Official UK procurement notice
Examinations Marking and Psychometric Data Analysis Services
Authority: General Pharmaceutical Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) wishes to inform the market of our intention to procure, in relation to the Pharmacists' Common Registration Assessment (CRA), the provision of Examinations Marking and Psychometric Data Analysis Services.
The CRA is a two-part, time limited and computer-based examination, undertaken by Trainee Pharmacists across the United Kingdom. It is designed to ensure that those entering our register possess the necessary knowledge and aptitude(s) to practise safe and effective pharmacy care - a significant hurdle for candidates aiming to achieve their registration.
The purpose of this notice is to raise awareness of our upcoming Request for Quotation sourcing activity, gauge accurate levels of market interest, and receive feedback on prospective plans/requirements in advance of the formal procurement process; to be announced in June 2026.
We kindly ask that all interested suppliers complete and submit the attached response form to Anna Kitoki, at [email protected] by 17:00 on 15.05.2026.
Any interest shown does not constitute a commitment to participate; and failure to show interest does not restrict suppliers from participating in this and/or any other procurement process run by the GPhC.
CPV: Data analysis services · Higher education services · Research and development consultancy services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1PlannedRenewalPublished value£200,000
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How General Pharmaceutical Council buys Data-processing services (CPV 7231), and who usually turns up
General Pharmaceutical Council’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Data-processing services (CPV 7231) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
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How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in the delivery region.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
No decision dates published to compare.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The buyer’s share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 7231Published estimate£200k
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How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 29 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid17%
2–331%
4–634%
7+17%
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Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
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Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Below threshold - open competition
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 11 May 2026, 16:10 BST
- Last source update
- 11 May 2026, 16:23 BST
- Authority reference
GPhC-PA011- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-043169- Latest notice
- Planned procurement notice (UK3)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069607Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 10 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 26 Jun 2026, 17:00 BST
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
Timeline
11 May 2026 → 1 Jan 2027 · 6 dates- Planning notice published164 days ago11 May 2026, 16:10 BST
- Market engagement159 days ago15 May 2026, 23:59 BST
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) wishes to inform the market of our intention to procure, in relation to the Pharmacists' Common Registration Assessment (CRA), the provision of Examinations Marking and Psychometric Data Analysis Services.
The CRA is a two-part, time limited and computer-based examination, undertaken by Trainee Pharmacists across the United Kingdom. It is designed to ensure that those entering our register possess the necessary knowledge and aptitude(s) to practise safe and effective pharmacy care - a significant hurdle for candidates aiming to achieve their registration.
Part One: Pharmacists' Common Registration Assessment
o Focus: Pharmacy and healthcare calculations.
o Question quantity: 40
o Data type/item: Numerical free-entry response.
o Marking: Each item is worth one mark; no negative marking is applied.
Part Two: Pharmacists' Common Registration Assessment
o Focus: Safe and effective pharmacy care of the public.
o Question quantity: 120
o Data type/item: Multiple-choice response, comprising 90 'single best answer' items (5 options each) and 30 'extended matching questions' (8 options each).
o Marking: Each item is worth one mark; no negative marking is applied.
The GPhC conducts two CRA's annually; in comparison to our June examination which accommodates c.4,000 candidates, our November examination accommodates c.2,000 candidates. A candidate must achieve the required pass mark, in both parts of the CRA, within a single examination sitting.
The purpose of this notice is to raise awareness of our upcoming Request for Quotation sourcing activity, gauge accurate levels of market interest, and receive feedback on prospective plans/requirements in advance of the formal procurement process; to be announced in June 2026.
We kindly ask that all interested suppliers complete and submit the response form (please see corresponding Planned Procurement Notice) to Anna Kitoki, at [email protected] by 17:00 on 15.05.2026.
Any interest shown does not constitute a commitment to participate; and failure to show interest does not restrict suppliers from participating in this and/or any other procurement process run by the GPhC.
- Tender notice expected121 days ago22 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Clarification questions by118 days ago26 Jun 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission deadline104 days ago10 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 71 days1 Jan 2027
Notice history
5 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 11 May 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published11 May 2026, 16:10 BSTUK2
- Planned procurement notice published11 May 2026, 16:23 BSTUK3
- Status changed to planned11 May 2026, 16:23 BST
- Procurement method changed11 May 2026, 16:23 BST
- Deadline published: 10 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST11 May 2026, 16:23 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
Notices published for this procedure
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender