UK Government Tenders: How to Find and Win Public Contracts in Britain

The UK government spends roughly £300 billion per year on goods, works, and services. Since Brexit, the UK runs its own procurement system separate from the EU, with a clear target of directing a third of that spend to small and medium businesses. Here’s how the system works and how to navigate it.

The two portals you need to know

Find a Tender (FTS)

Find a Tender is the UK’s main procurement portal, replacing the EU’s TED system after Brexit. It publishes all public contracts above the following thresholds:

• Central government: £12,000 for goods and services
• Sub-central authorities (councils, NHS trusts, universities): £30,000
• Works contracts: £4,733,252 (adjusted annually)
• Concessions: £4,733,252

Find a Tender is free to use and requires no registration to search. You can filter by category, location, buyer type, and procedure. It publishes Prior Information Notices (PINs), Contract Notices, and Award Notices.

Contracts Finder

Contracts Finder is the companion portal for lower-value contracts. Central government departments must advertise contracts worth over £12,000 here. Sub-central bodies must advertise contracts over £30,000. In practice, many buyers also advertise smaller contracts here voluntarily.

Contracts Finder is often the better starting point for SMEs. The contracts are smaller, the competition is less intense, and many buyers actively seek smaller suppliers. You do need a free account to access the full tender documents.

Key difference: Find a Tender is for above-threshold (larger) contracts and follows formal procurement procedures. Contracts Finder covers below-threshold opportunities where the rules are simpler and the process is faster.

The Procurement Act 2023

The UK’s procurement rules were overhauled by the Procurement Act 2023 (fully in force from February 2025). The key changes for suppliers:

• Single digital platform: All public contracts above threshold are published in one place, replacing the old patchwork of portals.
• Transparency: Buyers must publish key contract documents, evaluation criteria, and award decisions. Planned procurements must be published in advance via pipeline notices.
• Simpler rules: The number of procurement procedures has been reduced. Open and competitive flexible procedures are now the standard.
• SME focus: The act includes specific provisions to make procurement more accessible to small businesses, including a requirement to consider SMEs and a 30-day payment term.
• Exclusion grounds: Mandatory and discretionary grounds for excluding suppliers are now clearly defined and apply consistently.

For bidders, the practical effect is: more information is available earlier, evaluation criteria are published upfront, and the rules favour transparency over complexity.

CCS frameworks: the most efficient path to repeat work

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) manages framework agreements on behalf of the UK government. A framework is a pre-approved list of suppliers that government buyers can call off from without running a full procurement each time.

Getting onto a CCS framework is competitive — you go through a single, rigorous evaluation process. But once you’re on, you can win multiple call-off contracts over the framework’s lifetime (typically 2–4 years) without bidding from scratch each time. For many suppliers, especially in IT, consulting, and professional services, CCS frameworks are where the steady revenue comes from.

Major CCS frameworks

Some of the most commercially significant frameworks include:

• G-Cloud: Cloud hosting, software, and support services. One of the most accessible frameworks for tech companies. Call-offs are listed on the Digital Marketplace.
• Digital Outcomes and Specialists (DOS): Digital projects, user research, and specialist contractors. Buyers post requirements and suppliers apply per opportunity.
• Technology Products & Services (TePAS): Hardware, software licences, and associated services.
• Management Consultancy: Strategy, finance, HR, and organisational consulting.
• Facilities Management: Building maintenance, cleaning, catering, security.

How to register as a supplier

Before you can bid on UK government contracts, you need to be set up in the system:

1. Register on Contracts Finder. Free. Takes about 15 minutes. You’ll need your company registration number, address, and a description of your services.
2. Register on the Supplier Information Service. This is the UK’s supplier database under the new Procurement Act. Register once and your information is shared across all buyers who use the system.
3. Get your standard documents ready. Most bids will ask for: company accounts (last 2–3 years), insurance certificates (public liability, professional indemnity, employer’s liability), health and safety policy, equality and diversity policy, environmental policy, and references from previous contracts.
4. Register on the Digital Marketplace if you provide digital or technology services. This is where G-Cloud and DOS opportunities are listed.

Tip: Many UK procurements use a Selection Questionnaire (SQ) — a standardised pre-qualification form. The questions are largely the same across all buyers, so once you’ve filled it out once, you can reuse most of it. Keep a master copy and update it quarterly.

What makes UK government procurement different

The 30-day payment rule

Since 2019, the UK government requires all public-sector buyers to pay invoices within 30 days. This is enforced through the Public Contracts Regulations and, more recently, the Procurement Act 2023. Prompt payment compliance is published annually. For small businesses worried about cash flow, this is a significant advantage over many private-sector clients.

Social value

Since January 2021, all central government contracts above £5 million must explicitly evaluate social value as part of the scoring criteria, with a minimum weighting of 10%. Social value means the wider social, economic, and environmental benefits of a contract — such as creating local jobs, reducing carbon emissions, or supporting community organisations. Many sub-central buyers also include social value even in smaller contracts.

This is a real differentiator for SMEs. Large companies often struggle to demonstrate local social impact, while smaller businesses can point to local employment, community involvement, and supply chain diversity.

Lots and SME lots

UK buyers are required to consider dividing large contracts into smaller lots to make them accessible to SMEs. When a contract is split into lots, you can bid on the specific lot(s) that match your capability — you don’t need to be big enough to deliver the entire contract.

Some procurements include specific SME-reserved lots. Check the contract notice for lot structures and any set-aside provisions.

Debriefs

One of the best features of UK procurement for bidders: if you lose, you have a right to a debrief. The buyer must tell you your score, the winning score, and the characteristics of the winning bid (without identifying the winner). Use debriefs systematically — they are the fastest way to improve your bid quality. Many experienced bidders track their debrief feedback in a spreadsheet and review it before each new bid.

Common sectors and where to find them

• NHS and healthcare: Published on Find a Tender and through NHS Supply Chain frameworks. The NHS spends about £75 billion annually and has specific frameworks for clinical, non-clinical, and technology procurement.
• Defence: Published on Contracts Finder and the Defence and Security eSourcing portal (DESNZ). Security clearance may be required.
• Local councils: Many councils use regional procurement hubs (e.g., NEPO for the North East, ESPO for the East Midlands). Contracts are also published on Contracts Finder.
• Education: Published through DfE frameworks and the Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC). Schools and academies are major buyers of IT, facilities, and professional services.
• Transport: Network Rail, Transport for London, and Highways England each have their own procurement systems in addition to publishing on Find a Tender.

Five practical tips for UK tenders

1. Start with Contracts Finder, not Find a Tender. The lower-value contracts on Contracts Finder are more accessible, less competitive, and teach you the system without betting the company on a major bid.
2. Apply for G-Cloud if you sell digital services. It’s one of the most open frameworks — new suppliers are added regularly, and buyers search the catalogue directly. The barrier to entry is relatively low.
3. Build your social value story early. Social value is a scoring criterion in almost every major UK procurement. Have a clear, documented social value offer (local jobs, apprenticeships, carbon reduction, community support) ready before you need it.
4. Always request a debrief when you lose. It’s your legal right, it’s free, and it’s the single most useful thing you can do to improve your win rate.
5. Watch the pipeline notices. Under the new Procurement Act, buyers must publish pipeline notices of upcoming procurements. These give you months of advance warning — enough time to prepare a strong bid, form a consortium if needed, or decide early that it’s not for you.