NZQA | Strategic Technology Enhancement Project (STEP) | Application Services

⁠⁠⁠This Advance Notice is to inform the market of an upcoming procurement opportunity for Application Services. The intention is to provide suppliers with early visibility ahead of a formal release.

Background

Strategic Technology Enhancement Project (STEP) is a project to replace applications within NZQA. The project addresses critical risks posed by the aging electronic Qualifications Authority (eQA) platform, which underpins NZQA’s core services. The eQA system remains the technology backbone that supports NZQA in dispensing its responsibilities and delivering core services to the sector.

We intend to procure specialist services to support the deliverables of this project. Requirements and specifications are currently being finalised.

The procurement is expected to cover:

1. Assessment Management (Capability 2)

Enable end-to-end planning and delivery of assessments including exam center management, logistics, incident management and assessment scheduling, with strong support for the exam cycle and special assessment conditions.

2. Learner Records Management (Capability 3)

Manage enrollments, entries, marking and results, and learners Record of Achievement with secure integration to identity services and interoperability with sector systems.

3. Specialist Workforce Management (Capability 5)

Manage life-cycle of 6,000+ contingent staff (resource planning, invite, assign work, process claims/payments, off-boarding), integrating with HR systems (for recruitment and on-boarding) and payment systems (for claims/payments)

The final scope will be confirmed in the tender documentation.

Indicative Timeframes: Tentative release of procurement documents in April/May 2026

These are indicative only and may be subject to change.

Procurement Approach:

The opportunity is expected to be released via tendering portal . The process will be conducted in accordance with the Government Procurement Rules.

Details of any briefing or Q&A session will be included in the procurement documents at release.

Next Steps for Suppliers:

This notice does not require any action and not a request for proposals. Suppliers are encouraged to monitor for the formal release and prepare internal resources accordingly.

No information beyond what appears on the tendering portal will be provided before the tender release. All communications must occur through the tendering portal. 

Regards

NZQA Procurement