---
title: "STA-0154 NCT Print and Collation Services"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-77637782-27bc-4592-8cc5-2aa19b4ee763"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-77637782-27bc-4592-8cc5-2aa19b4ee763"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-77637782-27bc-4592-8cc5-2aa19b4ee763.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-77637782-27bc-4592-8cc5-2aa19b4ee763.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2018-08-01"
---

# STA-0154 NCT Print and Collation Services

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-77637782-27bc-4592-8cc5-2aa19b4ee763

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## Summary

The Department for Education (DfE) is conducting a selective tender for the "STA-0154 NCT Print and Collation Services" contract, which falls under the courier services category. This procurement aims to produce and distribute test materials for the annual National Curriculum Assessment (NCA) covering phonics screening and end-of-key stage tests for approximately 1.19 million pupils across 31,500 schools. The contract period is from 15 August 2017 to 31 July 2019, with an estimated value of £6.58 million over two years. The tender period ended on 19 April 2017.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses specialising in print production, packaging, and logistics, particularly those with the capacity to handle high volume and manage delivery across various regions, including the UK and overseas territories. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to compete, especially those experienced in educational materials and logistics services. Success in this contract can enhance a business's portfolio and increase its visibility within the public sector.

## Notice

Overview 1.1 The Standards and Testing Agency (STA), an executive agency of the Department for Education (DfE), manages the live administration of the annual National Curriculum Assessment (NCA) phonics screening check (PSC) and end-of-key stage 1 (KS1) and end-of-key stage 2 (KS2) tests (collectively known as the 'annual NCA Test Cycle'), a key aspect of which is the production, collation and distribution of NCA test materials to participating schools. 1.2 This contract covers all elements of producing the test materials (e.g. sourcing paper, production proofing, manufacture and delivery) and the collation services to prepare consignments for despatch (e.g. sourcing all packaging and peripherals, fulfilment processes, despatch planning, data processing, and helpdesk). Phonics screening check (PSC) 1.3 The annual NCA PSC check has been designed to help teachers assess whether pupils have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard. The check, which comprises a list of 40 words, will be administered to all pupils in Year 1 (aged 5-6), and those in Year 2 (aged 6-7) who did not meet the standard in Year 1. 1.4 In 2018 the check will be administered to c. 600,000 Year 1 pupils, plus a yet to be confirmed number of pupils resitting the check in Year, located in c.16,000 primary schools in the second week of June 2018. The check materials comprise of a set of 5 items, which are sufficient for 30 pupils, including a booklet of words for the pupils to read aloud. A small number of pupils will take a modified braille version of the check. KS1 1.5 The annual NCA KS1 tests have been designed to test pupils' knowledge and understanding of English reading, mathematics and English grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) at the end of their KS1 education (i.e. at the end of Year 2, aged 6-7). The test will be administered to c. 600,000 pupils located in c. 16,000 schools in May 2018 . 1.6 A small number of pupils with visual impairments will require modified KS1 test materials, i.e., modified large print, and braille. KS2 1.7 The annual NCA KS2 tests are designed to test pupils' knowledge and understanding of English reading, mathematics and English GPS at the end of their KS2 education (i.e. at the end of Year 6, aged 10-11). In 2018, the test will be administered to c. 590,000 pupils located in c. 15,500 schools on specific days between 14-18 May 2018. 1.8 As with KS1 a small number of pupils with visual impairments will require modified KS2 test materials, i.e., modified large print, and braille. Additional information: An extension option to 31/07/2019. Value of contract PS3.2m for initial year, expected to be similar for second year for a total of approx. PS6.5m

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ab06337-7f0c-4222-b605-795a65ba4087 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Call-off from a framework agreement |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 1 Aug 2018 |
| Submission deadline | 19 Apr 2017 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 May 2017 |
| Contract period | 14 Aug 2017 - 31 Jul 2019 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £6,588,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £6,588,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION |
| Locality | COVENTRY |
| Post town | Coventry |
| Postcode | CV1 3BH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands |
| ITL 3 | TLG33 Coventry |
| Local authority | Coventry |
| Electoral ward | Sherbourne |
| Westminster constituency | Coventry North West |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ALLIED PUBLICITY SERVICES (MANCHESTER |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 64 - Postal and telecommunications services

### Codes

- 64120000 - Courier services

## Release History

- 1 Aug 2018 at 14:46 - AwardUpdate - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ab06337-7f0c-4222-b605-795a65ba4087
- 2 Mar 2018 at 11:39 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ab06337-7f0c-4222-b605-795a65ba4087

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ab06337-7f0c-4222-b605-795a65ba4087
  1st August 2018 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/08b0d96a-0bed-482a-a62a-62db451aa957
  Contract
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/c19d3f4d-8963-4323-ba6d-be0107f1f43d
  Schedule 2 Annex 1a
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/a9ed199f-2367-4f03-901d-467f231c8a21
  Schedule 2 Annex 1b
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/13aa61cf-17b1-4c29-ba7e-28e3a3839824
  Schedule 3 Annex 1a
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/e94a722d-cbca-4c3c-959f-67a6042551c6
  Business Case
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/42206ea5-59ce-4c5d-b35b-670939ab1a44
  Variation letter

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-77637782-27bc-4592-8cc5-2aa19b4ee763. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-77637782-27bc-4592-8cc5-2aa19b4ee763.json.