F. Providing qualifications for purchasers

Rules about providing information on qualification fees and feature, packaging qualifications with other products or services, and invoicing

​

Information on fees (version in force on and after the 18 January 2021)​

​

Making fee information available
F1.1 In respect of each of its qualifications that it makes available for purchase, an awarding organisation must publish the following information for potential purchasers in England –
(a) where possible, the Standard Qualification Fee.
(b) where applicable, any Package Fee.
(c) where possible, any Associated Learner Fees.
(d) where possible, any Mandatory Centre Fees.
(e) where it is not possible for the awarding organisation to calculate a Standard Qualification Fee, Associated Learner Fees or any Mandatory Centre Fees, a statement of the method by which these fees are calculated.

F1.2 An awarding organisation must ensure that the information which it publishes as required by Condition F1.1 is –
(a) kept up to date,
(b) clear to a potential purchaser, and
(c) easily accessible to any potential purchaser without that person having to request it from, or provide any information to, the awarding organisation.

Making fee information available to satisfy the planning requirements of purchasers

F1.3 An awarding organisation must take all reasonable steps to publish the information required by Condition F1.1 sufficiently far in advance of the time at which the qualifications to which that information relates will be made available to Learners as to satisfy the reasonable planning requirements of potential purchasers.

​

F1.4 Where such information cannot be published to this timescale, the awarding organisation must instead provide or make available to potential purchasers information that is sufficient to give a reasonable indication of its likely fees, together with a clear statement to make potential purchasers aware that this information is only indicative.

​

F1.5 In respect of each of its qualifications that it makes available for purchase, an awarding organisation must make the information set out in Condition F1.1(a) – (e) available for potential purchasers outside England on request.

​

Packaging qualifications with other products or services

​

Packages offered as an option
F2.1 Where an awarding organisation makes available a qualification both in a package with other products or services and separately from those other products or services, it must inform purchasers prior to the time of purchase that the qualification may be purchased separately or in a package.

​

Packages offered without alternative options
F2.2 An awarding organisation must not make available a qualification in a package together with other products or services unless it also makes available that qualification without other products or services, except where it –
(a) from time to time seeks comments from purchasers on whether the packaging of the qualification with the particular products or services is appropriate, and
(b) reasonably concludes that continuing to make available the package is appropriate.

​

Invoicing

​

Invoicing purchasers
F3.1 An awarding organisation must –
(a) ensure that its invoices in relation to the provision of qualifications are issued in a timely manner, and
(b) provide a breakdown of its fees, beyond that already required by HMRC, to a reasonable level of detail following a request from a purchaser.

The written invoicing policy
F3.2 An awarding organisation must establish, maintain, publish and comply with a written policy on invoicing.

F3.3 The policy must specify the processes to be followed by the awarding organisation in relation to the issue, payment and retention of invoices and the content of invoices.

​

Go to G. Setting the assessment 

​