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Validation of pupil test for Teaching Reading for Meaning

British Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

26 Oct 2026 at 13:23

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The British Council commissioned validation of a bespoke reading-comprehension test developed for a teacher-training initiative. The work covers analysis of test items and whether they are strong, valid and reliable, including measures of item response, adherence to the socio-cognitive framework and construct validity. The test is intended to assess reading comprehension and the language skills that underpin it, where suitable existing tests were not available. Schools in South Africa and Ethiopia will administer the tests, then send the resulting data to the supplier for statistical analysis. The requirement is research and related consultancy services, supporting the assessment of learning outcomes in the planned education trial.

The procurement is complete and a supplier has been selected. It was a below-threshold direct award without competition, with one lot. The award is recorded at £32,200 excluding VAT and £37,030 including VAT. The contract period runs from 31 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. The published procurement information does not state an award date or identify the selected supplier, so neither can be reported here. The requirement was assessed as a service contract; the central work is test validation through statistical analysis of data collected in South Africa and Ethiopia. The award status is recorded as pending.

For suppliers considering similar future work for the British Council, this requirement indicates demand for specialist educational assessment and statistical analysis in an international school setting. A credible provider would need to analyse item-response data and assess test-item strength, socio-cognitive framework adherence and construct validity, with a clear understanding of reading comprehension and the language skills supporting it. The work depends on turning test results collected in South Africa and Ethiopia into evidence about whether a bespoke assessment is appropriate, valid and reliable. Relevant experience would therefore include educational measurement, test validation and communicating robust analytical findings to support evaluation of a teacher-training initiative. The work is focused on assessment research rather than general teacher training or school delivery.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Validation of pupil test for Teaching Reading for Meaning

Notice Description

English and School Education South Africa and Ethiopia are planning a randomized control trial (RCT) for the 2027 school academic year. In order for the RCT to be successfully implemented and show the efficacy of the teacher training initiative, we need to measure or assess learning outcomes. We have developed a bespoke test for this purpose, as there are no appropriate tests available for testing reading comprehension and the other language skills underpinning reading comprehension. Before using the test, we need the test to be validated to ensure that the test items are appropriate, valid and reliable. We therefore need a supplier that can provide the following: a) Test item strength through Item response data measure b) Socio-cognitive framework adherence measure c) Construct validity measure The validation will be conducted in both South Africa and Ethiopia. Our stakeholder relationships with the ministries of education are quite strong and agreement for each of the schools will be sought with very little risk of being rejected. The process will be for each country to conduct the tests and then send the test data to the supplier for statistical analysis to measure the items required for test validation.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-079021
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/101016-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£32,200 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Oct 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Oct 2026 - 1 Oct 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
British Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
E20 1JQ
Postcode Area
East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI41 Hackney and Newham
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Newham
Electoral Ward
Stratford Olympic Park
Westminster Constituency
Stratford and Bow

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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