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Assessment Venue and Invigilation Services - UK & EU

General Medical Council (GMC)

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

22 Oct 2026 at 17:15

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The General Medical Council (GMC) is seeking a supplier to provide venues, invigilation, and administrative and logistical support for in-person written Applied Knowledge Tests (AKTs). These assessments support routes to UK medical registration, including PLAB and the Anaesthesia Associate Registration Assessment, and the GMC also supports the Medical Council Ireland’s PRES 2 examination. The requirement is split between UK and EU delivery. UK exams are currently held in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and Birmingham; EU exams are currently held in Spain and Ireland, with potential for other EU countries during the contract. The GMC may also request venue and invigilation services for its other assessments.

The GMC invited offers through an open procedure. The process reached tender stage. Bids were due by 12 noon on 18 November 2026, and enquiries by 5pm on 4 November 2026; the stated award decision date was 14 December 2026. The contract is scheduled to run from 18 January 2027 to 17 January 2030, with three optional one-year extensions. The UK lot is valued at £1.875 million excluding VAT (£2.25 million including VAT); the EU lot at £625,000 excluding VAT (£750,000 including VAT). Suppliers may bid for either or both lots. Each lot is evaluated on quality (65%), commercial (25%) and social value (10%).

The requirement suits venue operators and examination-services providers able to combine suitable premises with reliable invigilation and end-to-end administrative and logistical support. Suppliers need the flexibility to serve changing locations and exam schedules, including sittings planned up to a year ahead, and to accommodate other GMC assessments if requested. Candidate demand varies and is not guaranteed: recent AKT administrations involved 5,000 to 25,000 places across more than 20 sites worldwide. A venue may need capacity for up to 1,000 candidates, so bidders should be able to scale provision across sites and meet differing local requirements. Small and medium-sized businesses are considered suitable to compete for either lot.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Assessment Venue and Invigilation Services - UK & EU

Notice Description

Background information The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator for doctors, physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs). There are various routes to GMC registration for those wishing to work in the UK. All candidates wishing to obtain registration are required to demonstrate they have the necessary knowledge and skills. Some routes to registration require an assessment of knowledge and skills. Knowledge is typically demonstrated through an Applied Knowledge Test (AKT). The GMC currently provides AKT assessments for the following routes. - Professional Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) - Anaesthesia Associate Registration Assessment (AARA) The GMC supports another regulator, Medical Council Ireland, to deliver their Pre-Registration Examination Assessment, known as PRES 2. Standard AKT exams are a three hour, in-person written exam paper. Objective We wish to tender for a supplier to support delivery of AKT exams throughout the UK and EU. Contracted services will include: - providing venues - invigilation services - administrative and logistical support. AKT locations and capacities may vary to those highlighted below but will be determined as and when required. Scope of requirement We run AKT written exams up to four times a year in the UK and overseas. Exam dates are planned up to a year in advance. Exam bookings in the UK typically close two weeks before the examination date. Exam bookings outside of the UK typically close six weeks before the examination date. The standard exam duration is three hours. Exam start times are specified by the GMC to minimise time differences between sittings worldwide. The supplier may be asked to provide venue and invigilation services for other GMC assessments. Demand for exam places varies over time; volumes and candidate numbers cannot be guaranteed. For example, we have released between 5000 and 25,000 places for GMC AKT over the last few years, with candidates sitting across over 20 sites across the world. Venue sizes vary and can be required for up to 1000 candidates in one venue, and the supplier must be able to be flexible and meet the needs of the GMC. There are two separate Lots as follows. - Lot 1 - UK - Lot 2 - EU Bidders can submit a bid for one or both Lots and should clearly indicate which Lot(s) they are bidding for in their submitted document(s). Lot 1 - UK We currently run exams at the following locations, but these will change over time and between administrations: - London. - Manchester. - Edinburgh. - Cardiff. - Belfast. - Birmingham. Lot 2 - EU We currently run exams at the following locations, but these will change over time and between administrations with the potential to include other countries in the EU during the life of the contract. - Spain. - Ireland.

Lot Information

UK

Lot 1 - UK We currently run exams at the following locations, but these will change over time and between administrations: - London. - Manchester. - Edinburgh. - Cardiff. - Belfast. - Birmingham.

Renewal: Option to extend contract for 3 additional periods of 1 year.

EU

Lot 2 - EU We currently run exams at the following locations, but these will change over time and between administrations with the potential to include other countries in the EU during the life of the contract. - Spain. - Ireland.

Renewal: Option to extend the contract by 3 additional periods of 1 year.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078e58
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100194-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

98341000 - Accommodation services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,500,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
18 Nov 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
18 Jan 2027 - 17 Jan 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
General Medical Council (GMC)
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
MANCHESTER
Postcode
M3 3AW
Postcode Area
Manchester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD33 Manchester
Delivery Location
TLD North West (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLK South West (England), TLL Wales
Local Authority
Manchester
Electoral Ward
Deansgate
Westminster Constituency
Manchester Central

Further Information

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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