Provision of PRINCE2® Examination and Certification Services

Procurement description

The intended contract is for the supply of official Prince2 e-vouchers to be redeemed for items such as Official Training Materials (OTM), exam vouchers and one-year PeopleCert Plus membership subscriptions to allow for mock examsand re-takes to be accessed.

The contract will supply the HSC LeadershipCentre, part of Business Services Organisation, as an Authorised Training Organisation (ATO) for Prince2 training for a period of two years and 6 months, up to a contract value of £550,000 excluding VAT.

Business Services Organisation Procurement and Logistics Service

PeopleCert International Ltd.

Procedure type

Direct award

Description of how these justifications apply

This direct award to PeopleCert International Ltd is justified under the Procurement Act 2023, Section 41(1)(b), which allows a contracting authority to award a public contract without advertising where:

"the contract can only be supplied by a particular supplier for technical reasons, or because of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights."

a) Exclusive Intellectual Property Rights

PeopleCert Internation Ltd is the exclusive owner of the intellectual property for PRINCE2®, following its acquisition of Axelos. This includes all courseware, examination content, certification frameworks, and trademark rights. No other provider may legally replicate or certify against PRINCE2® without direct authorisation from PeopleCert International Ltd.

b) Sole Awarding Body

PeopleCert International Ltd is the sole global awarding body authorised to deliver PRINCE2® certifications. While third-party training organisations may be accredited to deliver training, all examinations, marking, and certification are exclusively administered through PeopleCert International Ltd systems and under its control.

c) No Reasonable or Lawful Alternatives

Because of PeopleCert International Ltd's exclusive legal controlover PRINCE2®, there are no other providers capable of lawfully delivering both the training and valid certification. Any attempt to procure this service from a non-approved source would result in unaccredited training and invalid certification.

Direct award justification

Single suppliers intellectual property exclusive rights

Description of risks to contract performance

PeopleCert International Ltd are bought out by another body/entity so contract supplier needs to bechanged accordingly.

PeopleCert International Ltd rebrand and so contract name needs to be changed accordingly.

Method of supply of examination and certification services changes substantially requiring a review ofthe contract

Sustainability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Extension end date (if all the extensions are used): 31 March 2029