The UK government's free portal for public sector contract opportunities in England, covering both below and above-threshold procurement.
Visit Contracts FinderWhat is Contracts Finder?
Contracts Finder is the UK government's free portal for public sector contract opportunities. It's where central government departments and many public bodies in England publish procurement notices, particularly for contracts below the thresholds that require publication on Find a Tender.
Launched in 2011 and significantly upgraded in 2015, Contracts Finder is operated by the Cabinet Office. It's the go-to source for lower-value UK government opportunities and serves as a transparency tool for above-threshold contracts too.
Who runs it?
The Cabinet Office operates Contracts Finder as part of the Crown Commercial Service infrastructure. It's designed primarily for the England market, though some Wales and Northern Ireland bodies also publish here.
Scotland operates Public Contracts Scotland as its primary portal. Wales has Sell2Wales. For comprehensive UK coverage, you need to monitor all of these.
What contracts are published?
Contracts Finder has two main content streams:
Mandatory publication (central government):
- All contracts over £12,000 (or £30,000 for sub-central authorities under new Procurement Act rules)
- Contract award notices
- Pipeline notices (planned future procurement)
Voluntary publication:
- Lower-value opportunities from various public bodies
- Sub-contract opportunities from prime contractors
- Framework call-offs
The mix means you'll find everything from multi-million pound IT contracts to small local projects.
Contracts Finder vs Find a Tender
- Contracts Finder: Lower thresholds, broader coverage, England-focused
- Find a Tender: Above regulated thresholds only, UK-wide scope
Above-threshold contracts typically appear on both. For complete coverage, monitor both sources.
Strengths
- Lower-value access: Opportunities that don't appear on FTS
- Pipeline visibility: Some buyers publish planned procurements
- Free: No cost to search or register
- Award data: Published contract awards help competitive intelligence
- Sub-contracting: Prime contractors sometimes post sub-contract needs
Limitations
- England-centric: Limited coverage of devolved nations
- Inconsistent posting: Not all eligible contracts get posted
- Variable quality: Notice detail varies significantly by buyer
- No submission: Publication only; bidding is external
- Basic search: Native filtering is limited
The Procurement Act 2023
The UK's new Procurement Act (expected to take effect in 2024-25) will change publication requirements. A new central digital platform will eventually consolidate UK procurement publication. Until then, Contracts Finder remains essential for England-based opportunities.
Our coverage
We monitor Contracts Finder alongside Find a Tender, the devolved nation portals, and hundreds of other UK sources. One search covers the full UK public procurement landscape.
Start searching now for comprehensive UK tender alerts.
How many notices does Contracts Finder publish?
Show as a table
| Month | Notices |
|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 2,881 |
| Dec 2025 | 3,152 |
| Jan 2026 | 3,285 |
| Feb 2026 | 3,307 |
| Mar 2026 | 3,489 |
| Apr 2026 | 3,429 |
| May 2026 | 2,778 |
| Jun 2026 | 2,803 |
| Jul 2026 | 3,451 |
| Aug 2026 | 2,770 |
| Sept 2026 | 3,036 |
| Oct 2026 | 2,801 |
In the 12 months to 31 October 2026, Open Opportunities collected 37,182 notices from Contracts Finder.
In the 12 months to 31 October 2026, Contracts Finder published 2,529 tenders, 33,065 award notices and 477 planning notices.
In the 12 months to 31 October 2026, the largest category of notices from Contracts Finder was Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security (CPV division 79): an estimated 17% of notices, from a sample of 1,000 counted by the most relevant CPV code Open Opportunities gave each.
In the 12 months to 31 October 2026, the most active buyer on Contracts Finder was Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport, with 1,199 notices.
Of 93 tenders sampled from Contracts Finder in the 12 months to 31 October 2026, half gave 16 days or more to respond.
Of 100 tenders sampled from Contracts Finder in the 12 months to 31 October 2026, 1 in 10 came with their documents.
In the 12 months to 31 October 2026, 30,412 notices from Contracts Finder published a contract value; half were worth £115,000 or more.
In the 12 months to 31 October 2026, contracts from Contracts Finder went to 1,000 different suppliers; the most frequent winner was Softcat PLC.
Largest categories
- Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security: 17%
- Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services: 13%
- IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support: 11%
- Transport services (excluding waste transport): 9%
- Construction work: 9%
Most active buyers
- Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport: 1,199
- Uk Research & Innovation: 988
- Leicester City Council: 705
Most frequent winners
- Softcat PLC: 438 awards
- NHS SUPPLY CHAIN COORDINATION LIMITED (NHSSC - SCCL): 186 awards
- CARE LINE HOMECARE LIMITED: 138 awards
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Contracts Finder free?
Yes, completely free to search and use.
What's the minimum contract value on Contracts Finder?
Central government must publish contracts over £12,000. Sub-central authorities have higher thresholds. There's no technical minimum, so smaller opportunities sometimes appear.
Does Contracts Finder cover Scotland?
Rarely. Scottish public bodies primarily use Public Contracts Scotland. For Scottish opportunities, monitor that portal directly or use our service which covers both.
Can I submit bids on Contracts Finder?
No. Contracts Finder is for publication only. Each notice directs you to the appropriate e-procurement portal for bid submission.
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