Ends in 4 weeks
CA8920 - Entrance Test for a group of Selective Schools
The Schools of King Edward the Sixth in Birmingham · West Midlands
Held by GL Education Group
Test development tenders and contracts
UK public sector, covering 600+ buyer sites
295 test development tenders and contracts, 61 this year.
Updated 4 November 2026 · compiled by BidSkim Limited · How we count
- Awarded a month£180k
- Contracts a month1.2
- Won by SMEs35%
- Renewing in 6 months2
- Frameworks and DPSs3
- Live now2See them →
Test development contracts
Tap a region to see its contracts. Pick as many as you like.
29 contracts across the UK, of any size
Live now
2 test development opportunities are open now
- Pre-market2 Oct 2026Test Operations Service - Future Service Management ProgrammeDepartment for Education · London
- Pre-market10 Sep 2026Statutory Assessments ServiceBirmingham City Council · West MidlandsEst.£207k
- Awarded26 Oct 2026Validation of pupil test for Teaching Reading for MeaningBritish Council · London£32k
- Awarded30 Sep 2026Kent Test (11+) ServicesKent County Council · South EastWon by Atom Learning Limited (t/a Quest Assessments)£835k
- Awarded30 Sep 2026Kent Test (11+) Examination ServicesKent County Council · South EastWon by Atom Learning Limited (t/a Quest Assessments)£758k
- Awarded4 Sep 2026Pupil AssessmentsCity of London Corporation · LondonWon by Atom Learning Limited£43k
- Awarded3 Sep 2026Reception Early Language Monitoring and CSCOT Observation ProgrammeDepartment for Education · LondonWon by Speech and Language UK£445k
- Awarded1 Sep 2026English Score Test Code ProviderBritish Council · LondonWon by Chulalongkorn University Book Center
- Awarded8 Jul 2026DLEARN-Provision of Standardised Assessment & Reporting Platform & Related ServicesScottish Government · ScotlandWon by National Foundation for Educational Research£23m
- Awarded7 Jul 2026Monitoring and Moderation ServicesHull City Council · Yorkshire and the HumberWon by Humber Education Trust£81k
- Awarded24 Jun 2026Renaissance Learning UK LtdLiverpool City Council · North WestWon by Renaissance Learning£20k
- Awarded19 May 2026STA Item Writing Services Framework Call-Off Key Stage 1 and 2 English Grammar, Punctuation and SpellingDepartment for Education · North EastWon by Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)£91k
- Awarded18 May 2026Call Off 02 - KS1 (WP01) & KS2 (WP02) English Reading (STA Item Writing Services Framework)Department for EducationWon by National Foundation for Educational Research£164k
- Awarded4 Feb 2026DLEARN-Provision of Standardised Assessment & Reporting Platform & Related ServicesScottish Government · Scotland
- Awarded1 Feb 2026Medway TestMedway Council · South EastWon by Renaissance Learning£1.5m
- Awarded13 Jan 2026Early Language Screening and Assessment ToolkitDurham County Council · North EastWon by Renaissance Learning£99k
- Awarded28 Nov 2025Statutory Services CYPLiverpool City Council · North WestWon by SIL£44k
- Awarded13 Nov 2025Trialling and Sampling Framework 2025-2028_Call_Offs: 01, 02 and 03Department for EducationWon by National Foundation for Educational Research£1.7m
- Awarded21 Oct 2025Ail-Safoni Prawf Darllen Cymraeg I Standardisation of the Welsh Reading TestAdnodd Cyfyngedig · WalesWon by Cardiff University£36k
- Awarded7 Oct 2025Screening and Assessment Lot 2 Reading Paper Tool ContingencyMinistry of Justice · LondonWon by Powell Phonics Ltd£98k
- Awarded30 Sep 2025COV - KS2 Moderation Manager 2025/26Coventry City Council · West MidlandsWon by Julia Etheridge£45k
- Awarded24 Sep 2025Screening and Assessment Lot 2 Reading Paper Tool ContingencyMinistry of Justice · LondonWon by Powell Phonics Ltd£49k
- Awarded29 Aug 2025SPS-02220 ILM Marking ServicesScottish Prison Service · ScotlandWon by AC Training£10k
- Awarded29 Aug 2025SPS-02220 ILM Marking ServicesScottish Prison Service · ScotlandWon by AC Training£10k
- Awarded6 Mar 2025QInteractive and EPS Service KitsLiverpool City Council · North WestWon by Pearson Education Limited£30k
- Awarded27 Nov 2024Test kits for EPS Service assessmentsLiverpool City Council · North WestWon by Hogrefe Limited£50k
- Awarded14 Nov 2024STA 0291 Trialling Call Offs 09Department for EducationWon by AlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd£193k
- Awarded14 Nov 2024STA 0291 Trialling Call Offs 09Department for EducationWon by AlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd£1m
Where to bid
Where test development tenders are run
In-Tend3 33%- Jaggaer2 22%
Delta eSourcing1 11%
EU-Supply1 11%
Kent Business Portal1 11%- Other portals (1)1 11%
Tenders published in the last year that name the bid portal they run on.
