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) or planned procurement notice: An advance warning that a contract will be tendered in the future. Gives suppliers time to prepare.
- Contract Notice (tender notice under the Procurement Act 2023): 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 market notices: Establishment of dynamic markets, which replace DPS arrangements under the Procurement Act 2023 (existing DPSs continue under the old rules).
- 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.
Under the Procurement Act 2023, FTS also carries below-threshold tender notices for contracts worth £12,000 (central government) or £30,000 (other authorities) or more, including VAT. Lower-value work, and older procurements under the previous rules, appear 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, plus below-threshold tender notices under the Procurement Act 2023 | Contracts over £12,000 (central govt) / £30,000 (other bodies), including VAT, for procurements under the previous rules |
| Mandatory publication | Was mandatory for advertised opportunities and awards under PCR 2015 |
| Live tender invitations and awards | Mainly award notices; fewer live opportunities |
| All UK public bodies | Central government, councils, NHS trusts and other public bodies |
Limitations of FTS for suppliers
FTS shows above-threshold contracts and, under the Procurement Act 2023, below-threshold tender notices above the notifiable values. A large proportion of lower-value public sector spending 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 600+ buyer portals. You get a single stream of relevant opportunities across all sources, delivered by email alert. 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 brings them together, so you can get free tender alerts matched to your business without checking each site by hand.