Provision of Short-Term Interviewer Capacity for ONS Surveys

About the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK's largest independent producer of official statistics and the National Statistical Institute. We collect, analyse, and publish high‑quality data about the UK's economy, population, and society to support decision‑making across government, academia, and the private and voluntary sectors. ONS surveys-including flagship household and social surveys-play a critical role in providing robust evidence that informs public policy, resource allocation, and national understanding of social and
Introduction
ONS is exploring potential commercial options to meet a short‑term capacity requirement for experienced interviewers to support ongoing ONS survey operations. The requirement spans a 12‑month period and is expected to involve approximately 100 interviewers located across the UK (locations will be refined during further design and engagement).
The interviewer roles will include a mixture of:
- "Knock to Nudge" field engagement-encouraging selected households to participate in ONS surveys;
- Social Survey Interviewers-undertaking structured interviews to ONS standards.
ONS will provide survey‑specific training; however, to ensure quality and reduce attrition, we are seeking individuals with prior interviewing experience, ideally within large‑scale social or household surveys.
At this exploratory stage, ONS is interested in all potential delivery models, including but not limited to:
- Agencies or organisations supplying experienced interviewer staff
- Freelance or self‑employed interviewers
- Survey organisations with capacity to second field staff
- Consortia or hybrid models combining different sources of capacity
ONS may fulfil this requirement through one or multiple suppliers and welcomes innovative and scalable solutions that can be deployed rapidly.
Detailed Scope of Requirement
1. Workforce Requirement
Approx. 100 interviewers, subject to refinement
Interviewer profiles required:
- Engagement‑focused staff (Knock to Nudge)
- Survey‑delivery interviewers (conducting structured interviews)
Interviewers must be:
- Experienced in household or social survey interviewing
- Comfortable with face‑to‑face engagement
- Able to work flexibly, including evenings/weekends when needed
- Willing to complete mandatory ONS training and assessments
2. Coverage and Deployment
UK‑wide coverage, including urban, rural and hard‑to‑reach areas
Supplier must demonstrate capacity to deploy and redeploy staff as sampling needs evolve
Ability to scale coverage regionally at short notice
Ability to maintain service levels during:
- seasonal fluctuations
- interviewer attrition
- regional surges in response‑chasing
3. Training and Onboarding
ONS will provide:
Survey‑specific training on content and protocols
Mandatory learning for: data protection, safeguarding, field safety and quality standards
Suppliers will be expected to:
- Ensure interviewer attendance and completion of training
- Provide additional induction on employment/agency processes
- Certify readiness of interviewers before deployment
- Monitor learning compliance throughout the contract
4. Technology & Equipment Requirements
Interviewers must be able to:
- Use ONS‑provided laptops/tablets and secure data‑collection software
- Adhere to strict data‑handling and home‑working protocols
- Complete digital reporting of outcomes, productivity and operational issues
Suppliers may need to support interviewers with:
- Basic IT troubleshooting
- Secure storage arrangements
-Return of equipment at end of engagement
5. Management, Quality and Oversight
Depending on the delivery model, suppliers may be required to provide:
- Day‑to‑day performance management
- Supervision of interviewer conduct and adherence to procedures
- Quality assurance checks (e.g., validation calls, shadow visits)
-HR, payroll and welfare support
- Incident reporting pathways
- MI reporting to ONS, including workforce levels, productivity and completion rates
6. Compliance Requirements
All interviewers must meet ONS standards for:
- Safeguarding and lone‑working
- Data protection and confidentiality
- Respect, impartiality and ethical conduct
- Secure storage and handling of respondent information
- Health and safety requirements for field‑based work
- Suppliers may be required to support DBS checks or equivalent vetting.
7. Commercial & Operational Considerations
The solution should enable:
- Rapid mobilisation
- Consistent workforce availability
- Scalable support, including contingency capacity
- Clear cost models (e.g., hourly, per‑interview, blended rates, day rates)
- Efficient communication and issue escalation
ONS is particularly interested in innovations that reduce operational risks, improve staff retention or streamline field deployment.
Questions for Potential Suppliers
To shape our commercial approach, suppliers are invited