Find a Tender vs Contracts Finder: where UK public tenders are published
Last reviewed 25 October 2026
If you've looked for public-sector work you'll have come across two government websites. Here's what each one is for and why both still matter.
Find a Tender
Find a Tender started in 2021 for high-value contracts. Since the Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025, it is also the government's central digital platform: procurements that started on or after that date, above and below the high-value thresholds, are published there. It's also where suppliers register their company details once, for free, instead of filling them in for every tender.
Contracts Finder
Contracts Finder was the main site for lower-value contracts in England under the previous rules. Procurements that started before 24 February 2025 still follow those rules, so Contracts Finder keeps receiving their notices and awards for now. It's also a useful archive of past contracts: who bought what, for how much, and who won.
When a contract has to be published
Under the Act, a public body must publish a tender notice for a contract once it reaches £12,000 including VAT for central government, or £30,000 including VAT for other public bodies such as councils. Below those values, buyers often just ask a few suppliers for quotes, so it pays to be known locally.
Other places to look
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own portals (Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI), which carry many smaller contracts in those nations. Many buyers also run their own e-tendering portals, where you download the documents and submit your bid; the notice links to them.
Toolbox Tenders reads Find a Tender and Contracts Finder every hour and sends you only the building and maintenance work that matches your trade, area and job size.
General information for small businesses, not legal advice. Always check the official notice and the buyer's documents for the rules that apply to a particular contract.
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