---
title: "GWR - Psychometric assessment Services Trainee Drivers"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06c3dc"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06c3dc"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c3dc.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c3dc.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED"
published: "2026-07-03"
---

# GWR - Psychometric assessment Services Trainee Drivers

Buyer: FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06c3dc

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## Summary

This procurement process involves First Greater Western Limited (GWR), located in Wiltshire, seeking psychometric assessment services to support the recruitment of trainee train drivers. The industry category is services, specifically relating to recruitment and assessment centre services. This direct award process, completed on 3rd July 2026, addresses the urgent need for continuous psychometric testing which is crucial for safety-critical roles within the railway sector. The contract runs from 1st August 2026 to 30th September 2027, with locations based in regions such as UKK. The need for this direct procurement method arose from the necessity to protect life and health, ensuring no service interruption due to the stringent standards and compliance required for these assessments.

This tender creates substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in psychometric and recruitment services, especially those experienced in the railway sector. SMEs like the Rail Competence Group and The Occupational Psychology Centre, who are experienced in delivering such industry-specific services, are well-suited for these contracts. Other SMEs with proven capabilities in managing safety-critical assessments can also explore opportunities to engage with similar tenders in the future. The contract's focus on ongoing assessments highlights the importance of aligning with stringent industry standards and maintaining quality assurance, making it an attractive proposition for businesses looking to expand in the public service safety domain.

## Notice

The intended procurement is to appoint suitably qualified suppliers to deliver psychometric testing and associated assessment services to support the recruitment and selection of train drivers. Train drivers are safety-critical roles, regulated within the UK rail industry. Psychometric testing is a mandatory and well-established element of assessing candidates' cognitive abilities, psychomotor skills, concentration, resilience and behavioural suitability to safely operate trains. These assessments directly support public safety, operational reliability and regulatory compliance. The requirement includes the provision of: Industry-recognised psychometric tests relevant to train driver roles (e.g. concentration, vigilance, reaction time, memory and rule-following) Test administration (online, supervised, or test-centre based as appropriate) Scoring, analysis and reporting against agreed benchmarks Quality assurance and test validity controls Compliance with relevant rail industry standards and guidance Data protection, confidentiality and candidate experience management The services will be used on an ongoing basis to support regular recruitment campaigns.

### Procurement Information

This transparency notice is published pursuant to Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023. The contracting authority intends to make a direct award in reliance on Section 42 of the Procurement Act 2023, on the basis that the services are strictly necessary for the protection of life and health, and that no reasonable alternative is available in the circumstances. The contracting authority is First Greater Western Limited (GWR). No other contracting entity is party to this award. The contract relates to the provision of rail-specific psychometric assessment services to support the recruitment of trainee train drivers and other safety-critical operational staff within the railway system. Psychometric assessment forms a mandatory safety control designed to identify and mitigate risks associated with cognitive capability, decision-making, vigilance, stress tolerance, and behavioural reliability in high-risk operational environments. These assessments are fundamental to ensuring the safe operation of railway services and to protecting passengers, employees, and members of the public. Immediate Continuity and Safety Risk Psychometric assessments are required on an ongoing basis to support live recruitment into safety-critical roles. If these assessments cannot be carried out without interruption: * Recruitment into trainee driver and safety-critical roles would be paused or materially delayed * This would result in reduced availability of qualified operational staff * Over time, this would place increased pressure on existing workforce arrangements and create a heightened operational safety risk, including fatigue and service resilience impacts Accordingly, any interruption or degradation in the provision of these services would create an immediate and unacceptable risk to the safe operation of railway services, rather than a simple administrative or operational delay. Safety-Critical Nature of the Services Train drivers and other safety-critical staff undertake duties where impaired judgement or reduced cognitive performance could result in serious harm or loss of life. Psychometric assessment is: * Embedded within GWR's safety management system * Required to support compliance with rail industry standards (including RSSB RIS-3751) * A key control ensuring only appropriately assessed individuals are permitted to undertake safety-critical duties Whilst the requirement for psychometric assessment is known, the need to ensure uninterrupted continuity of provision during a period of active recruitment and operational transition has meant that a compliant procurement could not be completed without introducing a material risk of a service gap. The timing is driven by: * Ongoing recruitment demand for safety-critical roles * Dependency on established providers already embedded within assurance processes * The mobilisation and accreditation requirements associated with alternative providers While earlier procurement was considered, undertaking a full competitive process in advance would not have aligned with operational timelines without risking disruption to safety-critical recruitment activity. First Greater Western has considered a range of alternative options, including: * Use of alternative suppliers Not viable due to the time required for accreditation, validation of assessment tools, and integration into rail-specific assurance processes * Framework call-off options No suitable framework identified that meets the specialist rail-specific requirements within the required timeframe * Accelerated or short-form competition Not feasible due to the need for mobilisation, calibration, governance assurance, and evaluator training, which would create a gap in provision * Interim or limited competition Considered but discounted, as even a limited process would not sufficiently mitigate the risk of disruption to live recruitment activity On this basis, First Greater Western has concluded that no reasonable alternative exists within the required timeframe. First Greater Western considers that it is not possible to undertake a competitive procurement process at this time without creating a material and unacceptable risk to safety. Any transition to new providers would require: * Mobilisation and onboarding * Calibration of psychometric assessment tools * Integration into safety and recruitment governance frameworks * Training and familiarisation for recruitment teams Running these activities alongside live recruitment would create a high risk of delay, inconsistency, and reduced assurance, directly impacting safety-critical workforce deployment. The current providers (including OPC Online Testing, the Occupational Psychometric Centre, and RGC) are: * Already embedded within established processes * Experienced in rail-specific psychometric assessment * Integrated into governance and assurance arrangements This continuity is necessary to maintain consistent, safe, and defensible recruitment decisions. This direct award is strictly limited to what is necessary to ensure continuity of these safety-critical services. The arrangement is an interim measure only.: * Intends to undertake a compliant competitive procurement process * Will commence that process at the earliest practicable opportunity * Will ensure the duration of the direct award is no longer than required to complete that procurement On this basis, First Greater Western Limited considers that the direct award of psychometric assessment services is necessary and proportionate to protect life and health and is justified under Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023. This notice is published in good faith in the interests of transparency and compliance.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062998-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 3 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Jul 2026 - 1 Sep 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £369,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED |
| Locality | WILTSHIRE |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN1 1HL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK71 Swindon |
| Local authority | Swindon |
| Electoral ward | Central |
| Westminster constituency | Swindon South |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 3 |
| Supplier names | OPC ASSESSMENT; RAIL COMPETENCE GROUP; THE OCCUPATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CENTRE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79635000 - Assessment centre services for recruitment

## Release History

- 3 Jul 2026 at 16:12 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062998-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062998-2026
  3rd July 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://rcg.org.uk/about-us/
- 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-06c3dc. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c3dc.json.