What is Contracts Advance?
Contracts Advance is a UK tender software provider based in Bath. Its website describes a platform that gives visibility of public sector tender notices, insight into buying organisations, competitor intelligence and alerts for re-tender opportunities. It also lists market knowledge and advice services, including account management, masterclasses, bid reviews and bid writing support.
As listed on its website in October 2026, software is sold in three tiers on 1, 2 or 3 year subscriptions, with prices excluding VAT. The one-year prices are Search at £1,399, Discover at £2,099 and Explore at £2,999. Multi-year terms are cheaper per year: for example, Search is £2,599 for two years or £3,799 for three. A free trial is offered.
What Contracts Advance does well
- A clear tier ladder. Search covers new notices with a daily email. Discover adds active contracts data to help you spot upcoming re-tenders. Explore adds competitor analysis and buyer analysis, so you can see which buyers purchase what you sell and who else wins it.
- People as well as software. Its site says Discover and Explore include a dedicated Account Manager and a Customer Success Manager with check-in calls, and every plan includes tailored onboarding, live online chat and regular masterclasses.
- Unlimited users and exportable data. It says plans include unlimited user access and fully exportable data, which suits larger teams.
- Bid review services. It sells a one day bid review at £750 and a two day review at £1,495 for bids of up to 10,000 and 20,000 words respectively.
- Track record. It says customers have secured over £5bn in contracts.
How TenderSignal approaches it
TenderSignal is for businesses that want to run their own search and pay month by month. It leads with coverage beyond the national portals. We bring together Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales, eTendersNI and eTenders in Ireland, and we also check 600+ buyer portals: councils, NHS bodies, housing associations, universities, utilities and more, on platforms such as In-Tend, Delta eSourcing, ProContract, Atamis and Jaggaer. Around one in four live tenders we carry is not on any national portal. Coverage spans England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The second lead is buyer contacts. On Pro at £39/month + VAT you get the contact's name, email and phone on matching tenders, so you can ask questions before you commit to a bid.
Free lets you browse and discover, with no card, and the Free plan costs £0: browse every live tender, search, filter and sort, open every tender page, see award history and competitor profiles, and keep one saved search with its matches in your account, with a weekly email of how many new tenders it found. Pro (also £390/year + VAT) does the finding for you every morning: every match delivered daily, an AI relevance score with the reasoning, matches not on the national portals, contracts coming up for renewal in your sectors, unlimited saved searches, and tender tracking with closing-soon reminders. Business is £99/month + VAT for up to 20 seats, adding shared notes, expiring contracts in every sector, competitor intelligence and CSV export.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Contracts Advance | TenderSignal |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price (as listed in October 2026) | £1,399 for one year (Search), excluding VAT | Free; Pro £39/month + VAT |
| Contract length | 1, 2 or 3 year subscriptions | Monthly, cancel any time (Pro also £390/year + VAT) |
| Free option | Free trial | A free search plan instead, no card and no time limit |
| Daily tender email | All plans | Daily on Pro; Free gets a weekly count of new matches |
| Coverage detail | Not listed on its website | National portals plus 600+ buyer portals, UK and Ireland |
| Upcoming re-tenders | Active contracts data on Discover and Explore | Renewals in your sectors on Pro; every sector on Business |
| Competitor and buyer analysis | Explore tier | Award history and competitor profiles on every plan; competitor intelligence on Business |
| Buyer contact details | Not listed on its website | Free on tenders also on the national portals; all of them on Pro |
| Account manager | Discover and Explore | Self-serve, no account manager |
| Bid review and bid writing | Bid reviews from £750; bid writing support listed | Not offered |
| Users | Unlimited user access | Business: up to 20 seats |
Who each product suits
Contracts Advance may suit you if you want a named account manager and onboarding support, are happy to commit to a one to three year subscription, and want competitor and buyer analysis bundled in the top tier. Teams that value bid reviews from the same supplier will find that useful.
TenderSignal may suit you if you want to start free, pay monthly, and see tenders that sit on buyer portals rather than the national ones. It also suits anyone who wants to contact the buyer directly. If you do not need hands-on support, a self-serve tool keeps cost and commitment low. Many businesses start by searching on the free plan and move to Pro once they want the matching tenders sent to them every morning.
Where to go next
Check the pricing page, see the alternatives hub, or start with free tender alerts. Browse the buyer directory, facilities management tenders or council tenders, and nation hubs for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Related comparisons: Tenders Direct and Tracker Intelligence. You can also look at contracts coming up for renewal.