1.1 Buyer
Official name
:
Aarhus Universitet
Cognitive test for applicants
To evaluate the applicants’ general academic skills, Aarhus University has identified three areas which the university finds most suitable to test in relation to determent the academic skills necessary for the educations at the university. The three subject areas are: • Critical reasoning • Quantitative and formal justification • Verbal …
CPV: 80000000 Services d'enseignement et de formation
1. Buyer
2. Procedure
2.1 Procedure
Title
:
Cognitive test for applicants
Description
:
To evaluate the applicants’ general academic skills, Aarhus University has identified three areas which the university finds most suitable to test in relation to determent the academic skills necessary for the educations at the university. The three subject areas are: • Critical reasoning • Quantitative and formal justification • Verbal and plausible reasoning The test must be a multiple-choice test on paper. Furthermore, the product must be in Danish, and therefore the provider must either develop the product in Danish or deliver a Danish translation of the product. It is also a requirement that the service functions independently of Aarhus University employees. Therefore, the results of the tests must be easily accessible to the university without requiring university employees to conduct investigations, calculations, or similar tasks. In a timely matter, the final version of the test must be ready for print at Aarhus University in the middle of March each year. An analysis and report of the test results must be supplied to Aarhus University in May subsequently to each test sitting. In addition, Aarhus University has a collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark (hereinafter "SDU"). This collaboration involves data sharing between the two universities, meaning applicants do not need to take two separate tests if they apply to both universities. Consequently, it is important for Aarhus University that the test is comparable with the test used by SDU.
Procedure identifier
:
87436ef1-5309-4b71-8ead-371fd1b44bc9
Type of procedure
:
Negotiated without prior call for competition
2.1.1 Purpose
Main nature of the contract
:
Services
Main classification
(
cpv
):
80000000
Education and training services
2.1.2 Place of performance
Country subdivision (NUTS)
:
Østjylland
(
DK042
)
Country
:
Denmark
Additional information
:
The faculties Health and Natural Sciences at Aarhus University want to purchase a test to assess applicants’ general academic skills at bachelor level. The tests will be used to offer study places to those applicants who are best suited. The tests are currently used by applicants for Natural Sciences faculty and the medicine programme.
2.1.4 General information
Additional information
:
”Please contact Aarhus University (by mail on
udbud@au.dk
) if you have comments about this notice. Following the notification, a standstill period of 10 calendar days will be held in accordance to paragraph 3 of Act No. 448 of 8th May 2025 on the Danish Act on the Complaints Board for public Procurement. This implies that the Contracting Authority cannot sign the Contract with the winning Tenderer before the standstill period has expired. In case of complaints about tenders or decisions, e.g. award of contracts covered by Section II or III in the Danish Public Procurement Act must be submitted to the Complaints Board for Public Procurement (Klagenævnet for Udbud) within 45 calendar days from the day after the contractor published a notice in the Official Journal on the conclusion of a contract. At the latest concurrently with submission of an appeal to the Complaints Board for Public Procurement, the complainant must inform the Contracting Authority of the alleged infringement, and whether the appeal is to be referred to the board.”
Legal basis
:
Directive 2014/24/EU
(in accordance with Article 32 of Directive 2014/24/EU)
-
5. Lot
5.1 Lot technical ID : LOT-0000
Title
:
Cognitive test for applicants
Description
:
To evaluate the applicants’ general academic skills, Aarhus University has identified three areas which the university finds most suitable to test in relation to determent the academic skills necessary for the educations at the university. The three subject areas are: • Critical reasoning • Quantitative and formal justification • Verbal and plausible reasoning The test must be a multiple-choice test on paper. Furthermore, the product must be in Danish, and therefore the provider must either develop the product in Danish or deliver a Danish translation of the product. It is also a requirement that the service functions independently of Aarhus University employees. Therefore, the results of the tests must be easily accessible to the university without requiring university employees to conduct investigations, calculations, or similar tasks. In a timely matter, the final version of the test must be ready for print at Aarhus University in the middle of March each year. An analysis and report of the test results must be supplied to Aarhus University in May subsequently to each test sitting. In addition, Aarhus University has a collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark (hereinafter "SDU"). This collaboration involves data sharing between the two universities, meaning applicants do not need to take two separate tests if they apply to both universities. Consequently, it is important for Aarhus University that the test is comparable with the test used by SDU.
5.1.1 Purpose
Main nature of the contract
:
Services
Main classification
(
cpv
):
80000000
Education and training services
5.1.2 Place of performance
Country subdivision (NUTS)
:
Østjylland
(
DK042
)
Country
:
Denmark
Additional information
:
The faculties Health and Natural Sciences at Aarhus University want to purchase a test to assess applicants’ general academic skills at bachelor level. The tests will be used to offer study places to those applicants who are best suited. The tests are currently used by applicants for Natural Sciences faculty and the medicine programme.
5.1.3 Estimated duration
Duration
:
2
Year
5.1.4 Renewal
Maximum renewals
:
2
Other information about renewals
:
With one year each time.
5.1.6 General information
Procurement Project not financed with EU Funds.
