What is Find a Tender Service?
Find a Tender Service (FTS) is the official UK government platform for publishing and searching public sector contract notices. It replaced the EU's TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) as the mandatory publication channel for UK above-threshold contracts following Brexit. It launched in January 2021 and is operated by Cabinet Office.
All UK contracting authorities are legally required to publish contract notices on FTS for contracts above the relevant procurement thresholds. This includes central government departments, local councils, NHS trusts, universities, housing associations, and other public bodies.
What types of notices appear on FTS?
FTS publishes several types of procurement notices:
- Prior Information Notice (PIN): An advance warning that a contract will be tendered in the future. Gives suppliers time to prepare.
- Contract Notice: The live tender invitation, marking the start of the formal procurement process.
- Contract Award Notice (CAN): Published after a contract is awarded, showing who won, the value, and the duration.
- Dynamic Purchasing System notices: Establishment of DPS arrangements and mini-competition notices.
- Framework agreement notices: Establishment of multi-supplier frameworks.
What does FTS cover?
FTS covers contracts from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland that are above the procurement thresholds. Scotland has its own portal (Public Contracts Scotland) but above-threshold notices must also appear on FTS. Wales (Sell2Wales) and Northern Ireland (eTendersNI) similarly cross-publish above-threshold notices.
FTS does not cover below-threshold contracts, which appear instead on Contracts Finder or buyer-specific procurement portals.
How to search Find a Tender
FTS is searchable at find-tender.service.gov.uk. You can filter by keyword, CPV code, buyer name, location, contract value, and notice type. Free registration allows you to save searches and receive email alerts, though the alert functionality is basic compared to specialist monitoring tools.
FTS vs Contracts Finder
| Find a Tender Service | Contracts Finder |
|---|---|
| Above-threshold contracts only | All contracts over £12,000 (central govt) / £30,000 (other bodies) |
| Mandatory publication | Mandatory for award notices, voluntary for opportunities in many cases |
| Live tender invitations and awards | Mainly award notices; fewer live opportunities |
| All UK public bodies | Primarily central government and arm's-length bodies |
Limitations of FTS for suppliers
FTS only shows above-threshold contracts. A large proportion of public sector spending falls below the threshold and never appears on FTS. This below-threshold work is advertised across dozens of sector-specific and regional procurement portals. Monitoring all of them manually is time-consuming and impractical.
How TenderSignal extends beyond FTS
TenderSignal aggregates FTS alongside Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales, EU TED, and a growing number of sector-specific portals. You get a single stream of relevant opportunities across all sources, delivered by email alert when they are published. Set up your first saved search to see what is available in your sector right now.
Find a Tender is just one of many UK portals. TenderSignal aggregates them all, so you can get free tender alerts matched to your business without checking each site by hand.