Market testing for Home Office English Language Testing (HOELT) services

The Secretary of State for the Home Department, acting through the Home Office's UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), is the Authority reviewing options for a potential future procurement of a Home Office English Language Test (HOELT) for the provision of the test in the UK and the rest of the world.

Some immigration application routes require customers to evidence competency in the English language. As such, completing a HOELT to an agreed standard may be required from individuals before applying for entry clearance from outside the UK, extending settling in the UK or for applying for British Citizenship.

The HOELT will assess a customer's competency in speaking and listening and dependent on the route, reading and writing English, between levels A1 to C1 of the Common Education Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Tests are currently provided by multiple suppliers, however UKVI is seeking to procure a dedicated test to be owned by the Home Office and used by all customers globally. The chosen test developer will also be responsible for:

• Maintaining and updating the test
• Provision of a test delivery system which will assess a Customer’s English language ability
• Securely receiving test data from test centres, marking of the test and sending test results back
• Evaluating and moderating all tests taken
• Performing anti-fraud checks
• Gaining independent assurance of the test

The content of this PIN, including the nature of works, services and estimated value, may be subject to change. Additional information: A Request for Information (RFI) will be published w/c 2nd Sept with a deadline of 4th October. Bidders who have expressed interest and returned a signed NDA via the Jaggaer portal will be granted access to the RFI once it is live.

A virtual Industry Day will be held for interested Suppliers on 25th Sept 2024 (subject to change). Further details for the Industry Day to follow w/c 2nd Sept.

There is a global requirement for the facilitation of HOELT. This includes design and maintenance of an online platform for customers to book tests and receive results, physical test centres, invigilators, and ID-verification services.

The Home Office has a requirement for HOELT to be taken under UKVI-prescribed secure conditions where secure relates to:

1. Processes to verify the identity of the customer;
2. Ensuring that it is only the validated customer who takes the test and does so under exam conditions with an appropriately trained invigilator to eliminate the ability to cheat;
3. Ensuring results are not released until the provider has completed additional verification checks to ensure that collusion and fraud have not taken place; and
4. Ongoing audits, both internal and via external independent auditors, of the physical test points, processes and delivery systems in order to ensure that the security and integrity protocols are being strictly adhered to.

Additional information on the current service can be found here: www.gov.uk/guidance/prove-your-… ↗

The content of this PIN, including the nature of works, services and estimated value, may be subject to change. Additional information: A Request for Information (RFI) will be published w/c 2nd Sept with a deadline of 4th October. Bidders who have expressed interest and returned a signed NDA via the Jaggaer portal will be granted access to the RFI once it is live.

A virtual Industry Day will be held for interested Suppliers on 25th Sept 2024 (subject to change). Further details for the Industry Day to follow w/c 2nd Sept.