--- title: "Professional Skills Tests for Prospective Teachers." ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-d7cecb3c-dc3b-4f04-8161-11bbca3c5cac" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-d7cecb3c-dc3b-4f04-8161-11bbca3c5cac" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d7cecb3c-dc3b-4f04-8161-11bbca3c5cac.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d7cecb3c-dc3b-4f04-8161-11bbca3c5cac.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION" published: "2018-02-01" --- # Professional Skills Tests for Prospective Teachers. Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-d7cecb3c-dc3b-4f04-8161-11bbca3c5cac [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-d7cecb3c-dc3b-4f04-8161-11bbca3c5cac) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d7cecb3c-dc3b-4f04-8161-11bbca3c5cac.json) ## Summary The Department for Education is seeking to procure a test delivery service for the Professional Skills Tests for Prospective Teachers, with a total contract value of £15,000,000. This procurement falls under the education and training services category and is currently in the tender stage, with the submission deadline set for 9 February 2018. Interested vendors will be required to deliver services across various locations in the UK, including regions such as the North East, London, and the South East, and may extend to European cities like Frankfurt and Madrid as well. This tender presents an excellent opportunity for businesses specialising in educational services, particularly those with experience in test delivery and educational technology. Companies providing logistical support and assessment processing abilities would be well-positioned to compete for this contract. Additionally, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should consider this as there is an inclination towards inclusivity in the tendering process, which may favour innovative solutions and flexibility in service delivery. ## Notice The Department for Education wishes to procure a test delivery service and associated development processes to support the Professional Skills Tests for Prospective Teachers. The service will incorporate delivering the skills tests at a network of test centres, supporting the delivery of test content and analysing and delivering reports required by the Department other external stakeholders. The tests play a vital role in ensuring the Government's commitment to the recruitment of capable, high quality teachers and they are required to be accessible to prospective teachers on a continual basis. The procured service will incorporate delivering the Professional Skills Test for Prospective Teachers at a network of test centres, supporting the delivery of test content and analysing and delivering reports required by the Department and other external stakeholders. Candidates are required to pass a literacy test and a numeracy test. Approximately 110,000 tests are delivered in each recruitment cycle which runs from 1 October to 30 September each year. In total, approximately 130,000 tests are billable each recruitment cycle. It is a requirement for any candidate to pass the skills test before embarking on Initial Teacher Training and subsequently gaining Qualified Teacher Status. Candidates can take the skills tests up to a maximum of three times per subject, before being locked out for a period of 2 years. The numeracy and literacy skills tests: * cover the core skills that teachers need to fulfil their professional role in schools. This is to ensure all teachers are competent in numeracy and literacy, regardless of their specialism. * do not replace the GCSE grade C or grade 4 equivalence entry requirement but ensure that the skills are current for those wishing to enter the profession. * are set in the context of the professional role of a teacher; all questions are based upon scenarios which teachers are likely to encounter. * are computerised (although each year a total of approximately 450 tests are delivered as paper based tests, for candidates requiring reasonable adjustments). The literacy skills test is a computerised test divided into four sections: spelling, punctuation, grammar and comprehension. Candidates are allocated 45 minutes to complete the test, unless special arrangements have been granted. The numeracy skills test is a computerised test covering three areas in two sections: mental arithmetic; interpreting and using written data; and solving written arithmetic problems. Candidates are allocated 48 minutes to complete the test, unless special arrangements have been granted. The first section is strictly timed. The Authority will be responsible for devising the content of all tests and analysing aspects of test and item level data. The intellectual property rights vested in the tests rest with the Authority. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO CONTINUE READING THE REQUIREMENTS Additional information: There is currently a network of over 40 test centres (a mix of prime Supplier and third party sites) mainly in England. Testing also takes place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All tests take place in a test centre environment. Tests are also currently delivered at three European Test Centres, located in Frankfurt, Madrid and Paris. The Authority wish testing to continue in Europe as part of the new service requirements, but have no constraints with regard to specified location(s). The possibility of testing in locations outside of Europe will also be required and suggested locations from the Supplier would be required. There is no requirement for the Supplier to reimburse travel and subsistence to candidates unless there is a test delivery issue that affects the candidate, for example, a test system failure requiring tests to be cancelled at short notice. There shall be a requirement to refresh the test content during the life of the contract, usually on an annual basis. User acceptance testing processes will need to be in place to ensure the new/refreshed tests work on the successful supplier's systems. This may include a refresh of the practice tests. Prior Information Notice. Notice Number: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5f952943-a18b-4f77-bf53-987e998ebce8 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4df3fa9c-be48-4055-8cd3-77db6c97fdfc | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure (above threshold) | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 1 Feb 2018 | | Submission deadline | 9 Feb 2018 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 8 Apr 2018 - 31 Mar 2021 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £15,000,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Cancelled | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION | | Locality | COVENTRY | | Post town | Coventry | | Postcode | CV1 2WT | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands | | ITL 3 | TLG33 Coventry | | Local authority | Coventry | | Electoral ward | St Michael's | | Westminster constituency | Coventry South | | Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 80 - Education and training services ### Codes - 80000000 - Education and training services ## Release History - 1 Feb 2018 at 09:43 - TenderCancellation - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4df3fa9c-be48-4055-8cd3-77db6c97fdfc - 5 Jan 2018 at 12:55 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/755d281a-03bd-4017-b912-bfc52ca37fe8 - 5 Jan 2018 at 10:42 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/755d281a-03bd-4017-b912-bfc52ca37fe8 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4df3fa9c-be48-4055-8cd3-77db6c97fdfc 1st February 2018 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/755d281a-03bd-4017-b912-bfc52ca37fe8 5th January 2018 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder ## Notice URLs - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5f952943-a18b-4f77-bf53-987e998ebce8 ## 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-d7cecb3c-dc3b-4f04-8161-11bbca3c5cac. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d7cecb3c-dc3b-4f04-8161-11bbca3c5cac.json.