Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings, 20, Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
TendersTD.STA@education.gov.uk
Telephone
+44 8700012345
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
National or federal Agency/Office
one.5) Main activity
Education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Invitation to Tender for Item Writing Service Framework for Standards and Testing Agency
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 80000000 - Education and training services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Department of Education, the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), is inviting potential suppliers to submit their bids for the new 2025-2029 Item Writing Services Framework.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £2,500,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Department of Education, the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), is inviting potential suppliers to submit their bids for the new 2025-2029 Item Writing Services Framework.
As part of the test development process, the STA, on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE), is seeking to appoint suppliers experienced in item writing to support the development of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests.
We require a number of suppliers who are capable of understanding the relevant programmes of study, test frameworks, and curricula for particular tests, and developing high-quality test items with accompanying mark schemes and/or coding frames.
Successful suppliers will be added to the Item Writing Framework 2025-2029 and will have the opportunity to bid for each call-off from the framework between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2029. Once an organisation has been accepted onto the framework, they will bid for item writing services contracts. An Invitation to Tender (ITT) will be disseminated to all those on the framework for all work. Each call-off from this framework will provide detailed requirements, including the subject and content domain areas, item types, mark range, difficulty range, and other desired properties.
The core requirements for the Item Writing Services Framework include the delivery of the following services in order to support the development of high-quality, accessible, and inclusive items suitable for DfE assessments: Key Stages 1 and 2 English grammar, punctuation, and spelling, English reading, and mathematics.
• Item writing
• Informal item trialling
• Reviewing, refining and amending items
• Item classification
• Design (items and texts)
• Text searching / sourcing (English reading)
• Reviewing texts (English reading)
• Text selection (English reading)/Context selection (science)
• Text trialling (English reading)
• Informal item and text trialling (English reading)
• Printing to meet handover or trialling requirements
• Developing mark schemes
• Developing coding frames
• Administration/ organisation of various elements
The initial framework term will be four years (September 2025 - August 2029). There is an option to extend the framework term for up to 12 months, until August 2030.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT: £2,500,000
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Start date
1 September 2025
End date
31 August 2029
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
One optional extension of up 12 months
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Competitive procedure with negotiation
four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement
Framework agreement with several operators
Envisaged maximum number of participants to the framework agreement: 6
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of expressions of interest
Date
30 April 2025
Local time
12:00pm
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
four.2.5) Scheduled date for start of award procedures
4 August 2025
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Royal Courts of Justice
London
Country
United Kingdom