Test Operations Service - Market Engagement Event

Description

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) is an executive agency of the Department for Education which is required to deliver statutory National Curriculum Assessments (NCAs), including Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 assessments. The Test Operations Service project has been launched to seek a Supplier to deliver NCAs on behalf of the STA in England only from the 2025-26 test cycle onwards when the current contract expires. The purpose of this notice is to notify the market of the STA’s intention to undertake pre-procurement market engagement prior to commencing procurement activity to appoint a suitably qualified Supplier to deliver the Test Operations Service. The Market Engagement Event will consist of an online presentation delivered by the STA, detailing its high-level requirements, and explaining how potential Suppliers may ready themselves for any procurement process that may follow. Information will also be available on the procurement process and timetable, with an open Q&A session for Suppliers to raise any questions. This will be held online on 22 November 2021 at 11:00-12:30. Following the online presentation, STA is proposing to hold follow up 1:1 sessions with interested Suppliers on weeks commencing 29 November and 6 December 2021. This will provide further opportunity for dialogue with potential Suppliers regarding the requirements, and for Suppliers to meet key members of the project team. 1:1 sessions will be available to book following the presentation. If you would like to attend the Market Engagement Event, please register an expression of interest on the Jaggaer e-sourcing platform at https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html and follow the “View Opportunities” link. Suppliers will then need to access the Test Operations Services Market Engagement Event (ssq_175 – Test Operations Service Market Engagement Event) and respond to the question contained in the qualification envelope within the opportunity listing. This must be completed by 12:00 on 18 November 2021 via the Jaggaer e-sourcing portal. Please note that by attending this session you consent for it to be recorded and made available on the Jaggaer platform. Lot 1: The primary purpose of STA is to provide an effective and robust testing, assessment and moderation system to measure and monitor pupils’ progress and attainment between reception and the end of key stage 2 (KS2). STA is responsible for the development and delivery of national curriculum tests and assessments in England, under statutory instruments, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education. We are regulated by Ofqual for our work on National Curriculum Assessments (NCAs). In a typical school year NCAs are published annually at an individual school level in the School Performance Tables and are an important factor in the parental choice of schools. The final test cycle in STA’s existing contract to deliver NCAs will be in 2024-25, therefore a new contract must be in place to begin delivering from the 2025-26 test cycle onwards. It is anticipated that the contract will be awarded in early 2024. Service Requirements: The current assessments in scope for the Test Operations Service are the Phonics Screening Check (PSC), end of KS1 NCAs and teacher assessment, end of KS2 NCAs and teacher assessment in English Writing and Science Other assessments which are not in scope of this service are Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) and Multiplication Tables Check (MTC). The tests are sat by the full cohort of pupils, currently up to 650,000 in 16,500 schools. For successful delivery of the service, we expect that the Supplier will undertake the following activities (not exhaustive): 1. General • Overarching management of test operations • Systems Integration • Security of test materials • Provision of data • Project and Risk management • Collection of KS2 pupil test information • Collection of KS2 Teacher Assessment data • Development and dissemination of guidance, communications and support to schools, markers and other stakeholders throughout the test cycle 2. Print • Manufacture test materials to schools • Manufacture KS2 marker materials to KS2 markers 3. Logistics • Collate and distribute test materials to up to 16,500 schools • Distribute KS2 marker materials to KS2 markers • KS2 post-test logistics (collect test scripts from schools, scan and distribute to markers: test scripts/scanned images returned to schools) • KS2 scanning and matching services 4. Marking and Assessment • KS2 marker recruitment and management • KS2 marker training (develop materials and deliver training) • KS2 on screen marking provision • KS2 script marking management and mark capture • Support KS2 test standard setting • Support maladministration processes 5. Helpdesk • Helpdesk for markers, schools and other stakeholders • Activity peaks between May to July each Test Cycle. The full scope of services to be delivered will be detailed in the Statement of Requirements which will form part of the tender documents. Indicative volumes will be contained within a Data Room available to tenderers subject to the signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Proposed commercial model: STA intends to contract with either a Supplier who proposes to offer the whole service (with or without subcontractors) or a consortium of Suppliers who have joined together to offer the whole service. To this end, the Market Engagement Event will also act as a forum for identifying potential consortium partners or potential subcontractors. At the tendering stage a consortium must be either a legal entity or have a lead organisation which is authorised to act on behalf of its members with which STA can contract.