Frameworks and DPS
3 frameworks for test development work are running. None are open to join now.
National Foundation for Educational Research won the most test development contracts
It also won the most by value. Each dot is one contract, coloured by who bought it.
Central governmentCouncilsEducation
| Rank | Contractor | Contracts won, by buyer | Contracts | Value won | Buyers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Foundation for Educational Research Scotland · See every contract | 4 | £25.3m | 2 | ||
| 2joint | AlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd | 3 | £2.2m | 1 | ||
| 2joint | Renaissance Learning North East · See every contract | 3 | £1.6m | 3 | ||
| 4joint | Atom Learning Limited (t/a Quest Assessments) South East · SME · See every contract | 2 | £1.6m | 1 | ||
| 4joint | Powell Phonics Ltd London · SME · See every contract | 2 | £148k | 1 | ||
| 4joint | AC Training Scotland · SME · See every contract | 2 | Not published | 1 | ||
| 7joint | Speech and Language UK London · SME · See every contract | 1 | £445k | 1 | ||
| 7joint | Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) North East · See every contract | 1 | £91k | 1 | ||
| 7joint | Humber Education Trust Yorkshire and the Humber · See every contract | 1 | £81k | 1 | ||
| 7joint | TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) | 1 | £75k | 1 |
7 more test development contractors ranked. See the full ranking →
Win test development contracts? Share your ranking.
Who buys
Central government bodies award 59% of test development contracts
Contracts with a published value in the last 2 years, from the type of buyer to the size of the contract.
7 buyers bought test development more than once in the last 2 years
Each dot is a buyer, by how many test development contracts it awarded in the last 2 years.
See who they are and when they usually buy →
Few and big, or many and small
Each dot is a buyer: how many test development contracts it awarded against what they were worth. The busiest and biggest are named.
Central governmentCouncilsEducation
Top buyers by contracts awarded
| Rank | Buyer | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department for Education | 8 | £5m |
| 2 | Liverpool City Council | 4 | £144k |
| 3 | Scottish Government | 2 | £23m |
| 4 | Kent County Council | 2 | £1.6m |
| 5 | Ministry of Justice | 2 | £148k |
| 6 | British Council | 2 | £32k |
| 7 | Scottish Prison Service | 2 | £20k |
| 8 | Medway Council | 1 | £1.5m |
| 9 | Durham County Council | 1 | £99k |
| 10 | Hull City Council | 1 | £81k |
126 test development contracts awarded since 2021
- 212021
- 232022
- 232023
- 342024
- 112025
- 142026 so far
Prices
Half of test development contracts are worth less than £91k
Central governmentCouncilsEducation
The 10 biggest test development contracts
- Scottish GovernmentNational Foundation for Educational Research · 8 Jul 2026
- Department for EducationNational Foundation for Educational Research · 13 Nov 2025
- Medway CouncilRenaissance Learning · 1 Feb 2026
- Department for EducationAlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd · 14 Nov 2024
- Department for EducationAlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd · 14 Nov 2024
- Kent County CouncilAtom Learning Limited (t/a Quest Assessments) · 30 Sep 2026
- Kent County CouncilAtom Learning Limited (t/a Quest Assessments) · 30 Sep 2026
- Central government bodyUK-wide or not stated · November 2024
- Department for EducationSpeech and Language UK · 3 Sep 2026
- Department for EducationAlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd · 14 Nov 2024
Renewing contracts
4 test development contracts come up for renewal in the next 12 months
2 in the next 6 months. Most test development work is one-off: 40% of the contracts ending are recurring terms that get re-let. The 3 ending soonest are shown in full.
