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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

General Qualifications Logistics Service

Department for Education · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 26 Sept 2026, 04:51.

Opportunity overview

The Department for Education (DfE) is preparing to re-procure its General Qualifications Logistics Service. The Standards and Testing Agency (The Authority) is an executive agency of the Department for Education (DfE). The Authority is responsible for primary assessments and the General Qualifications Logistics Service (GQLS). The GQLS covers all secondary and further education establishments in England and provides a single means for Examination Officers to despatch packages of completed exam scripts for marking. There is activity in all months, but the major peak is the annual summer examination series which runs across May and June. We intend to utilise the Crown Commercial Service Courier, Distribution, Storage and Specialist Solutions Framework (RM6354), Lot 3c - Secure Collection and Delivery of Examination Test Papers and Materials. You are receiving this email because you are a registered supplier on this framework lot. Before launching the Invitation to Tender (ITT), we would like to engage with the market to gather supplier feedback and insights that will help us shape the procurement approach and ensure our requirements reflect current market capability and best practice. To support this activity, we are inviting suppliers to attend a one-to-one market engagement session with the DfE project team. These sessions will provide an opportunity to: • Understand DfE's high-level requirements and objectives • Provide feedback on the proposed service requirements. • Share views on market developments, innovation and opportunities. • Identify potential risks, challenges and dependencies. The engagement sessions are intended solely for information gathering and market research purposes. Participation in these sessions will not form part of any future procurement evaluation process and will not provide any supplier with an advantage in any subsequent competition. The estimated value of the contract for the initial 5 years is currently being determined and is anticipated to fall within the range of £40 million to £49 million.

Classification

  • CPV64120000 — Courier services

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-06e07d
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
Status
planning

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Communication

Future Notice Date
28 Sept 2026, 23:59

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Has Renewal
Yes
Status
planning

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Contract period

Starts
1 Sept 2027, 00:00
Ends
31 Aug 2032, 23:59
Max Extent Date
31 Aug 2034, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
64120000
Description
Courier services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UK
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Planning and budget

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
We are inviting suppliers to attend a one-to-one market engagement session with the DfE project team. These sessions will provide an opportunity to: • Understand DfE's high-level requirements and objectives • Provide feedback on the proposed service requirements. • Share views on market developments, innovation and opportunities. • Identify potential risks, challenges and dependencies. The engagement sessions are intended solely for information gathering and market research purposes. Participation in these sessions will not form part of any future procurement evaluation process and will not provide any supplier with an advantage in any subsequent competition. Further information will be shared via Jaggaer to all the framework suppliers.
Due
4 Sept 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Documents

Entry 1
Id
075872-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Published
10 Aug 2026, 15:58
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Department for Education
Id
GB-PPON-PDZG-3487-DPVD

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PDZG-3487-DPVD

Address

Street Address
Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith Street
Locality
London
Postal Code
SW1P3BT
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKI32

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · London · UKI32 · SW1P3BT · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UK · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 075872-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·