Official UK procurement notice
Provision of international courier services for British Council offices in Asia Pacific and Question Paper Distribution (QPD) & Confidential Material Room (CMR) for Pakistan
Authority: British Council (Local council)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe British Council seeks to appoint suitably qualified and experienced courier service provider(s) to support its examination operations through two separate lots, covering international courier services across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and domestic courier services within Pakistan.
Suppliers may submit a tender for Lot 1 (International Courier Services - APAC), Lot 2 (Pakistan QPD and CMR Services), or both lots. Suppliers applying for both lots must clearly demonstrate their capability, experience, and operational capacity to meet the specific requirements of each lot. Each lot will be evaluated separately against its respective requirements.
- How the procedure runs: The British Council seeks to appoint suitably qualified and experienced courier service provider(s) to support its examination operations through two separate lots, covering international courier services across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and domestic courier services within Pakistan. Suppliers may submit a tender for Lot 1 (International Courier Services - APAC), Lot 2 (Pakistan QPD and CMR Services), or both lots. Suppliers applying for both lots must clearly demonstrate their capability, experience, and operational capacity to meet the specific requirements of each lot. Each lot will be evaluated separately against its respective requirements.
- No preliminary market engagement: We have run a RFI.
CPV: Post and courier services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Framework period
- 3 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 1 Jan 2027
Published description of the framework
N/A
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Provision of international courier services for British Council offices in Asia PacificRenewal Bangladesh (BD), China (CN) +12Published value£3,768,718
This lot covers international courier services for the secure, timely, reliable, and cost-effective transportation of confidential examination materials from APAC locations to destinations worldwide. The services shall include collection, international transportation, customs clearance support where applicable, shipment tracking, proof of delivery, customer service, and incident management. Given the sensitive nature of the materials, the supplier must demonstrate robust security controls, chain-of-custody procedures, and contingency arrangements to meet strict examination delivery timelines.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Please refer to ITT documents pack.
Lot #2Question Paper Distribution (QPD) and Confidential Materials Room (CMR)Renewal Pakistan (PK)Published value£3,200,000
This lot covers domestic courier and logistics services within Pakistan, including the secure distribution of Question Papers (QPs) from the Confidential Material Room (CMR) to examination venues across different cities in Pakistan, as well as the collection and secure return of Confidential Materials to the CMR, where applicable. The supplier will be required to demonstrate appropriate staffing, transport capacity, geographical coverage, secure handling and storage facilities, tracking and monitoring arrangements, and robust chain-of-custody procedures to protect examination materials throughout the collection, transportation, delivery, and return process.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Please refer to tender pack for details.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (4)
- Technical & Operational Capability: 20%
- Service Level Agreement (SLA), Experience & References: 20%
- Commercial: 50%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (4)
- Social Value: Please refer to tender pack
- Technical & Operational Capability
- Service Level Agreement (SLA), Experience & References
- Commercial
- Price carries 50 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 5 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- “Provision of international courier services for British Council…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How British Council buys Post and courier services (CPV 6410), and who usually turns up
The market side is the UK-wide market, including every region. The notice also lists overseas delivery. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Post and courier services (CPV 6410) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 50 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid11% / 0%
2–331% / 83%
4–631% / 9%
7+28% / 9%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1Provision of international courier services for British Council offices in Asia PacificCPV 6410Published estimate£3.8m
The notice lists UK and non-UK delivery areas for this lot. The figures below use UK market history and may not describe competition across every area.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. Published delivery includes UK and non-UK areas, so the UK model may not describe every area.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid0%
2–333%
4–650%
7+17%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £54m12 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 2 live · £16m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 8% above n=1 | |
| £5.9m13 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 4 live · £3.1m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 19% below n=2 | |
| £644k2 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 1 live · £214k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
Menzies DistributionLarge | £855k1 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | 2 live · £26m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 33% above n=1 |
| £250k1 awards in 36m · last 17 months ago | None on file | at estimate n=1 |
Lot #2Question Paper Distribution (QPD) and Confidential Materials Room (CMR)CPV 64100000Published estimate£3.2m
This lot is listed as CPV 64100000. The table above uses the notice category.
This lot lists only non-UK delivery addresses. Supplier examples below come from UK award history and are not checked for this delivery area.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
This lot has only non-UK delivery countries in its published addresses, so the UK model forecast is withheld.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £5.9m13 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 4 live · £3.1m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 19% below n=2 | |
Royal MailLarge | £5.3m10 awards in 36m · last this month | 3 live · £2.1m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs |
| £2.3m1 awards in 36m · last 4 months ago | 1 live · £2.3m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=1 | |
| £644k2 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 1 live · £214k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
Menzies DistributionLarge | £855k1 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | 2 live · £26m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 33% above n=1 |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open admission
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 26 Oct 2026, 12:21 GMT
- Last source update
- 26 Oct 2026, 12:21 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 7 Dec 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-100966- Accelerated
- Negotiated tendering period - utilities/not central government
- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area in notice
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-079006Find a Tender
- How it runs
The British Council seeks to appoint suitably qualified and experienced courier service provider(s) to support its examination operations through two separate lots, covering international courier services across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and domestic courier services within Pakistan.
Suppliers may submit a tender for Lot 1 (International Courier Services - APAC), Lot 2 (Pakistan QPD and CMR Services), or both lots. Suppliers applying for both lots must clearly demonstrate their capability, experience, and operational capacity to meet the specific requirements of each lot. Each lot will be evaluated separately against its respective requirements.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Apply via TCS TAP eSourcing- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 16 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Appointment period ends
- 16 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 29 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
tap.tcsapps.com/tap2/ ↗ (first time log in) or tap.tcsapps.com/tap2/ ↗
Timeline
26 Oct 2026 → 1 Jan 2027 · 5 dates- Tender notice publishedearlier today26 Oct 2026, 12:21 GMT
- Today26 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 3 days29 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Admission / appointment period endsin 21 days · period end, not a bid countdown16 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 42 days7 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 66 days1 Jan 2027
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published26 Oct 2026, 12:21 GMTUK4
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender