Contracts Finder UK vs Find a Tender

Quick answer: Contracts Finder (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) covers English public sector contracts above £12,000 including VAT — including many smaller contracts that never appear on Find a Tender. Find a Tender covers UK-wide contracts above approximately £139,688. To see all relevant opportunities you need to monitor both portals.

What is Contracts Finder?

Contracts Finder (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) is the official English procurement portal for public sector contracts of any value — including below-threshold contracts that never appear on Find a Tender. Central government bodies must publish contracts above £12,000 including VAT, and local authorities must publish contracts above £25,000.

Contracts Finder is particularly valuable for suppliers targeting smaller contracts with councils, NHS bodies, and arm's-length bodies. It also publishes contract award notices, making it a rich source of competitor intelligence — you can see exactly which suppliers are winning contracts with your target buyers and for how much.

Contracts Finder is run by the Cabinet Office and is free to use. No registration is required to search or view contracts. You only need an account to save searches and receive email alerts about new contracts.

How to search Contracts Finder

Go to contractsfinder.service.gov.uk

No login required. The search bar is available immediately on the homepage.

Search by keyword, CPV code, or buyer name

Enter a keyword describing your service (e.g. "facilities management"), a CPV code (e.g. 90910000), or a specific buyer organisation name to filter results.

Filter by status and date

Filter by Active (open for bids), Awarded (contract already given), or Closed. Sort by closing date to see what is most urgent, or by published date to see the newest contracts.

Filter by value and location

Set minimum and maximum contract values to match your target contract size. Filter by region or local authority area to focus on geographic areas you serve.

Set up email alerts

Create a free account and save your search as an alert. Contracts Finder will email you when new contracts matching your criteria are published. Note: alerts can be slow — PSIP checks all five portals hourly and delivers same-day notifications.

What is Find a Tender?

Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) is the UK government's primary procurement portal for above-threshold contracts. It was created after Brexit to replace the EU's OJEU TED portal, which UK buyers previously used to advertise contracts to European suppliers.

Since the Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025, Find a Tender has expanded significantly. It now covers the full contract lifecycle — from pipeline notices published 12 months in advance, through to tender notices, award notices, contract performance notices, and contract termination notices. All contracting authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must publish above-threshold notices on Find a Tender.

Side-by-side comparison

Feature	Contracts Finder	Find a Tender
Geography	England only	UK-wide (England, Wales, Northern Ireland)
Minimum value	£12,000 incl. VAT (central gov) / £25,000 (local auth)	~£139,688 (central gov) / ~£214,000 (other)
Below-threshold contracts	Yes	No
Contract awards	Yes	Yes
Pipeline notices	Limited	Yes (Procurement Act 2023)
Framework opportunities	Some	Yes
Free to use	Yes	Yes
Registration required	Optional (for alerts)	GOV.UK One Login for alerts
API available	Yes	Yes
Covers Scotland	No	Above threshold only
Covers Wales	No	Above threshold only
CPV code search	Yes	Yes

Which portal should I use?

The answer depends on what you are looking for:

Use Contracts Finder if...

✓You are targeting smaller English contracts below £139,688
✓You want to see contracts from councils, NHS bodies, and smaller public bodies
✓You want competitor intelligence on who is winning contracts with specific buyers
✓You supply goods or services typically procured below threshold

Use Find a Tender if...

✓You are targeting larger contracts above £139,688
✓You want to see central and local government, NHS, and utilities contracts UK-wide
✓You want pipeline notices for upcoming procurements
✓You are targeting Scottish or Welsh public sector buyers (above threshold)

Use both if...

✓You want comprehensive coverage of English public sector opportunities
✓You want to be certain you are not missing relevant contracts
✓You are serious about building a public sector revenue stream

What about Scotland and Wales?

Neither Find a Tender nor Contracts Finder provides comprehensive coverage of Scottish or Welsh public sector contracts. For complete UK coverage you also need:

Public Contracts Scotland

publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk

All Scottish public sector contracts from Scottish Government, councils, NHS Scotland, and universities.

Sell2Wales

sell2wales.gov.wales

Welsh Government and Welsh public body procurement — essential for suppliers targeting Wales.

eTendersNI

etendersni.gov.uk

Northern Ireland public sector procurement for contracts from NI departments and public bodies.

Regional frameworks

Regional procurement portals used by many councils and public bodies across England and beyond.

The problem with monitoring five portals manually

To find all relevant UK public sector opportunities, you need to search five separate portals — each with different search interfaces, alert systems, and data formats. Most suppliers only monitor one or two and miss contracts published on the others.

PSIP solves this by aggregating all five portals into one searchable database, updated daily. Search once, find everything. Set up alerts with keyword and CPV code filters that match across all sources simultaneously.

Find a Tender

Contracts Finder

PCS Scotland

Sell2Wales

eTendersNI

All five portals aggregated in PSIP — one search, complete UK coverage

Frequently asked questions

What is Contracts Finder?

Contracts Finder (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) is the official UK government portal for public sector contracts. English central government bodies must publish contracts above £12,000 including VAT, and local authorities must publish contracts above £25,000. It also publishes contract award notices, making it useful for competitor intelligence as well as finding new opportunities.

What is the difference between Find a Tender and Contracts Finder?

Find a Tender covers UK-wide contracts above the procurement threshold (approximately £139,688). Contracts Finder covers England contracts of any value above £12,000 including VAT, including many smaller contracts that do not appear on Find a Tender.

Do I need to use both Find a Tender and Contracts Finder?

Yes, if you are targeting English public sector contracts. Find a Tender covers above-threshold contracts UK-wide. Contracts Finder covers English contracts of all values. Many relevant opportunities appear on one but not the other.

How do I search Contracts Finder?

Go to contractsfinder.service.gov.uk and use the search bar to search by keyword, CPV code, buyer name, location, or contract value range. You can filter by status (active, awarded, closed) and sort by closing date or published date. No registration is required to search, though you need an account to save searches and set up email alerts.

Do I need to register to use Contracts Finder?

No registration is required to search and view contracts on Contracts Finder. To save searches, set up email alerts, and receive notifications about new contracts matching your criteria, you need to create a free account at contractsfinder.service.gov.uk.

Is Find a Tender free to use?

Yes. Find a Tender is a free government service available at find-tender.service.gov.uk. You need a GOV.UK One Login account to save searches and set up alerts.

Is Contracts Finder free to use?

Yes. Contracts Finder is a free government service available at contractsfinder.service.gov.uk. No registration is required to search, though you need an account to save searches.

What replaced OJEU after Brexit?

Find a Tender Service replaced the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union) TED portal for UK procurement after Brexit. All above-threshold UK contracts that were previously published on OJEU TED are now published on Find a Tender.

Does Find a Tender cover Scotland and Wales?

Find a Tender covers UK-wide above-threshold contracts. However, Scotland and Wales also have their own portals – Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales, eTendersNI, eTendersNI – which publish additional contracts specific to those nations.

What is the minimum contract value on Contracts Finder?

Contracts Finder publishes English central government contracts above £12,000 including VAT and local authority contracts above £25,000. Many contracts below these thresholds are not publicly advertised.

Search all five portals in one place

PSIP aggregates Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI into one platform. Search 70,000+ tenders, set up alerts, and never miss a relevant contract. 7-day free trial, no credit card required.

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