🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Government procurement
How to find and win UK government contracts on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder.
The United Kingdom publishes public procurement notices on two official portals. Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) is the central digital platform of the Procurement Act 2023: since 24 February 2025, new procurements publish their notices there, below the thresholds too. Contracts Finder (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) still publishes opportunities and awards, many of them for procurements that started under the old regulations. This guide explains how UK procurement works, who can take part, and how Sell to State helps suppliers find and track UK contract opportunities.
Four steps to your first UK government contract.
1
Register on Find a Tender
Create a free supplier account at find-tender.service.gov.uk. For a procurement under the Procurement Act 2023, you register there and share your core supplier information before you bid. Contracts Finder (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) has its own free account for saved searches.
2
Search for relevant opportunities
Use keyword, CPV code, contracting authority, or location filters to find open UK tenders. Sell to State holds open and awarded notices from Find a Tender, Contracts Finder and Public Contracts Scotland, so you can search all three in plain English in a single view.
3
Prepare a compliant bid
Download the procurement documents, meet the selection criteria (financial standing, technical capability, and any mandatory certifications), and submit your response through the buyer's specified channel or procurement portal before the deadline.
4
Track awards and build a pipeline
Contract award notices are published on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. Save the search and turn on its alert: once a day, we email you the number of new open and awarded tenders that match it.
🇬🇧 Live data
Search United Kingdom government tenders
Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) is the UK government's central digital platform for public procurement. Since the Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025, new procurements publish every notice there, above and below the thresholds: future opportunities, tender notices, award notices and contract details. Contracts Finder (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) still publishes opportunities and awards, mostly for procurements that started under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The Cabinet Office manages both portals. Scottish public bodies also publish on Public Contracts Scotland (publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk).
The UK public procurement market is fully open to international suppliers. Post-Brexit, the UK joined the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) as an independent signatory, giving suppliers from GPA member countries equal access to covered contracts. Contracts Finder explicitly aims to help SMEs and international suppliers compete alongside larger incumbents. No domestic preference applies in above-threshold open procedures. English is the sole language for procurement documents in Great Britain.
The breadth of the UK public sector — spanning central government, NHS, local councils, universities, and utilities — means Find a Tender and Contracts Finder publish hundreds of new notices each week. Sell to State holds three UK sources: Find a Tender, Contracts Finder and Public Contracts Scotland. It holds open notices with their bid deadlines, future opportunities and contract awards, and provides plain-English search, saved searches, and daily email alerts on them.
Frequently asked questions
What is Contracts Finder and how does it differ from Find a Tender?
Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) is the central digital platform of the Procurement Act 2023. Since 24 February 2025, new UK procurements publish their notices there, above and below the thresholds. Contracts Finder (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) is the older portal for contracts of all sizes. It still publishes opportunities and awards, mostly for procurements that started under the previous regulations. The Cabinet Office operates both.
Can international suppliers bid on UK government contracts?
Yes. The UK is an independent signatory to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), giving suppliers from GPA member countries non-discriminatory access to UK public contracts covered by the agreement. Non-GPA suppliers may also participate in open procedures where no restrictions are stated in the notice.
Are Find a Tender and Contracts Finder free to use?
Yes. Both portals are free to search and free to register on. Tender documents are generally available without charge, and both portals let suppliers save searches and get email alerts at no cost.
How do I get alerts for UK government tenders in Sell to State?
Save a keyword search, CPV code, or buying authority in Sell to State for the UK. Turn on the alert for the saved tender search: once a day, we email you the number of new open and awarded tenders that match it. The alert covers notices from Find a Tender, Contracts Finder and Public Contracts Scotland.
What UK procurement data does Sell to State cover?
Three sources: Find a Tender, Contracts Finder and Public Contracts Scotland. Sell to State holds open notices with their bid deadlines, future opportunities and contract award notices from central government departments, NHS bodies, local authorities and other public contracting authorities across the United Kingdom. When one procurement is on two portals and Sell to State can match the notices, it shows one tender with a link to each portal.
Glossary
Key procurement terms
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