How to find public sector and government tenders in the UK

Updated 9 November 2026

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UK public buyers publish government tenders and other contract notices under the Procurement Act 2023, which has applied to new procurements since 24 February 2025. Notices sit across national platforms and buyer systems, so the practical job is finding the right ones early. This guide covers the value thresholds that decide what must be advertised, the early signals that appear before a tender, what you need ready to bid, and how to track opportunities on DealAtlas.

The short answer

Start on DealAtlas. Browse live UK public and private tenders and opportunities for SMEs in one place, filter by category, value band, closing date and region, then open Pro for buyer details, documents, saved searches and alerts. Since 24 February 2025, buyers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland publish new above-threshold and advertised below-threshold notices on the central digital platform under the Act. Watch pipeline, preliminary market engagement and planned procurement notices to see work early, then follow each opportunity into the buyer's named system for documents and submission.

Find your next contract faster. Create your free DealAtlas account to filter live UK opportunities by category, value band, closing date and region. When a deal is worth pursuing, DealAtlas Pro unlocks the buyer, documents, saved searches and alerts. Lifetime deal: £250 one-time (VAT included). Limited places.

Who buys, and which rules they follow

Public sector buyers include government departments and their agencies, the NHS, local authorities, universities, schools, social housing organisations, police and fire services, and utility companies (Information and guidance for suppliers). Most of them buy under the Procurement Act 2023, with a few exceptions that change which publication rules apply.

Devolved Scottish authorities, including Scottish councils and health boards, mostly buy under Scotland's own procurement law, so their below-threshold notices follow different publication rules from the Act.
In England, NHS bodies and local authorities buying in-scope healthcare services follow the Provider Selection Regime instead of the Act (Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023).
Schools and private utilities have lighter publishing duties, so some of their lower-value work is never advertised centrally.

The thresholds that decide what gets advertised

The value of a contract, including VAT, decides how much of the Act applies. These thresholds apply to procurements that start between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2027 (Thresholds guidance, PPN 023: 2026 threshold amounts).

Contract type	Threshold including VAT
Goods or services for a central government authority	£135,018
Goods or services for any other public buyer, such as a council	£207,720
Works contracts	£5,193,000
Utilities goods or services (not works)	£415,440
Light touch services, such as many health, social and education services	£663,540

At or above these values, a competitive tender must start with a tender notice on the central digital platform. Below them, the buyer doesn't have to advertise at all. It can ask selected suppliers for quotes. But if it does advertise, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice on the central digital platform for contracts worth £12,000 or more from central government authorities, or £30,000 or more from all other buyers (section 87, Below-threshold contracts guidance). Central government authorities are the bodies listed in Schedule 2 to the Procurement Regulations 2024, which includes NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. Devolved Welsh central government authorities use the £30,000 figure. Because the works threshold is so much higher, a lot of construction and infrastructure work is advertised under the below-threshold rules.

Where to find government tenders in the UK

Browse live opportunities on DealAtlas first. DealAtlas brings UK public and private tenders and opportunities for SMEs, in one place, so you can scan by category, value band, closing date and region without hopping between national platforms and buyer systems. Free previews show what's live; DealAtlas Pro unlocks the buyer, source, contacts and documents, plus saved searches and alerts.

Under the Act, contracting authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland publish required notices on the central digital platform (Central digital platform factsheet). Older-regime award records still exist for procurements that started under the previous rules. Devolved Scottish buyers follow Scotland's own law for much of their work, and many buyers still run documents and submissions through their own systems once you decide to bid.

Two kinds of work won't show up as a new open tender notice. Contracts awarded under an existing framework go only to suppliers already on it. Below-threshold work offered to selected suppliers without advertising stays invisible until a contract details notice appears, where one is required. To compete for either, you need to be on the framework, or known to the buyer, before the work is offered.

If you mainly sell to local authorities, our guide to council tenders UK shows what councils buy and how to filter their deals. To search every live opportunity at once, see our UK tender search guide.

By sector

Browse opportunities by the sector you serve:

DealAtlas brings UK public and private tenders and opportunities for SMEs, in one place. Browse free previews on live opportunities, and use Pro alerts when you want new matches in your sector.

