Procurement of Qualifications and Exam Services

As you may already be aware, CPC is working with Crown Commercial Services (CCS) and the Association of Colleges (AoC) to develop an agreement for the provision of awarding body services. The solution will ensure compliance with EU procurement legislation that now applies to this category of spend, as well as an increase in value for money and ease of selection.

A very useful FAQ has been produced by CCS on the project which outlines;

• the procurement regulations that apply when spending more than £589,148 (750,000 Euro) on awarding body services;
• the risks of non-compliance; and
• the benefits this new procurement solution will bring to the provision of awarding body services.

The FAQ can be found towards the end of the Procurement pipeline page that the link goes to and it also provides information on the project progress to date and outlines timeframes for completion. We would recommend this document is downloaded and circulated to those involved in awarding body services within your college to keep them updated with the project progress.

NB: The procurement solution delivered by this project will be for use by further education colleges. The Department for Education are currently reviewing the process adopted by schools and academies in the procurement of exams and related services and following the assessment will consider working with CCS to develop an appropriate strategy.