Ends Mar 2027
Functional SkiIls Initial Assessment, Diagnostic Assessments and Exams
NHS England · Yorkshire and the Humber · 31-month contract
Held by Open Awards
Ends Aug 2027
Renewal of the Schools SATs Moderation Contract from September 2023
Lincolnshire County Council · East Midlands · 42-month contract
Held by Bourne Westfield Primary Academy
Test development contract for a central government bodyLondonUnder £100kEnds Sep 2027
Where and when
London awards the most test development contracts. November and September are the busiest months.
Contracts by region and by month awarded. Click a region to filter the page.
FewerMore contracts
The regions as a table
| Region | Open now | Contracts | Value | Typical contract | Won the most | Bought the most | Renewing in 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 1 | 6 | £668k | £49k | Powell Phonics Ltd (2) | Ministry of Justice and British Council (2 each) | 1 |
| North West | 0 | 4 | £144k | £37k | – | Liverpool City Council (4) | 0 |
| Scotland | 0 | 4 | £23m | £10k | AC Training (2) | Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service (2 each) | 0 |
| South East | 0 | 3 | £3.1m | £835k | Atom Learning Limited (t/a Quest Assessments) (2) | Kent County Council (2) | 0 |
| North East | 0 | 2 | £190k | – | – | – | 0 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 0 | 1 | £81k | – | – | – | 1 |
| West Midlands | 1 | 1 | £45k | – | – | – | 1 |
| Wales | 0 | 1 | £36k | – | – | – | 0 |
| East Midlands | 0 | 0 | Not published | – | – | – | 1 |
| East of England | 0 | 0 | Not published | – | – | – | 0 |
| South West | 0 | 0 | Not published | – | – | – | 0 |
| Northern Ireland | 0 | 0 | Not published | – | – | – | 0 |
Often bought with test development
Related services
Key findings
- £180k a month
of test development contracts awarded.
Typical contract £131k x 1.3 contracts a month, last 12 months. - 1.2
test development contracts are awarded in a typical month.
29 contracts in the last 2 years. - 2
test development contracts come up for renewal in the next 6 months.
Recurring contracts with a named supplier and a published end date before 4 May 2027. - 3
frameworks and DPSs are running for test development work.
0 open to join now. - 35%
of test development contracts are won by SMEs.
As recorded by the buyer, on 23 award notices.
How many test development tenders and contracts are there?
| Since November 2021 | Last 12 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Notices published | 295 | 61 |
| Contracts awarded | 110 | 16 |
16 test development contracts and frameworks end in the next 12 months, 11 of them recurring services. In the last two years, 14 buyers awarded test development contracts to 17 suppliers.
Source: Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI, to 4 November 2026. By Seamus White. How we count
Questions
How many test development contracts does the UK public sector award?
29 in the 2 years to 4 November 2026, from 14 public buyers.
How long are test development tenders open for?
The median test development tender is open for 25 days from publication to deadline.
How much is a typical public sector test development contract worth?
The median is £91k, and 67% are worth less than £250k.
Who wins the most public sector test development contracts?
National Foundation for Educational Research won the most (4), and the most by value (£25.3m).
Which buyers award the most test development contracts?
Central government bodies award 59% of them.
Which part of the UK awards the most test development contracts?
London: 6 of 29 in the 2 years to 4 November 2026, then the North West (4) and Scotland (4).
How many test development contracts come up for renewal in the next 12 months?
4 contracts end and are likely to be re-let, the first on 30 November 2026. Another 6 ending are one-off work.
Are there frameworks or DPSs for test development work that are open to join?
3 frameworks and DPSs for test development work are running. None are open to join now.
What is included
Designing, trialling, supplying and marking tests and assessments: item writing and selection tests, eleven plus and entrance tests, standardised attainment and diagnostic tests for schools, external marking of qualification papers and moderation of teacher assessment.
- Situational judgement test development for student selection
- Linguistic review of assessment documentation
- Item writing and test trialling
- Eleven plus and entrance tests
- Standardised literacy and numeracy tests
- Wellbeing assessment and screening tools
- External marking of qualification papers
- Moderation of school assessments
- National curriculum assessment test operations: print, collation, scanning and marking
What is not included
- Qualification design and awarding (see Qualification development, awarding and recognition)
- Test centre delivery (see Test centres, competence testing and language and citizenship tests)
- School improvement advice (see School improvement and education advisory services)
- Learning and screening apps (see Educational apps for schools)
- Recruitment psychometrics (another industry: recruitment-hr)
- Exam paper printing bought on its own (another industry: marketing-creative)
- Exam paper logistics and distribution (another industry: transport-logistics)