Key point: Thresholds determine publication requirements — not bid eligibility. A contract published only on Contracts Finder at £30,000 can be just as valuable as one on Find a Tender at £500,000. PSIP aggregates all seven portals so you see every contract regardless of which threshold it falls under.
Why thresholds matter for suppliers
Public sector buyers are legally required to publish contracts above certain financial thresholds on specific portals. Below-threshold contracts may or may not be published. Understanding which threshold applies to a contract tells you where to look for it — and why monitoring only Find a Tender misses a large portion of available work.
Current UK procurement thresholds
What the thresholds mean in practice
Never rely on Find a Tender alone
A contract worth £50,000 with a council will appear on Contracts Finder but not Find a Tender. A contract worth £180,000 with a council will appear on Find a Tender. If you only monitor Find a Tender, you miss the £50,000 contract entirely.
Devolved contracts need devolved portals
A £100,000 contract with a Scottish council appears on PCS Scotland. It will only appear on Find a Tender if it is above the sub-central threshold (~£214,904). If it is between £50,000 and £214,904, it is only on PCS Scotland.
Below-threshold is often less competitive
Contracts below the Find a Tender threshold attract fewer bidders because many suppliers only monitor above-threshold procurement. Contracts Finder opportunities at £20,000-£100,000 can be highly profitable with lower competition.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current Find a Tender threshold for goods and services?
The current Find a Tender threshold for goods and services is approximately £139,688 (incl. VAT) for central government authorities and approximately £214,904 for sub-central authorities (local councils, NHS trusts, universities etc). These thresholds are reviewed every two years and were last updated in January 2024. Contracts above these values must be published on Find a Tender.
What is the Contracts Finder threshold?
Contracts Finder requires publication of contracts worth £12,000 (incl. VAT) or more for central government, and £25,000 or more for other public bodies including local authorities, NHS trusts and universities. This makes Contracts Finder essential for finding smaller contracts that never appear on Find a Tender.
What is the works threshold for Find a Tender?
The works threshold (construction and civil engineering) for Find a Tender is approximately £5,372,609 (incl. VAT). This is significantly higher than the goods and services threshold. Works contracts below this value but above £25,000 may still appear on Contracts Finder or sector-specific portals.
Are procurement thresholds different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
The UK-wide thresholds (Find a Tender) apply across all four nations. However, each devolved administration has its own portal with different minimum publication requirements: PCS Scotland publishes contracts above £50,000 (mandatory) with many published voluntarily below that; Sell2Wales publishes all values; eTendersNI publishes contracts above £30,000.
Did the Procurement Act 2023 change procurement thresholds?
The Procurement Act 2023 did not change the core financial thresholds for publication on Find a Tender, which are set by international treaty (GPA). The Act did introduce new notice types (pipeline notices, transparency notices, contract performance notices) and changed some procedural requirements. The Contracts Finder threshold of £12,000 for central government was not changed by the Act.
What is the light touch regime threshold?
The light touch regime (LTR) applies to certain health, social, education and other services that are less exposed to cross-border competition. The LTR threshold is approximately £663,540 for sub-central authorities. Contracts below this value for LTR services are not required to be published on Find a Tender, though they may appear on Contracts Finder.
Monitor all portals — every threshold — in one place
PSIP aggregates Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, PCS Scotland, Sell2Wales, eTendersNI, ProContract and YORtender. No contract slips through the net regardless of threshold. 7-day free trial.
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