Disclosure: This article is written by PSIP. We have done our best to accurately represent competing services based on publicly available information. Verify details directly with each provider before making a decision.
Quick answer: For comprehensive UK coverage with AI scoring, PSIP is the strongest paid option from £99/month. For free alerts, use Find a Tender (above-threshold UK-wide) and Contracts Finder (English all values) together. For international coverage or expert-reviewed alerts, Tenders Direct is worth considering. For SMEs on tight budgets, Supply2Gov offers a free tier.
What to look for in a tender alert service
Portal coverage
Does it cover all four UK portals — Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, PCS Scotland, and Sell2Wales? Missing any portal means missing contracts.
Alert frequency
How quickly does it notify you? Daily is standard. Hourly alerts give you a head start on competitors who see the same notice later.
Filter quality
Can you filter by keyword AND CPV code AND value range AND buyer type? More filters = fewer irrelevant alerts.
AI relevance scoring
Does it score opportunities for relevance to your specific business? Manual review of dozens of daily alerts is time-consuming.
Pricing transparency
Is the pricing clearly published? Can you start with a free trial before committing? Hidden pricing typically means high prices.
Buyer intelligence
Does it show you historic spend, incumbent suppliers, and upcoming re-tenders for buyers you are targeting?
Service comparison
PSIP
Our pickpsip.co.uk
From £99/month
Paid (free trial)
Portals
All 4 UK portals
Frequency
Daily / 4-hourly / Hourly
AI scoring
✓
Free trial
✓
Pros
- ✓AI relevance scoring on every alert
- ✓All 4 UK portals in one alert
- ✓Hourly alerts on Professional plan
- ✓Free 7-day trial, no card required
- ✓Client workspaces for bid agencies
- ✓Buyer intelligence and incumbent tracking
Cons
- —Paid service
- —AI scoring requires Growth plan+
Best for: Suppliers and bid agencies wanting AI-powered, multi-portal alerts
Find a Tender (free)
find-tender.service.gov.uk
Free
Free
Portals
Find a Tender only
Frequency
Daily
AI scoring
✗
Free trial
✓
Pros
- ✓Completely free
- ✓Official government source
- ✓CPV code filtering
- ✓Covers above-threshold UK-wide
Cons
- —One portal only
- —No Scottish or Welsh below-threshold
- —Basic keyword matching only
- —No AI scoring
- —Daily only
Best for: Suppliers with very limited budgets targeting above-threshold contracts only
Contracts Finder (free)
contractsfinder.service.gov.uk
Free
Free
Portals
Contracts Finder only
Frequency
Daily
AI scoring
✗
Free trial
✓
Pros
- ✓Completely free
- ✓Official government source
- ✓Covers English below-threshold contracts
- ✓CPV code filtering
Cons
- —England only
- —No Scottish or Welsh coverage
- —No AI scoring
- —Basic filtering only
- —Daily only
Best for: English suppliers on tight budgets supplementing Find a Tender alerts
Tenders Direct
tendersdirect.co.uk
Not public
Paid
Portals
500+ sources
Frequency
Daily
AI scoring
✗
Free trial
✗
Pros
- ✓Very broad source coverage including international
- ✓Well-established service
- ✓Expert team review of alerts
- ✓Bid writing services available
Cons
- —Pricing not transparent
- —No AI scoring
- —Expert review adds delay vs automated alerts
- —No free trial
Best for: Organisations needing broad coverage including international tenders with human expert review
Supply2Gov
supply2govtenders.co.uk
Free tier + paid plans
Freemium
Portals
Multiple UK sources
Frequency
Daily
AI scoring
✗
Free trial
✓
Pros
- ✓Free tier available
- ✓Covers multiple UK sources
- ✓Simple interface
- ✓SME-focused
Cons
- —No AI scoring
- —Less advanced filtering than paid alternatives
- —Free tier limited to one region
Best for: SMEs wanting a low-cost entry point to tender alerts
Our recommendation
For most UK suppliers actively bidding on public sector contracts, PSIP offers the best combination of comprehensive coverage, AI-powered relevance filtering, and accessible pricing. The 7-day free trial with no credit card required makes it easy to evaluate before committing.
If budget is the primary constraint, combining the free Find a Tender and Contracts Finder alerts gives you basic coverage of English above-threshold contracts — but you will miss Scottish, Welsh, and below-threshold English opportunities, and you will need to manually review every alert without AI filtering.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best UK government tender alert service?
The best service depends on your needs and budget. PSIP offers AI-powered alerts with CPV code and keyword filtering across all four UK portals from £99/month with a free trial. Free options include Find a Tender and Contracts Finder alerts, though these cover only one portal each and lack advanced filtering.
Are there free UK government tender alert services?
Yes. Find a Tender offers free email alerts for above-threshold contracts. Contracts Finder offers free alerts for English contracts. However, these are basic keyword alerts on a single portal — for comprehensive coverage across all four portals with advanced filtering, a paid service like PSIP is significantly more efficient.
How often do tender alert services send notifications?
Frequency varies by service and plan. PSIP sends daily alerts on Starter, 4-hourly on Growth, and hourly on Professional plans. Free portal alerts are typically daily. For fast-moving opportunities, hourly alerts on a Professional plan ensure you see notices on the day they are published.
What is the difference between keyword alerts and CPV code alerts?
Keyword alerts find tenders containing specific words in their title or description. CPV code alerts find all tenders in a procurement category regardless of wording. CPV code alerts are more reliable — they catch contracts with vague titles that still fall in your category. The best services support both.
Can I get alerts for Scottish and Welsh tenders?
The free portal alerts on Find a Tender cover some Scottish and Welsh above-threshold tenders. For comprehensive Scottish coverage you need Public Contracts Scotland alerts. For Welsh coverage you need Sell2Wales alerts. PSIP aggregates all four portals, so one set of PSIP alerts covers the entire UK.
What should I look for in a tender alert service?
Key criteria: portal coverage (ideally all four UK portals), alert frequency (hourly for fast-moving markets), filtering capability (keywords, CPV codes, value ranges, buyer type), AI relevance scoring (to filter out irrelevant matches), and pricing relative to the value you get from the contracts you win.
Try PSIP free — no credit card needed
7-day free trial. Search 65,000+ UK public sector tenders, set up alerts across all four portals, and see AI scoring in action. Cancel anytime.
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