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Exam Board Awarding Body

The City of Liverpool College

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

18 Aug 2026 at 13:31

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

06 Aug 2026 at 13:04

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

24 Jul 2026 at 14:24

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The City of Liverpool College procured exam awarding body services for the examinations it uses. The requirement covers education and training services delivered for the College in Liverpool, with both City & Guilds and Pearson Education involved. The procurement concerns exam-board activity whose turnover exceeded the applicable light-touch threshold over the previous four years. It therefore relates to established awarding-body provision rather than general teaching, facilities or consultancy services. Businesses considering comparable work should have a service offering centred on examination awarding and associated education and training provision for a further education college. The requirement was organised as one lot and was suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The procurement has been completed through a direct award under the light-touch regime, using single-supplier technical reasons and relating to existing spend with City & Guilds and Pearson Education. The awards were made on 6 August 2026. City & Guilds Limited and City and Guilds of London Institute were awarded £1,373,801 gross for the period 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027. Pearson Education Limited was awarded £1,280,898 gross for the same period. Both contracts were signed on 18 August 2026 and are active. The awards were above the relevant threshold. The process used one lot, and the procurement was evaluated through the direct-award rationale rather than a competitive tender.

This procurement shows demand from a further education college for formal exam-board services at substantial, above-threshold scale, split between two established awarding-body providers. A credible competitor for comparable future requirements would need to operate as an exam awarding body, provide recognised education and training services, and support the examination activity used by a college. The buyer’s use of a direct award justified by single-supplier technical reasons indicates that demonstrable technical capability and continuity of the relevant awarding provision are important. The stated SME suitability suggests that smaller organisations may be able to compete where they can evidence the necessary awarding-body infrastructure, service capacity and technical fit.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Exam Board Awarding Body

Notice Description

This notice relates to the exam boards the College utilises whose turnover exceeds the Light Touch limit over the previous 4 years. This notice relates to both City & Guilds and Pearson Education Ltd

Procurement Information

Spends relate to exam boards spends with both City & Guilds and Pearson Education

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d35d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078552-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

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
£2,654,699 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£2,654,699 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Aug 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
6 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
The City of Liverpool College
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
THE LEARNING EXCHANGE, LIVERPOOL
Postcode
L1 9DW
Postcode Area
Liverpool
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD7 Merseyside
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD72 Liverpool
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Liverpool
Electoral Ward
Canning
Westminster Constituency
Liverpool Riverside

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

City and Guilds

Pearson Education Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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