How to find public sector tenders before they're advertised

The Act added notice types that show you work months ahead of the tender. Buyers publish them on the central digital platform as part of the noticing sequence.

Pipeline notices (UK1). A buyer that expects to spend more than £100 million on relevant contracts in the financial year must publish one between 1 April and 26 May. It lists contracts over £2 million that it expects to tender or award directly in the next 18 months.
Preliminary market engagement notices (UK2). These tell you a buyer is talking to suppliers before tendering, through events, questionnaires or meetings. Taking part helps you understand the need before the specification is fixed.
Planned procurement notices (UK3). These give early warning of a specific competitive tender. If one is published between 40 days and a year before the tender notice, the buyer can cut the minimum tendering period to 10 days, so treat it as your cue to start preparing.
Dynamic market intention notices (UK13). These announce a new dynamic market that suppliers can apply to join.
Transparency notices (UK5). These are published before a direct award. They don't invite bids, but they show where a buyer is contracting without competition.

The contract record helps too. Contract details notices (UK7) show what has been awarded and to whom, and contract change notices (UK10) show changes to a contract's value or term. Use them to map which contracts in your sector exist now and when they might be re-let. The procurement notice types guide explains each notice in more detail.

Register so you're ready to bid

You'll need to register on the government's central digital platform before you bid, so find the right opportunity on DealAtlas first.

Build a search routine

Finding tenders is a weekly job, not a one-off search. Run it on DealAtlas, and use Pro alerts when you want new matches delivered to you.

Search by the words buyers actually use. A notice for software support may say "managed service" or "application maintenance". Read a few past notices in your sector and copy their terms into your saved searches.
Filter by value band, closing date and region where one is listed. Ignore anything you couldn't deliver or staff, and note lots you could deliver within larger contracts.
Check pipeline notices each spring, because required ones are published between 1 April and 26 May.
Track the deadline for clarification questions, not just the submission date.
Keep a list of buyers and frameworks in your sector, and review new matches on a schedule.

Once you've found a tender worth pursuing, the next job is the bid. Our guide on how to win council contracts covers the pre-bid checklist, how bids are scored and what happens after the decision. Most of it applies to other public buyers too.

Find tenders UK-wide in one place

DealAtlas brings UK public and private tenders and opportunities for SMEs, in one place, sorted by category, value band, closing date and region. Scan construction and infrastructure, professional services or technology work in minutes. You can browse previews free on live opportunities. When one is worth pursuing, DealAtlas Pro unlocks the buyer, the original source, contacts and documents, plus saved searches and alerts for new matches. See how it works or compare plans.

FAQ

Where are UK public sector tenders published?

For buyers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, new opportunities under the Procurement Act 2023 are published on the central digital platform. Scottish buyers follow Scotland's own publication rules for much of their work. Documents and submissions usually run through each buyer's own system. To search live opportunities in one place, start on DealAtlas.

How do I search UK public sector tenders in one place?

Browse live opportunities free on DealAtlas, filter by category, value band, closing date and region, then use DealAtlas Pro for buyer details, documents, saved searches and alerts. You'll need to register on the government's central digital platform before you bid, so find the right opportunity on DealAtlas first.

Where can I find government tenders in the UK?

Government tenders in the UK are published by central departments, the NHS, councils and other public bodies under the Procurement Act 2023. The quickest way to see them together is to browse live opportunities on DealAtlas, then filter by category, value band, closing date and region.

Are older-regime notices still published after the Procurement Act 2023?

Award records and some notices for procurements that started under the previous rules, before 24 February 2025, still exist. New procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 need notices on the central digital platform.

What is the threshold for advertising a public contract in 2026?

From 1 January 2026, the main thresholds including VAT are £135,018 for central government goods and services, £207,720 for other buyers and £5,193,000 for works. Below these, a buyer that chooses to advertise must publish a notice on the central digital platform if the contract is worth £12,000 or more for most central government authorities, including NHS trusts, or £30,000 or more for other buyers.

How can I find out about tenders before they are published?

Watch pipeline notices, preliminary market engagement notices and planned procurement notices. Pipeline notices from large buyers list contracts over £2 million planned for the next 18 months and are published between 1 April and 26 May. Track those early signals on DealAtlas alongside live tender notices.

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Last checked against gov.uk and legislation.gov.uk on 27 October 2026.