Official UK procurement notice
Kent Test (11+) Examination Services
Authority: Kent County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionKent County Council intends to appoint a provider for the provision of services to support the development, production, administration and delivery of countywide Kent Test (11+) assessment process, including test material production, secure distribution, marking, results processing, and associated operational support for Kent County Council's secondary school admissions process.
The contract will commence on 2nd November 2026, for an initial period of two years, with up to two optional 12 months extensions up to 1st November 2030 with an estimated value of £835.000.
Above threshold procurement using Competitive Flexible procedure (PA2023)
- How the procedure runs: The procurement will follow a process that will include: -Stage One - Conditions of Participation using the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) (Selection) -Stage Two - Tender Questionnaire Submissions (QualiItty) -Stage Three - Price Evaluation To minimise the risk of service failure and any consequent impact to secondary school placement allocations, it is proposed that a down select process be carried out at the PSQ stage.
CPV: Primary education services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£835,000
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (4)
- Tests - Format and Implementation Plan: 45%
- Digital Marking and Software Requirements: 30%
- Marking, Familiarisation Materials and Standardisation: 20%
- Social Value: 5%
Published award criteria (4)
- Tests - Format and Implementation Plan
- Digital Marking and Software Requirements
- Marking, Familiarisation Materials and Standardisation
- Social Value
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 10 Jun 2026, 15:58 BST
- Last source update
- 1 Oct 2026, 13:57 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 2 Sept 2026
- Authority reference
CN250565- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-054875- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b227Find a Tender
- How it runs
The procurement will follow a process that will include:
-Stage One - Conditions of Participation using the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) (Selection)
-Stage Two - Tender Questionnaire Submissions (QualiItty)
-Stage Three - Price Evaluation
To minimise the risk of service failure and any consequent impact to secondary school placement allocations, it is proposed that a down select process be carried out at the PSQ stage.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 24 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 4 Aug 2026, 14:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 19 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk ↗ - 2 stage (restricted) process - stage 1 = PSQ (return date 24th JUNE 2026) , those shortlisted invited to stage 2 = Tender (estimated publication date 8th JULY 2026)
Timeline
10 Jun 2026 → 2 Nov 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published135 days ago10 Jun 2026, 15:58 BST
- Clarification questions by126 days ago19 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Expressions of interest by121 days ago24 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline80 days ago4 Aug 2026, 14:00 BST
- Award decision expected by50 days ago2 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent22 days ago1 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published22 days ago1 Oct 2026, 13:57 BST
- Today23 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 10 days2 Nov 2026
Notice history
8 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 10 Jun 2026- Tender notice published10 Jun 2026, 15:58 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published19 Jun 2026, 10:36 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published19 Jun 2026, 11:23 BSTUK4
- Procurement method changed19 Jun 2026, 11:23 BST
- Contract award notice published1 Oct 2026, 13:57 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete1 Oct 2026, 13:57 BST
- Procurement method changed1 Oct 2026, 13:57 BST
- Contract signature expected1 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Published amendments (1)
Procedure changed from Tender to Request to Participate in 'Procedure' tab. Request to participate date added as 24 June 2026 at 12pm.
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2026-06: 1 release · 10 Jun 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atom Learning LimitedCN250565 Kent Test (11+) Services2 Nov 2026 – 31 Oct 2028 · up to 31 Oct 2030Extensions: 2 x 1 year extension options, subject to requirements and performance. | £758,000 | 30 Sept 2026 | Awarded |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Atom Learning Limited (t/a Quest Assessments)Awarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Kent Business Portal portal at: https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/tenders/UK-Maidstone:-Primary-education-services./CT7XZS797H To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.u…
- Bidding documents and specifications For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Kent Business Portal portal at: https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/tenders/UK-Maidstone:-Primary-education-services./CT7XZS797H To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.u…
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender