Services for technology providers
Winning high-stakes clients takes more than a strong feature set. Awarding bodies, certification providers and regulators want a partner who understands their world — not a software vendor reacting to their checklists.
For technology providers, the missing ingredient is often not more features, but credible assessment leadership that can sit between you and the test provider: the ability to talk holistically about assessment design, security and real-world operations, and to help test providers realise the full benefits of digital delivery.
I bring two things that are hard to hire for:
From detail to strategy. I can review scoring models, item types and security policies, then step back and explore what it means for your roadmap and go-to-market — making it much easier to decide what should be configuration, what should be core product, and what to stop treating as bespoke.
Cross-functional alignment. I am experienced in listening to product owners, architects, psychometricians, security leads and sales teams — all speaking different languages — and guiding them towards a shared, realistic way forward. This is especially important when you are responding to major RFPs, deciding how far to commit on security and AI, or trying to reduce custom work without losing deals.
Vendor-agnostic. Working in English and French across Europe and beyond.
How I can help
Should you bid, build, or partner? Strategic decision support
Before committing to a complex tender or capability build, it is worth stepping back. I can review a specification against your actual capabilities and resources, and advise on whether you should bid alone, bid as part of a consortium, or use an RFI response as the basis for partnerships with larger vendors for whom your solution would be a differentiating add-on.
I also help smaller and earlier-stage teams find the confident middle ground: ambitious enough to be taken seriously, realistic enough to be credible — and clear about what you cannot yet safely deliver at scale.
Typical scope: one to two sessions plus a short written recommendation.
Awarding Body Readiness Sprint
A focused, time-bound engagement (typically six to eight weeks) that shows you exactly how ready you are to win and safely deliver awarding-body-grade work — including under heightened exam-security expectations — and what to adjust in your product, sales and security narrative.
- clarifies your "sweet spots" for high-stakes work, and where you should politely say no
- reduces reliance on bespoke development by turning recurring asks into standard patterns and clear boundaries
- gives your team a stronger, more credible story for RFPs, RFIs and regulator-sensitive conversations.
- a concise Awarding Body Readiness report (typically five to ten pages)
- a refined standard answer pack for high-stakes RFIs and RFPs
- a short "do and don't" guide for bespoke requests.
RFP/RFI Storyline Review
A short, focused engagement to stress-test how you present yourself in a specific live opportunity.
- Review one recent or live RFP/RFI and your draft or submitted response
- Interview key people involved in the bid (product, assessment, sales)
- Provide written and verbal feedback on how credible your narrative sounds to an awarding-body audience, where you may be over-committing to bespoke, and how clearly you differentiate from platforms with similar feature lists.
RFP and key-deal support
Red-team reviews of specific RFP/RFI responses for high-stakes opportunities. Help aligning product, technical, security and assessment narratives so your proposal is both compelling and deliverable — and avoids bespoke commitments you will later regret.
Exam Security & Integrity Design Sprint
A focused engagement (typically 3-4 weeks) that helps you and your clients develop a coherent, realistic security story — blending assessment design, operational procedures, policies and technology, rather than relying on proctoring or point solutions alone.
Strengthening this story is not only about avoiding incidents. It is about giving your sales, product and security teams a confident narrative they can stand behind with regulators and awarding bodies, across remote, centre-based and hybrid models.
- Map the most relevant threat scenarios (including AI-assisted cheating) and how they interact with different delivery models
- Identify a balanced mix of assessment design, procedural and technical controls, making clear where your platform adds the most value
- Craft a credible narrative your teams can use consistently with awarding bodies, regulators and internal stakeholders.
- an Exam Security & Integrity Design Note (two to four pages) summarising the threat model, key scenarios, and how your platform addresses them
- talking points and visuals to embed into RFP responses, security briefings and client workshops
- suggested wording that positions you as a thoughtful, evidence-aware partner — without overselling what technology alone can do.
Pipeline and roadmap sessions
Periodic sessions (typically quarterly) where product, assessment and commercial teams review pipeline opportunities, patterns in requirements, and implications for the roadmap.
Fractional Head of Assessment Strategy
A light retainer giving ongoing access to senior assessment expertise — advice on emerging trends, future-facing capabilities and major strategic decisions. Acts as an embedded but independent assessment leader, without the overhead of a full-time hire.
All of these can be structured to fit your current stage of growth and internal capacity.
Ways of working
Fixed fee — for for sprints and reviews: clear
scope, clear cost, clear deliverables.
Retainer — for ongoing access: a defined number of advisory hours per month, without needing to scope and contract each individual piece of work.
Time-based — for extended engagements or
participation in working groups and steering committees: agreed boundaries and regular check-ins.
Success-linked — for early-stage or growth-stage teams, I am open to arrangements that reflect your current stage and align our incentives over time.
All engagements can be structured to fit your capacity,
timelines and budget.
Not sure where to start?
A 30-minute scoping call costs nothing and helps us both understand whether there is a fit — and, if so, which service makes most sense given where you are right now.
"As a young company navigating a complex world of Edtech RFIs and procurement, Andrew was able to demystify these processes, set out a clear, manageable roadmap and assist us in both distilling and communicating the core value propositions of our platform for the wider education sector. Andrew has a deep understanding of the education and assessment landscape - from policy, expectations and applications to competitors - and this has helped us to better understand areas and opportunities for growth and engagement. My team and I look forward to working with Andrew and Certisense on future projects.”
Adam Andrascik, CEO, Provineer LTD
Why Choose Us
Benefits you can expect
Expert Leadership
20 + years steering high-stakes programmes worldwide.
Objectivity
Advice tailored to your needs, free from commercial bias.
Holistic approach
From high-level strategy to balancing cross-functional requirements.