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How to find UK public-sector tenders in 2026

Where UK public-sector contracts are advertised in 2026: Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, devolved portals, frameworks and early-warning notices.

3 min readUpdated 4 October 2026By the West Gate bid team
In shortSince 24 February 2025, new procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are published on Find a Tender, the Central Digital Platform, both above and below threshold. Contracts Finder still carries notices for procurements started under the old rules while it is wound down. Scotland and Wales have their own portals, and much work is called off through frameworks.

Start with Find a Tender

Find a Tender is now the main source for new UK public-sector opportunities outside devolved Scottish procurement. Under the Procurement Act 2023, buyers publish the whole life cycle of a procurement there: pipeline notices, preliminary market engagement, planned procurement notices, tender notices, award information and contract details.

Below-threshold opportunities are there too. A buyer that wants to advertise a notifiable below-threshold contract (from £12,000 including VAT for central government, or £30,000 for other contracting authorities) must first publish a below-threshold tender notice on the platform (GOV.UK guidance).

Keep an eye on Contracts Finder, for now

Contracts Finder still holds notices for procurements that started under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, and contracts let under the old rules keep generating notices for years. Contracts Finder is being decommissioned: the remaining duties to publish there move to the Central Digital Platform from 1 May 2027, after the government deferred the original 1 October 2026 date (SI 2026/746). Until then, check both.

Devolved and buyer portals

  • Scotland: Public Contracts Scotland for Scottish public bodies.
  • Wales: Sell2Wales, alongside Find a Tender.
  • Northern Ireland: eTendersNI and eSourcing NI.
  • Buyer e-tendering portals: many councils, NHS bodies and housing providers run the actual tender on their own system (for example Delta eSourcing, In-Tend, ProContract or Atamis). The notice tells you where to register and download the documents.

Hear about work before it is advertised

  • Pipeline notices: contracting authorities expecting to spend more than £100 million in a financial year must publish a pipeline of contracts over £2 million they plan to procure in the next 18 months.
  • Preliminary market engagement notices: buyers often consult the market before writing the specification. Taking part helps you shape requirements and prepare early.
  • Planned procurement notices: an advance warning that a tender is coming, which can also shorten the tendering period.

Frameworks and dynamic markets

A large share of public spending is called off from frameworks and dynamic markets run by public buying organisations and individual authorities. If buyers in your market say "we only buy through a framework", find out which one and when it reopens. See our frameworks guide.

A simple weekly routine

  1. Save searches on Find a Tender by keyword and CPV code, or use our free tender search and tender alerts.
  2. Sweep Contracts Finder for legacy notices and any devolved portal you sell into.
  3. Check pipeline and engagement notices for your target buyers each month.
  4. Run every promising notice through a quick bid/no-bid decision before downloading the full pack.

Frequently asked questions

Is Find a Tender free to use?

Yes. Searching notices is free and needs no account. To bid under the Procurement Act 2023 you will also need to register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform.

Do I still need Contracts Finder?

For now, yes, for procurements started under the old rules. Publication duties are due to move fully to the Central Digital Platform from 1 May 2027.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Always follow the tender documents and take legal advice where needed.

Keep reading

Related guides

Procurement Act 2023Central Digital Platform registration: a guide for suppliers

How to register your business on the Central Digital Platform (Find a Tender), the supplier information you need, share codes and the April 2026 rules.

StrategyFrameworks and dynamic markets explained

How public-sector frameworks and dynamic markets work under the Procurement Act 2023: open and closed frameworks, terms, call-offs, direct awards and reopening.

StrategyBid or no bid? How to decide which tenders to pursue

A structured bid/no-bid process for UK public-sector tenders: the criteria to score, red flags, and how to make the decision quickly.

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