The UK government spends over £300 billion every year on goods and services from external suppliers. Finding the right opportunities is the first step to winning them — but with four separate procurement portals, no single search, and thousands of notices published every week, it is easy to miss contracts you could win. This guide explains exactly how to find UK government tenders in 2026.
The four official UK procurement portals
UK public sector buyers are legally required to publish contract notices on official procurement portals. There are four main portals, each covering a different geography or value range:
Find a Tender Service
find-tender.service.gov.uk
The primary UK-wide portal for contracts above the procurement threshold (approximately £139,000 for goods and services). All major central government, NHS, and local authority contracts appear here. Since the Procurement Act 2023 came into force in February 2025, Find a Tender now covers the full contract lifecycle from pipeline notices through to contract termination.
Contracts Finder
contractsfinder.service.gov.uk
The English portal for contracts of any value above £10,000 — including below-threshold contracts that do not appear on Find a Tender. Particularly useful for smaller contracts with councils, NHS bodies, and arm's-length bodies. Contracts Finder also publishes contract award notices, making it valuable for competitor intelligence.
Public Contracts Scotland
publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
The official procurement portal for Scotland, covering contracts from Scottish Government, local councils, NHS Scotland, universities, and other Scottish public bodies. Publishes both above and below-threshold notices.
Sell2Wales
sell2wales.gov.wales
The Welsh Government procurement portal covering contracts from Welsh public bodies. Smaller in volume than the other portals but essential if you are targeting Welsh public sector buyers.
The problem with searching portals manually
Each portal has its own search interface, alert system, and data format. To find all relevant opportunities you need to search four separate systems every day, with different keyword tools and inconsistent category classifications. Most suppliers only check one or two portals and miss contracts published on the others.
A procurement intelligence platform like PSIP aggregates all four portals into one searchable database, updated daily, with unified keyword search, CPV code filtering, and email alerts — so you never miss a relevant opportunity.
How to search for UK government tenders
1. Search by keyword
The most straightforward approach. Enter your service or product name into the search bar on any portal. Be specific — "managed security operations centre" will return more relevant results than "security". Try multiple keyword variations as buyers use inconsistent terminology.
2. Search by CPV code
CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) codes classify every public sector contract with a standardised 8-digit code. Searching by CPV code finds contracts in your category even if the title doesn't match your keywords. Key CPV codes include:
3. Search by buyer
If you have target buyers — specific NHS Trusts, councils, or government departments — search by buyer name to see all their current and recent opportunities. This is also a useful way to identify contracts nearing expiry that are likely to re-tender.
How to set up tender alerts
Manually searching every day is inefficient. All four portals offer basic alert functionality — but they are limited to a single portal each and have basic keyword matching only. For comprehensive alerts across all four portals with advanced filtering, use PSIP:
- ✓Set up to 3 saved searches (Starter) or unlimited (Professional+)
- ✓Filter by keyword, CPV code, buyer name, contract value range, and source portal
- ✓Receive matched opportunities by daily digest, 4-hourly, or hourly email
- ✓Alert deduplication — never receive the same tender twice
- ✓CRM integration — automatically push matching tenders to HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive via webhook
How to get ahead of tenders before they are published
The Procurement Act 2023 introduced a legal requirement for buyers to publish pipeline notices at least 12 months before a contract goes to tender. This gives suppliers advance notice of upcoming opportunities — time to build relationships with buyers, understand their requirements, and prepare a stronger bid.
PSIP's Procurement Pipeline page aggregates all published pipeline notices, filterable by sector, value, and buyer. But the most powerful way to get ahead is the Contract Expiry Tracker:
⏱ Contract Expiry Tracker
See public sector contracts expiring in the next 30, 90, 180 or 365 days. When a contract expires, the buyer must re-tender. Identifying expiring contracts gives you 6-12 months to approach the buyer, understand the specification, and position your bid before the official notice is published.
How to find NHS tenders
NHS contracts are published on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. Search for "NHS" as the buyer keyword, or use CPV codes 85000000 (Health and social work services) and 33000000 (Medical equipment). NHS Supply Chain also publishes specific category opportunities. On PSIP, filter by buyer name or CPV code to find NHS-specific opportunities across all four portals in one search.
How to find local government tenders
Local authority contracts appear on all four main portals depending on geography, plus some councils use their own e-procurement systems. Contracts Finder is the most comprehensive source for English local authority contracts of all values. Search by council name or use PSIP's buyer search to find all contracts from a specific local authority.
How to use CCS frameworks to win contracts without tendering
Crown Commercial Service (CCS) frameworks are pre-approved supplier lists that allow government buyers to purchase without running a full tender. Getting on a CCS framework can significantly increase your chances of winning public sector work, because buyers can call off directly from the framework at any value.
Key frameworks for technology and professional services include G-Cloud, Digital Outcomes and Specialists, Technology Products and Associated Services, and Management Consultancy Framework. PSIP tracks all 100+ active CCS frameworks with expiry dates, awarded suppliers, and call-off opportunities.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find UK government tenders?
UK government tenders are published across four official portals: Find a Tender Service (UK-wide above-threshold contracts), Contracts Finder (England all values), Public Contracts Scotland, and Sell2Wales. Platforms like PSIP aggregate all four into one searchable database.
How do I get alerts for UK government tenders?
You can set up free alerts on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. For more advanced alerts with keyword matching, CPV code filtering, and email digests across all four portals, use a tender intelligence platform like PSIP.
What is the minimum value for a UK government tender?
There is no minimum value. Contracts Finder publishes England contracts above £10,000. Find a Tender covers UK-wide contracts above the procurement threshold (approximately £139,000 for goods and services). Scotland and Wales have their own portals covering all values.
How do I find NHS tenders?
NHS tenders are published on Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, and some NHS-specific portals. You can filter by buyer type or keyword on PSIP to find NHS-specific opportunities across all sources.
What is a CPV code and how do I use it to find tenders?
CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) codes classify every public sector contract. For example, 72000000 covers IT Services and 45000000 covers Construction. Searching by CPV code on procurement portals or PSIP ensures you find all relevant contracts, even those with vague titles.
How far in advance are UK government tenders published?
Most tender notices are published 2-6 weeks before the closing date. However, buyers must publish pipeline notices 12 months in advance under the Procurement Act 2023, giving suppliers early visibility of upcoming opportunities.
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