---
title: "ESFA Mystery Shopping Programme for the National Careers Service"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-ca7aa2a5-9f02-497d-a9d6-393b7c1babfe"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-ca7aa2a5-9f02-497d-a9d6-393b7c1babfe"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ca7aa2a5-9f02-497d-a9d6-393b7c1babfe.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ca7aa2a5-9f02-497d-a9d6-393b7c1babfe.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2021-05-17"
---

# ESFA Mystery Shopping Programme for the National Careers Service

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-ca7aa2a5-9f02-497d-a9d6-393b7c1babfe

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## Summary

The procurement process is for the "ESFA Mystery Shopping Programme for the National Careers Service," initiated by the Department for Education, focusing on education and training services in England. The tender was awarded on 5th August 2019, following a selective procurement procedure as a call-off from a framework agreement. The total contract value is £1,184,625, with the contract scheduled to run until 5th August 2021.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in customer service and mystery shopping services, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary community social enterprises (VCSEs). Companies capable of delivering high-quality assessment services and providing insights into customer experience in the education sector would be well-positioned to compete effectively for similar contracts, enhancing their growth and service offerings within the public sector.

## Notice

The Mystery Shopping project uses covert assessors (or 'mystery shoppers') who contact the National Careers Service and engage with the service through the telephone, face to face and web chat sessions each month. The assessors assess the quality and performance of the service in key areas. These include: the booking process, adviser skills, skills action plans, use of digital resources and follow up arrangements. The Mystery Shopping project enables an informed, real time, objective measure of actual day to day service delivery. It provides early warning to the Agency's National Careers Service Team of quality and service issues, and ensures that while prime contractors continue to benefit from the increased flexibility that the framework delivery model offers, they remain committed to delivering a service that is well regarded for its customer service and focus, quality professionalism and integrity.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/41447c6c-34f0-4d7d-8b00-666ff36f5dc1 |
| 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, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 May 2021 |
| Submission deadline | 5 Oct 2018 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 4 Aug 2019 |
| Contract period | 4 Aug 2019 - 5 Aug 2021 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,184,625 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £1,184,625 |
| 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 | MANCHESTER |
| Post town | Manchester |
| Postcode | M1 2WD |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Electoral ward | Piccadilly |
| Westminster constituency | Manchester Central |
| Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | KANTAR |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 17 May 2021 at 13:23 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/41447c6c-34f0-4d7d-8b00-666ff36f5dc1

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/41447c6c-34f0-4d7d-8b00-666ff36f5dc1
  17th May 2021 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/a2f252d3-4f47-4bda-8933-4d1104a7af86
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/f38b033e-9ae4-4076-8d7b-f97534ec98f7

## 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-ca7aa2a5-9f02-497d-a9d6-393b7c1babfe. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ca7aa2a5-9f02-497d-a9d6-393b7c1babfe.json.