---
title: "Mystery Shopping Services"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0689fe"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0689fe"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0689fe.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0689fe.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "BRITISH COUNCIL"
published: "2026-06-03"
---

# Mystery Shopping Services

Buyer: BRITISH COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0689fe

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0689fe)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0689fe.json)

## Summary

The British Council, a public authority within the sub-central government of the United Kingdom, has completed the award stage of a public procurement process titled "Mystery Shopping Services". This tender focuses on providing compliance audits for the British Council's IELTS exams, specifically aimed at enhancing security and user experience across its global network for UK Visas and Immigration. Taking place in London, the procurement was conducted using an open, competitive flexible procedure, allowing for widespread participation. The contract is valued at £220,000 gross and involves market research services, specifically tailored to the community of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The standstill period concludes on 15th June 2026, with the contract expected to commence on 1st July 2026 and extend through to 30th June 2028, with potential optional extensions reaching up to 2030.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for SMEs specializing in mystery shopping and market research services, particularly those with the capacity to deliver high-quality compliance audits on a global scale. Potential suppliers need to demonstrate expertise in ensuring security and efficiency in testing environments, providing a competitive edge in the field of international educational assessments. The opportunity is ideal for businesses looking to expand their service portfolio into educational compliance and testing sectors, leveraging the procurement to establish long-term relationships and enhanced credibility within the public sector.

## Notice

The Governance & Compliance function seeks to obtain the most effective and efficient Mystery Shopper services provider to delivery Mystery Shopping Services (compliance audits) of all British Council IELTS for United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI) global network of exam centres. The programme is intended to measure the experience and security when applying for, registering, and attending an IELTS written and speaking test.

### Lot Information

Region 1

Renewal: optional 2x12 months extensions

Region 2

Mystery Shopping Services for countries under Region 2

Renewal: optional 2x12 months extensions

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052484-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 18 May 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 3 Jun 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £440,000 |
| Lots value | £440,000 |
| Awards value | £220,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | BRITISH COUNCIL |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | East London |
| Postcode | E20 1JQ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East |
| ITL 3 | TLI41 Hackney and Newham |
| Local authority | Newham |
| Electoral ward | Stratford Olympic Park |
| Westminster constituency | Stratford and Bow |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 2 |
| Supplier names | LC INVESTIGATION; SERVE LEGAL |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 79310000 - Market research services

## Release History

- 3 Jun 2026 at 15:19 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052484-2026
- 23 Apr 2026 at 15:22 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037258-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052484-2026
  3rd June 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037258-2026
  23rd April 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://tap.tcsapps.com/tap2/#/bc-supplier-registration
  Please create an account on our procurement portal - TAP - and you can the locate the opportunity by searching the reference number provided in this notice. All tender documents and further information can be found here.

## Notice URLs

- http://www.britishcouncil.org
- 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-0689fe. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0689fe.json.