---
title: "Theory Test Services"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04efa6"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04efa6"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04efa6.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04efa6.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "DRIVER AND VEHICLE STANDARDS AGENCY"
published: "2026-04-16"
---

# Theory Test Services

Buyer: DRIVER AND VEHICLE STANDARDS AGENCY  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04efa6

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## Summary

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is actively conducting a procurement process for "Theory Test Services" aimed at delivering a comprehensive Theory Test Centre Network across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The procurement, categorised under educational and training services, is currently in the tender stage, having started on 7 April 2026, with significant activities planned until a contract award on 2 August 2027. This process involves three regional Lots, each with equivalent forecast test volumes across various regions including Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and England's key areas. Key deadlines include submissions for the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire due by 5 May 2026 and the initial tender submission by 14 August 2026. The DVSA seeks to appoint distinct suppliers for each Lot, employing a competitive flexible procedure to ensure compliance with accessibility requirements and the delivery of tailored testing solutions.

This procurement offers substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in e-learning, IT software packages, and computer testing services, with an anticipated operational commencement date of September 2028. The DVSA's ambition to employ advanced scheduling systems, fraud detection, and incident reporting mechanisms presents a promising landscape for technology and security service providers. As the multi-client test sites contribute to a diversified supply base, suppliers with expertise in educational software development, customer services, and resilient network connectivity will find the prospect of bidding for regional Lots, without a cap on the number of Lots, beneficial for expanding their market presence. Suppliers that can meet the DVSA's outlined criteria for quality and value for money have the chance to secure contracts potentially lasting up to nine years, including extensions.

## Notice

The Authority is procuring a TCN Supplier in each regional Lot to deliver the Theory Test Centre Network (TCN) Service, providing secure and accessible front end test delivery for all theory test types across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. DVSA are procuring, and contracting for, the service on behalf of the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland. The Service must deliver a fully compliant Test Centre estate that meets the Authority's 40/40 accessibility requirement, ensuring all Candidates are located within 40 minutes (urban) or 40 miles (rural) of a test centre in each region. In Northern Ireland, mandatory test centre provision is required in Ballymena, Belfast, Londonderry, Omagh, Portadown and Newry. All proposed sites will require Authority approval during implementation. The TCN Supplier will be responsible for providing a responsive scheduling system offering a real time, six month forward view of test availability to the Authority's booking systems, reflecting test duration, demand and test type requirements. The Service includes delivery of on-site invigilation to maintain test integrity; detection and deterrence of fraud; and support for incident reporting and investigative activity integrating with Authority systems. The TCN Supplier must provide all necessary infrastructure and technology within each test centre, including secure hardware and software, on premises server capability, resilient network connectivity, CCTV, and sufficient equipment to deliver all standard and non-standard test adjustments for candidates with additional needs. The Service must support Welsh language options, voiceovers, British Sign Language (BSL), and--where applicable--additional language voiceovers in Northern Ireland. TCN Suppliers must also deliver approved Non Standard Adjustments including extra time, separate testing rooms, adapted equipment, signers, interpreters, language modifiers, readers, recorders, audio requirements (NI only), and home testing (not remote proctoring) where authorised. Multi client test sites are permitted provided they do not impede delivery of the Authority's requirements and only with Authority approval. The TCN Service excludes delivery of tests in In House Theory Test Centres (IHTTCs). Further details of the scope are contained in the procurement documents (which include the draft contract), which are available on the Jaggaer portal. Lotting: The TCN Service is packaged into three regional Lots of broadly equivalent historic and forecast test volumes based on Government Office Region geographies: * Region 1: includes the Government Office Regions of Scotland, North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and Northern Ireland. * Region 2: includes the Government Office Regions of Wales, West Midlands, South East and South West. * Region 3: includes the Government Office Regions of East Midlands, East of England and London. The Authority is seeking to appoint a different TCN Supplier in each regional Lot at contract award stage to develop a more diversified supply base. However, there is no limit on the number of Lots that a supplier can bid for. In certain circumstances, where defined objective eligibility and value for money criteria are met, a supplier may be awarded a maximum of two regional Lots, while a one-Lot cap applies where such criteria are not met. The detail of this is set out in the contract award mechanism in the procurement documents. Additional Services: The Authority has identified several potential future developments that may be explored through the regional contracts and in the delivery of the TCN Service. These Additional Services fall within the overall scope of the contract and may, where required, be implemented through the contract's change control procedure. The Authority is therefore clearly signalling these areas to the market at this stage, and further detail is available in the procurement documents. The Additional Services are: * Exploring remote testing/proctoring technology in the delivery of the Service. * Exploring the use of end-to-end cloud architecture in the delivery of the Service. * Adding other Authority or Department for Transport tests into Service delivery. * Adding wider government tests into Service delivery. * Enabling validation of Digital Driving Licences. * Enhanced identification checking. Key Dates Publication date: Tuesday 7 April 2026 Supplier Engagement Event: Tuesday 14 April 2026 (online webinar) - Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams - https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/6872fd4f-a164-467a-8d86-2bb14f0e04cb@a455b827-244f-4c97-b5b4-ce5d13b4d00c PSQ Clarification Deadline: 5PM on Wednesday 22 April 2026 PSQ SUBMISSION DEADLINE: NOON ON TUESDAY 5 MAY 2026 Suppliers notified of PSQ outcome: Friday 19 June 2026 Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ItPD) formally issued to Suppliers shortlisted through PSQ in each Lot: Monday 22 June 2026 Supplier Engagement Event: Wednesday 1 July 2026 (in person in Nottingham) Initial individual supplier dialogue: Thursday 9 - Friday 10 July 2026 INITIAL TENDER SUBMISSION DEADLINE: NOON FRIDAY 14 AUGUST 2026 Supplier dialogue: Monday 28 September - Friday 13 November 2026 Invitation to Submit Final Tenders (ISFT) formally issued to Suppliers: Monday 14 December 2026 FINAL TENDER SUBMISSION DEADLINE: NOON FRIDAY 29 FEBRUARY 2027 Expected award: Monday 2 August 2027 Service Implementation Period: Monday 2 August 2027 - Tuesday 5 September 2028 Operational Commencement Date: Wednesday 6 September 2028 Contract end: 5 September 2035 Extension options: +2 years (potential maximum term 9 years to 5 September 2037)

