Get an API key

The TenderSignal API lets you bring live tenders, awards, buyers and renewals into your own tools, such as a CRM, a bid tracker or an internal dashboard. Every request needs an API key. This guide shows you how to create one, keep it safe and make your first request.

Before you start

You need a TenderSignal account with a verified email address. If you have not verified yet, open the link in the "Verify your TenderSignal email" message we sent you. Any verified account can create a key. Without an API plan, the key runs on the free demo allowance, so you can try the API before you pay for anything.

The API is for businesses. When you create a key you confirm that you are acting for your business, trade or profession.

Create a key

1. Sign in and open the developers page from the API link in the footer, or go to tendersignal.co.uk/developers.
2. Scroll to Your keys.
3. Give the key a name you will recognise later, for example the tool that will use it.
4. Tick the box to accept the API Terms. You can read them in full at tendersignal.co.uk/api-terms.
5. Select Create key.

Your new key appears once, straight after you create it. Select Copy and store it somewhere safe, such as your password manager or your tool's secret settings. We keep only a scrambled version, so we cannot show it to you again. If you lose it, revoke it and create a new one.

Make your first request

Send the key in the Authorization header of each request, after the word Bearer. The quick start on the developers page has ready-made examples for curl, JavaScript and Python that ask for a few live tenders. Never put the key in a web address: requests that do are refused, because web addresses end up in logs.

Keep keys out of web pages, mobile apps and public code repositories too. Anything that runs on a device you do not control can be read by someone else.

Buyer contact details

Records can include buyer contact details, such as the name and work email of the person handling a procurement. These are included for accounts billed in the UK, the European Economic Area or a country the UK government recognises as having adequate data protection. Accounts on the free demo get no contact details. The billing country comes from your billing details, so if contacts are missing and you expect them, check the country on your plan.

Keep your keys safe

Treat a key like a password. Do not paste it into emails, shared documents or code that other people can read. Each key in the list shows its first few characters, its name and when it was last used, so you can tell your keys apart. If you think a key has been seen by someone who should not have it, select Revoke next to it. It stops working straight away, and you can create a replacement in seconds.

The free demo includes one active key. API plans include several, which helps when you want a separate key for each tool, so you can revoke one without touching the others. For prices and what each plan includes, see the plans on the developers page.