NCS Pearson, Inc.

NCS Pearson, Inc. Pearson VUE Division, doing business as Pearson VUE, is a foreign-owned, for-profit testing and assessment services provider headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota, that delivers computer-based examinations, psychological assessments, and professional certification proctoring to federal agencies as a prime contractor (99% of recent awards). The vendor competes on a full-and-open basis without set-aside designations across all recent prime work.

Pearson VUE's federal capability portfolio centers on high-stakes examination administration, secure remote and in-person proctoring, psychological and clinical assessments, and credentialing support for federal civilian and defense workforces. Representative prime work includes a $3.005 million sole-source definitive contract awarded by the Department of Veterans Affairs Strategic Acquisition Center in September 2025 for psychological tests and clinical assessments (Beck Anxiety Inventory, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory series, and Quality of Life Inventory) for nationwide clinician use through September 2030; a $3.22 million definitive contract from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (awarded September 2022, running through September 2027) for life-cycle candidate management and assessment administration supporting the Security Professional Education Development program, covering up to 10,000 assessments annually across six certifications; and a $1.84 million purchase order from the Defense Acquisition University (awarded September 2021, extending through September 2026) for proctoring and exam delivery support for DoD acquisition workforce certifications, with estimated annual volumes of 2,500–3,000 for Contracting certification, 1,800 for Program Management Practitioner, and 720 for Program Management Advanced certifications. Additional recent work includes a $2.275 million foreign service test administration bridge contract with the Bureau of Information Resource Management (awarded June 2026, completing June 2027) and a $419,670 purchase order from the Defense Information Systems Agency for implementing and operating Cisco Collaboration services (awarded March 2026).

Customer concentration is diffuse by award count but heavily dollar-weighted toward State Department work. The top five customer agencies by potential value account for 82% of combined potential value: the Department of State leads with one award of $12.5 million, the Federal Aviation Administration follows with a single $6.6 million award, and the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the State Department's Bureau of Information Resource Management round out the top tier. By award count, concentration is lower — the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Coast Guard and United States Marine Corps each account for ten awards (covering $1.2 million and $457 thousand respectively), with the Department of Agriculture Forest Service Job Corps, Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation, and National Institute of Standards and Technology following with seven, six, and four awards respectively. Across 27 distinct federal agencies served, the top five by count cover 55% of recent awards.

Pearson VUE places nine task orders (combined potential value $280 thousand) under the Coast Guard's Indefinite Delivery Contract HSCG2317DPCI025; beyond that vehicle, recent awards are structured as standalone purchase orders and definitive contracts rather than through government-wide vehicles. The vendor's NAICS footprint reflects its testing and assessment focus: Educational Support Services accounts for 31 awards, Professional and Management Development Training for 11 awards, and Computer Training for 6 awards, with associated PSCs including Education/Training—Personnel Testing (11 awards) and Training Aids (13 awards).

Activity shows episodic volume over five years — six awards in 2022, declining to one each in 2023 and 2024, then rising to five in 2025 and three in 2026 — with the most recent award dated June 2026. Six awards carrying combined potential value of $8.2 million face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and therefore present recompete exposure. The vendor's SCI-reportable federal services activity is minimal: only $1.3 million invoiced in FY2023 across five records, with zero FTE trajectory reported and zero subcontractor hours across prime contracts. Pearson VUE operates the GED Testing Service LLC subsidiary (foreign-owned, for-profit organization). The vendor maintains a single sub-award role, a January 2026 federal grant sub-award with Research Triangle Institute, indicating primary focus on prime contracting rather than teaming as a subcontractor to larger primes.