### Lot Information

Region 1

Region 1: includes the Government Office Regions of Scotland, North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and Northern Ireland.

Renewal: +2 years (potential maximum term 9 years to 5 September 2037)

Region 2

Region 2: includes the Government Office Regions of Wales, West Midlands, South East and South West.

Renewal: +2 years (potential maximum term 9 years to 5 September 2037)

Region 3

Region 3: includes the Government Office Regions of East Midlands, East of England and London.

Renewal: +2 years (potential maximum term 9 years to 5 September 2037)

### Planning Information

DVSA will conduct market engagement activities for both the Test Centre Network (TCN) and Theory Test Assessment Platform (TTAP) procurements in February and March 2026. This engagement will enable DVSA to test refined assumptions, share updates informed by recent activity, and confirm commercial, operational and technical expectations ahead of the start of procurement activity, which is currently planned to begin from April 2026 (subject to approvals). An overview and key outcomes from previous rounds of market engagement can be found on the Department for Transport's (DfT) portal here: 
https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/go/467321710195D762A51D 
To view the documents, please navigate to the attachments section of the PQQ when logged in. 
As part of this engagement, DVSA are planning to make draft procurement documentation or summaries of procurement documentation available through the Jaggaer eSourcing platform. If DVSA are to share this documentation through this process, the documentation is to be considered will be shared in draft and is being shared for information illustrative purposes only to aid engagement activities with the market. By providing certain content in draft in this way, DVSA make no commitment regarding the content of the final procurement documents, which may depart from the draft documentation to any extent, including by revising, replacing, adding to or removing any of the content. 
Suppliers must not upload any Authority material, including but not limited to, Authority data or material provided for the purpose of the market engagement event, into AI software or tools which are not private and secure. The Authority does not want any data or material related to this Procurement being used to “train” public AI software or tools.  
This market engagement will consist of two activities: 
1. Online Webinar – Wednesday 25 February 2026 @ 15:00 – 16:00 
The webinar is aimed at suppliers who are interested in the TCN Service and/or TTAP Service procurement. This virtual session, hosted on Microsoft Teams, will provide suppliers with an update on the programme’s direction and the planned procurement approach and timelines alongside an overview of the DVSA’s implementation and Service requirements and the interaction between DVSA, the TCN Service and the TTAP Service. The aim of the webinar is to provide suppliers with an updated view of the Service requirements and planned procurement activity to set the context for more detailed face-to-face discussions at an in-person engagement event in March (see below). After the webinar the DVSA plans to make draft material available to the market to consider ahead of the in-person engagement event. Any suppliers who wish to access the material must sign and return the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that will be made available immediately after the webinar.The materials and NDA form will be available via the Jaggaer e-sourcing platform, and the NDA must be returned via the messages function in the platform. Please note that suppliers who are unable to attend the webinar and/or the in-person engagement event will still be given the opportunity to access the documentation provided that they agree to the NDA. 
Suppliers wishing to attend the online webinar, should use the following link to register for the event and join the discussion: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b168a252-5093-4bb6-9f35-04c2cd41b7eb@a455b827-244f-4c97-b5b4-ce5d13b4d00c 
Attendance at the session is voluntary and will not affect a supplier’s ability to bid for the opportunities once the formal procurement process begins. There are no limits on the number of attendees from each supplier. 
2. In‑Person Engagement Event – Monday 9th March 2026 (Nottingham) 
The in-person engagement event is aimed at suppliers who are interested in the TCN Service and/or TTAP Service procurement. DVSA will host an all-day in-person engagement event in Nottingham to enable more detailed discussion and market feedback on the DVSA’s requirements prior to procurement launch. After an introductory discussion around key cross-service themes, the morning session will be split into two separate workshops: 
TCN workshop: covering the Test Centre Network procurement and Service requirements in greater detail. 
TTAP workshop: covering the assessment platform procurement and Service requirements in greater detail. 
These workshops will be facilitated by DVSA personnel involved in the specific procurement and they provide an opportunity for the market to clarify DVSA requirements and provide feedback ahead of the formal procurement activity. 
In the afternoon, suppliers from both workshops will reconvene for a joint plenary session to discuss the cross‑cutting theme of Service implementation. 
Given the focused nature of the workshop discussions, suppliers are encouraged to send delegates to the in-person engagement event who have the relevant knowledge, experience and understanding to contribute to the discussions. DVSA plan to limit the number of delegates attending the in-person engagement event to two delegates per supplier for each procurement, totaling a maximum number of delegates to 4 per supplier. 