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
:
yes
Additional information
:
”Please contact Aarhus University (by mail on
udbud@au.dk
) if you have comments about this notice. Following the notification, a standstill period of 10 calendar days will be held in accordance to paragraph 3 of Act No. 448 of 8th May 2025 on the Danish Act on the Complaints Board for public Procurement. This implies that the Contracting Authority cannot sign the Contract with the winning Tenderer before the standstill period has expired. In case of complaints about tenders or decisions, e.g. award of contracts covered by Section II or III in the Danish Public Procurement Act must be submitted to the Complaints Board for Public Procurement (Klagenævnet for Udbud) within 45 calendar days from the day after the contractor published a notice in the Official Journal on the conclusion of a contract. At the latest concurrently with submission of an appeal to the Complaints Board for Public Procurement, the complainant must inform the Contracting Authority of the alleged infringement, and whether the appeal is to be referred to the board.”
5.1.10 Award criteria
Criterion
:
Type
:
Price
Description
:
Best rice
Category of award weight criterion
:
Fixed value (total)
Award criterion number
:
1
5.1.15 Techniques
Framework agreement
:
No framework agreement
Information about the dynamic purchasing system
:
No dynamic purchase system
5.1.16 Further information, mediation and review
Review organisation
:
Klagenævnet for udbud
Organisation providing more information on the review procedures
:
Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen
Organisation whose budget is used to pay for the contract
:
Aarhus Universitet
Organisation executing the payment
:
Aarhus Universitet
Organisation signing the contract
:
Aarhus Universitet
6. Results
Direct award
:
Justification for direct award
:
The contract can be provided only by a particular economic operator because of an
absence of competition for technical reasons
Other justification
:
Aarhus University has conducted market research to determine whether there are other providers capable of delivering the required service. From the market research, Aarhus University find that there are no other providers offering a ready-made university-level test that assesses the subject areas required by the university. There is only one provider on the market comparable to ACER, however, the test is not a complete ready-to-use solution, but it is developed in collaboration with the university. Therefore, it does not represent a solution that Aarhus University can purchase, and implementing such a solution would be too resource-intensive for the university. Based on current research and previous experiences, Aarhus University finds that ACER is the only economic operator who can provide the product and the service needed.
6.1 Result lot ldentifier : LOT-0000
6.1.2 Information about winners
Winner
:
Official name
:
Australian Council for Educational Research
Tender
:
Tender identifier
:
ACER
Identifier of lot or group of lots
:
LOT-0000
Value of the tender
:
2 174 240
Danish krone
Contract information
:
Identifier of the contract
:
ACER
Date on which the winner was chosen
:
23/10/2025
Organisation signing the contract
:
Aarhus Universitet
8. Organisations
8.1 ORG-0001
Official name
:
Aarhus Universitet
Registration number
:
31119103
Postal address
:
Nordre Ringgade 1
Town
:
Aarhus C
Postcode
:
8000
Country subdivision (NUTS)
:
Østjylland
(
DK042
)
Country
:
Denmark
Contact point
:
Lisette Gerlach
Telephone
:
93522862
Roles of this organisation
:
Buyer
Organisation signing the contract
Organisation whose budget is used to pay for the contract
Organisation executing the payment
8.1 ORG-0002
Official name
:
Klagenævnet for udbud
Registration number
:
37795526
Postal address
:
Toldboden 2
Town
:
Viborg
Postcode
:
8800
Country subdivision (NUTS)
:
Vestjylland
(
DK041
)
Country
:
Denmark
Contact point
:
Klagenævnet for udbud
Telephone
:
+45 72405708
Information exchange endpoint (URL)
:
https://naevneneshus.dk/naevnsoversigt/klagenaevnet-for-udbud/
Roles of this organisation
:
Review organisation
8.1 ORG-0003
Official name
:
Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen
Registration number
:
10294819
Postal address
:
Carl Jacobsens Vej 35
Town
:
Valby
Postcode
:
2500
Country subdivision (NUTS)
:
Byen København
(
DK011
)
Country
:
Denmark
Contact point
:
Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen
Telephone
:
+45 41715000
Roles of this organisation
:
Organisation providing more information on the review procedures
8.1 ORG-0004
Official name
:
Australian Council for Educational Research
Postal address
:
Private Bag 55
Town
:
Melbourne
Postcode
:
Camberwell VIC 3124
Country
:
Australia
Roles of this organisation
:
Tenderer
Winner of these lots
:
LOT-0000
8.1 ORG-0005
Official name
:
Mercell Holding ASA
Registration number
:
980921565
Postal address
:
Askekroken 11
Town
:
Oslo
Postcode
:
0277
Country subdivision (NUTS)
:
Oslo
(
NO081
)
Country
:
Norway
Contact point
:
eSender
Telephone
:
+47 21018800
Fax
:
+47 21018801
Roles of this organisation
:
TED eSender
Notice information
Notice identifier/version
:
e11b5f32-32c6-4d56-bd18-089c2c3dbcab
-
01
Form type
:
Direct award preannouncement
Notice type
:
Voluntary ex-ante transparency notice
Notice dispatch date
:
24/10/2025
07:45 +00:00
Notice dispatch date (eSender)
:
24/10/2025
07:48 +00:00
Languages in which this notice is officially available
:
English
Notice publication number
:
00709197-2025
OJ S issue number
:
206/2025
Publication date
:
27/10/2025