---
title: "Clinical Communication Training"
ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000844219"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000844219"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000844219.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000844219.json"
source: "Public Contracts Scotland"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "University Of Edinburgh"
published: "2026-09-29"
---

# Clinical Communication Training

Buyer: University Of Edinburgh  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000844219

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## Summary

The University of Edinburgh intends to procure actor trainers for clinical communication teaching and assessment at Edinburgh Medical School. Trainers will act as patients in simulated scenarios for Year 5 and Year 6 medical students and give feedback that reflects real patient interactions. Teaching covers sensitive conversations, including breaking bad news, and complex GP-style consultations addressing physical and psychosocial concerns, barriers to healthcare, subtle cues and safeguarding. The work also includes supporting Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), from pre-assessment calibration through assessment days. For the 2026/27 academic year, the planned requirement includes teaching sessions and catch-ups, OSCE assessment days and calibration, with potential extra sessions or actors for resits. Delivery is at the University of Edinburgh Medical School in Edinburgh.

This is at the planning stage: the University has stated its intention to procure, but has not issued an invitation to tender. The procurement is planned as a single-lot services contract, with an estimated value of £250,000. The University expects to publish a further notice on 16 October 2026; this is an indicative publication date, not a bid deadline. Requirements are anticipated for the 2026/27 academic year. The planned teaching comprises around 35 Year 5 half-day sessions with four actors each, one Year 5 catch-up with four actors, four Year 6 half-day sessions with nine actors each, and one Year 6 catch-up with around two actors. Assessment plans include three full-day Year 5 OSCEs with six actors each and three Year 6 OSCEs with five actors each, plus calibration sessions.

This will suit suppliers able to field a reliable pool of skilled actor trainers in sufficient numbers to cover concurrent or scheduled teaching and assessment sessions, with additional capacity if resits require extra actors or sessions. Relevant experience includes simulated-patient work in medical education, portraying varied patient presentations consistently, and delivering constructive feedback to learners. Trainers must be able to support both challenging, sensitive conversations and complex GP-style consultations, including scenarios involving physical and psychosocial concerns, access barriers, subtle cues and safeguarding. Providers with the operational capacity to take part in pre-assessment calibration and full-day OSCE assessment work are also well placed to prepare for the planned procurement. The buyer’s stated focus is dependable, appropriately skilled actors who can provide realistic practice for medical students.

## Notice

The University of Edinburgh is seeking to identify suitably experienced suppliers to provide actor trainers for clinical communication teaching and assessment within Edinburgh Medical School. Actor trainers will support Year 5 and Year 6 medical students through simulated clinical communication scenarios, acting as patients and providing feedback to students to replicate real-life patient interactions. Year 5 teaching focuses on challenging and sensitive conversations, including breaking bad news and managing a range of patient responses. Year 6 teaching focuses on complex GP-style consultations, including exploring physical and psychosocial concerns, recognising barriers to accessing healthcare, identifying subtle cues, and considering safeguarding issues. Actor trainers will also be required to support Year 5 and Year 6 Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), including participation in pre-assessment calibration sessions and assessment days. For the 2026/27 academic year, the anticipated teaching requirement comprises approximately 35 Year 5 sessions requiring four actors per half-day session, one Year 5 catch-up session requiring four actors, four Year 6 sessions requiring nine actors per half-day session, and one Year 6 catch-up session requiring approximately two actors. Assessment requirements are anticipated to comprise three full-day Year 5 OSCE sessions requiring six actors, and three full-day Year 6 OSCE sessions requiring five actors, together with calibration sessions. Additional actors and/or sessions may be required for resits. The University is seeking suppliers with the capability to provide sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled and reliable actor trainers to meet these requirements, including the ability to portray varied patient presentations consistently and provide appropriate, constructive feedback to medical students.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The University of Edinburgh is seeking to identify suitably experienced suppliers to provide actor trainers for clinical communication teaching and assessment within Edinburgh Medical School. Actor trainers will support Year 5 and Year 6 medical students through simulated clinical communication scenarios, acting as patients and providing feedback to students to replicate real-life patient interactions. Year 5 teaching focuses on challenging and sensitive conversations, including breaking bad news and managing a range of patient responses. Year 6 teaching focuses on complex GP-style consultations, including exploring physical and psychosocial concerns, recognising barriers to accessing healthcare, identifying subtle cues, and considering safeguarding issues. Actor trainers will also be required to support Year 5 and Year 6 Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), including participation in pre-assessment calibration sessions and assessment days. For the 2026/27 academic year, the anticipated teaching requirement comprises approximately 35 Year 5 sessions requiring four actors per half-day session, one Year 5 catch-up session requiring four actors, four Year 6 sessions requiring nine actors per half-day session, and one Year 6 catch-up session requiring approximately two actors. Assessment requirements are anticipated to comprise three full-day Year 5 OSCE sessions requiring six actors, and three full-day Year 6 OSCE sessions requiring five actors, together with calibration sessions. Additional actors and/or sessions may be required for resits. The University is seeking suppliers with the capability to provide sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled and reliable actor trainers to meet these requirements, including the ability to portray varied patient presentations consistently and provide appropriate, constructive feedback to medical students.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland |
| Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP565449 |
| Notice type | PCS Notice - Website Prior Information Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 29 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £250,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | University Of Edinburgh |
| Locality | EDINBURGH |
| Postcode area | Edinburgh |
| Postcode | EH1 1HT |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM1 East Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM13 City of Edinburgh |
| Local authority | City of Edinburgh |
| Electoral ward | City Centre |
| Westminster constituency | Edinburgh East and Musselburgh |
| Delivery location | TLM75 City of Edinburgh |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 29 Sep 2026 at 01:00 - Planning - PCS Notice - Website Prior Information Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP565449

## Documents

- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP565449
  Clinical Communication Training - The University of Edinburgh is seeking to identify suitably experienced suppliers to provide actor trainers for clinical communication teaching and assessment within Edinburgh Medical School. Actor trainers will support Year 5 and Year 6 medical students through simulated clinical communication scenarios, acting as patients and providing feedback to students to replicate real-life patient interactions. Year 5 teaching focuses on challenging and sensitive conversations, including breaking bad news and managing a range of patient responses. Year 6 teaching focuses on complex GP-style consultations, including exploring physical and psychosocial concerns, recognising barriers to accessing healthcare, identifying subtle cues, and considering safeguarding issues. Actor trainers will also be required to support Year 5 and Year 6 Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), including participation in pre-assessment calibration sessions and assessment days. For the 2026/27 academic year, the anticipated teaching requirement comprises approximately 35 Year 5 sessions requiring four actors per half-day session, one Year 5 catch-up session requiring four actors, four Year 6 sessions requiring nine actors per half-day session, and one Year 6 catch-up session requiring approximately two actors. Assessment requirements are anticipated to comprise three full-day Year 5 OSCE sessions requiring six actors, and three full-day Year 6 OSCE sessions requiring five actors, together with calibration sessions. Additional actors and/or sessions may be required for resits. The University is seeking suppliers with the capability to provide sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled and reliable actor trainers to meet these requirements, including the ability to portray varied patient presentations consistently and provide appropriate, constructive feedback to medical students.

## Notice URLs

- http://
- http://www.ed.ac.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000844219
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=844219

## 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-r6ebe6-0000844219. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000844219.json.