The exact location of the event in Nottingham is to be confirmed, and suppliers must register their interest and delegates for the event with DVSA through the Jaggaer eSourcing platform stating which delegates will be involved in which procurement specific workshop. Registered suppliers will receive confirmation of the event location. 
Any clarifications relating to the engagement events should be sent through the eSourcing platform. 
Attendance at the event is voluntary and will not affect a supplier’s ability to bid for the opportunities once the formal procurement process begins. 
From the start of the webinar, suppliers will be able to engage with the DVSA regarding the DVSA’s requirements using a Microsoft form to share comments and identify areas requiring further discussion during the in‑person engagement event. Any questions raised through the form will not be answered on an individual supplier basis but will be covered more generically on a topic-by-topic basis during the in-person engagement event. The form will remain open until 5pm on Tuesday 17th March to enable suppliers to provide thoughts and feedback to the DVSA. Any thoughts shared with the DVSA will be on a confidential basis, but the DVSA may use non-identifiable, supplier agnostic themes to respond to topic areas during the in-person event. DVSA responses in the in-person engagement event, alongside key areas of discussion in the event, will be made available to the wider market through the Jaggaer eSourcing platform to enable continued transparency.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034830-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 22 Apr 2026 |
| Future notice date | 7 Apr 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 5 Sep 2028 - 5 Sep 2035 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £623,000,000 |
| Lots value | £623,000,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DRIVER AND VEHICLE STANDARDS AGENCY |
| Locality | NOTTINGHAM |
| Post town | Nottingham |
| Postcode | NG2 1AW |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF14 Nottingham |
| Local authority | Nottingham |
| Electoral ward | Meadows |
| Westminster constituency | Nottingham South |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 48 - Software package and information systems
- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 48190000 - Educational software package
- 48517000 - IT software package
- 72212190 - Educational software development services
- 72260000 - Software-related services
- 72820000 - Computer testing services
- 79342300 - Customer services
- 79620000 - Supply services of personnel including temporary staff
- 79710000 - Security services
- 80000000 - Education and training services
- 80420000 - E-learning services
- 80500000 - Training services
- 80511000 - Staff training services

## Release History

- 16 Apr 2026 at 14:52 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034830-2026
- 7 Apr 2026 at 14:12 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031556-2026
- 19 Feb 2026 at 11:37 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015161-2026
- 19 Feb 2026 at 11:30 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015156-2026
- 28 Nov 2025 at 15:26 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078188-2025
- 16 Sep 2025 at 11:51 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056933-2025
- 5 Sep 2025 at 09:32 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054179-2025
- 3 Sep 2025 at 08:33 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053383-2025
- 2 Sep 2025 at 11:12 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053110-2025
- 4 Apr 2025 at 09:30 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013002-2025
- 27 Mar 2025 at 13:00 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011546-2025
- 27 Mar 2025 at 12:58 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011545-2025
- 27 Mar 2025 at 12:57 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011543-2025
- 20 Mar 2025 at 16:53 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010518-2025
- 20 Mar 2025 at 12:39 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010381-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034830-2026
  16th April 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031556-2026
  7th April 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015161-2026
  19th February 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015156-2026
  19th February 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078188-2025
  28th November 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056933-2025
  16th September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054179-2025
  5th September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053383-2025
  3rd September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053110-2025
  2nd September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013002-2025
  4th April 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011546-2025
  27th March 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011545-2025
  27th March 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011543-2025
  27th March 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010518-2025
  20th March 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010381-2025
  20th March 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/go/28654564019D963F6BFB
- https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/go/30039749019D96C7703D
- https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/go/467321710195D762A51D
- https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/go/55049810019D48FEC71F
- https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/6872fd4f-a164-467a-8d86-2bb14f0e04cb@a455b827-244f-4c97-b5b4-ce5d13b4d00c
- https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b168a252-5093-4bb6-9f35-04c2cd41b7eb@a455b827-244f-4c97-b5b4-ce5d13b4d00c
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-h6vhtk-04efa6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04efa6.json.