliver PRINCE2(r) certifications. While third-party training organisations may be accredited to deliver training, all examinations, marking, and certification are exclusively administered through PeopleCert systems and under its control. c) No Reasonable or Lawful Alternatives Because of PeopleCert's exclusive legal control over PRINCE2(r), there are no other providers capable of lawfully delivering both the training and valid certification. Any attempt to procure this service from a non-approved source would result in unaccredited training and invalid certification.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-054800
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047225-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

80510000 - Specialist training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£550,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Aug 20254 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
12 Jun 20255 months ago
Contract Period
31 Aug 2025 - 31 Mar 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Cancelled

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION
Additional Buyers

MISSING

Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
david.hamill@hscni.net
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT2 8DQ
Post Town
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Belfast South and Mid Down

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

PEOPLECERT QUALIFICATIONS

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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-h6vhtk-054800-2025-08-08T12:13:43+01:00",
    "date": "2025-08-08T12:13:43+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-054800",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PCQH-8657-NGMT",
            "name": "Business Services Organisation",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PCQH-8657-NGMT"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "2 Franklin Street",
                "locality": "Belfast",
                "postalCode": "BT2 8DQ",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKN06"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "david.hamill@hscni.net"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS",
                        "id": "GB-NIR",
                        "description": "Northern Irish devolved regulations apply"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-09620926",
            "name": "PEOPLECERT QUALIFICATIONS LTD",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "09620926"
            },
            "additionalIdentifiers": [
                {
                    "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                    "id": "PBTN-2284-GJQL"
                }
            ],
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "192 Sloane Street",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SW1X 9QX",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI33"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "reggina.livou@peoplecert.org"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false,
                "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
                "shelteredWorkshop": false
            },
            "control": {
                "description": "Mr Anastasios Byron Nicolaides 92 Sloane Street, London, United Kingdom, SW1X 9QX July 1959 Nationality: Greek Country of residence: Monaco"
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PCQH-8657-NGMT",
        "name": "Business Services Organisation"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-054800",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Provision of PRINCE2(r) Examination and Certification Services",
        "description": "The intended contract is for the supply of official Prince2 e-vouchers to be redeemed for items such as Official Training Materials (OTM), examvouchers and one-year PeopleCert Plus membership subscriptions to allow for mock exams and re-takes to be accessed. The contract will supply the HSC LeadershipCentre, part of Business Services Organisation, as an Authorised Training Organisation (ATO) for Prince2 training for a period of two years and 7months, up to a contract value of PS550,000",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "direct",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "This direct award to PeopleCert is justified under the Procurement Act 2023, Section 41(1)(b), which allows a contracting authority to award a public contract without advertising where: \"the contract can only be supplied by a particular supplier for technical reasons, or because of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights.\" a) Exclusive Intellectual Property Rights PeopleCert is the exclusive owner of the intellectual property for PRINCE2(r), following its acquisition of Axelos. This includes all courseware, examination content, certification frameworks, and trademark rights. No other provider may legally replicate or certify against PRINCE2(r) without direct authorisation from PeopleCert. b) Sole Awarding Body PeopleCert is the sole global awarding body authorised to deliver PRINCE2(r) certifications. While third-party training organisations may be accredited to deliver training, all examinations, marking, and certification are exclusively administered through PeopleCert systems and under its control. c) No Reasonable or Lawful Alternatives Because of PeopleCert's exclusive legal control over PRINCE2(r), there are no other providers capable of lawfully delivering both the training and valid certification. Any attempt to procure this service from a non-approved source would result in unaccredited training and invalid certification.",
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            },
            {
                "id": "047225-2025",
                "documentType": "tenderCancellationNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK12",
                "description": "Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047225-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-08-08T12:13:43+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ],
        "riskDetails": "PeopleCert (UK) are bought out by another body/entity so contract supplier needs to be changed accordingly. PeopleCert (UK) rebrand and so contract name needs to be changed accordingly. Method of supply of examination and certification services changes substantially requiring a review of the contract",
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "singleSuppliersIntellectualPropertyExclusiveRights"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "title": "Provision of PRINCE2(r) Examination and Certification Services",
            "status": "active",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 660000,
                "amount": 550000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-COH-09620926",
                    "name": "PEOPLECERT QUALIFICATIONS LTD"
                }
            ],
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "80510000",
                            "description": "Specialist training services"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "UKN",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKN",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2025-09-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2028-03-31T23:59:59+01:00",
                "maxExtentDate": "2029-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "hasRenewal": true,
            "renewal": {
                "description": "One year extension allowed for in case soles upplier is unable to join a UK procurement framework during the initial contracted period."
            },
            "hasOptions": true,
            "options": {
                "description": "The accreditation fees of additional certified trainers Annual accrediation fees Audit fees Any revisions/additions to required resources to maintain compliance with the awarding body in regard to any authorised Prince2(r) syllabus."
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "032064-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK5",
                    "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032064-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-06-12T16:25:44+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "034824-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034824-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-06-24T15:59:37+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2025-08-04T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ],
            "date": "2025-06-24T00:00:00+01:00",
            "standstillPeriod": {
                "endDate": "2025-07-03T23:59:59+01:00"
            }
        }
    ],
    "language": "en",
    "contracts": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "awardID": "1",
            "status": "cancelled",
            "statusDetails": "Incorrect supplier selected from Find A Tender supplier list when creating previous notices UK5 and UK6.",
            "finalStatusDate": "2025-08-08T00:00:00+01:00"
        }
    ]
}