ITT for Item Writing Services Framework for the Standards and Testing Agency

The Department of Education, the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), is inviting potential suppliers to submit their bids for the new 2025-2029 Item Writing Services Framework.

As part of the test development process, the STA, on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE), is seeking to appoint suppliers experienced in item writing to support the development of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests.

We require a number of suppliers who are capable of understanding the relevant programmes of study, test frameworks, and curricula for particular tests, and developing high-quality test items with accompanying mark schemes and/or coding frames.

Successful suppliers will be added to the Item Writing Framework 2025-2029 and will have the opportunity to bid for each call-off from the framework between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2029. Once an organisation has been accepted onto the framework, they will bid for item writing services contracts. An Invitation to Tender (ITT) will be disseminated to all those on the framework for all work. Each call-off from this framework will provide detailed requirements, including the subject and content domain areas, item types, mark range, difficulty range, and other desired properties.

The core requirements for the Item Writing Services Framework include the delivery of the following services in order to support the development of high-quality, accessible, and inclusive items suitable for DfE assessments: Key Stages 1 and 2 English grammar, punctuation, and spelling, English reading, and mathematics.

• Item writing
• Informal item trialling
• Reviewing, refining and amending items
• Item classification
• Design (items and texts)
• Text searching / sourcing (English reading)
• Reviewing texts (English reading)
• Text selection (English reading)/Context selection (science)
• Text trialling (English reading)
• Informal item and text trialling (English reading)
• Printing to meet handover or trialling requirements
• Developing mark schemes
• Developing coding frames
• Administration/ organisation of various elements

The initial framework term will be four years (September 2025 - August 2029). There is an option to extend the framework term for up to 12 months, until August 2030.

The maximum value of the framework including the extension will be £2.5M

Additional information:

Tender documents can be accessed free of charge via the department's e-procurement portal, Jaggaer, following the expression of interest.