TenderSignal is the UK's most complete source of live data and digital transformation tenders.
We aggregate digital procurement from 145+ portals — Crown Commercial Service, NHS England, every government department, NHS trusts, ICBs, councils, universities, regulators and police forces. Buyers include the Cabinet Office's CDDO, NHS Federated Data Platform team, HMRC, DWP, Ministry of Justice, the devolved governments and innovation bodies like Innovate UK and the Catapult Network.
Whether you're a sole-trader UX researcher chasing GDS discovery contracts, an SME data-engineering consultancy, or a major systems integrator targeting AI and platform transformation programmes, TenderSignal covers your patch. Sub-sectors include user research, service design, data engineering, data science, AI/ML, automation and digital strategy.
Digital outcomes call-offs are short (often 3–9 months) but pipelines are continuous. Pro users see forecast notices and expiring contracts — useful for spotting beta-to-live transitions and platform re-tenders 6–12 months early.
What's covered
Public-sector digital transformation spend exceeds £15bn annually and is channelled primarily through CCS frameworks: Digital Outcomes 6 (the main route for capability-based hiring), G-Cloud 14 (for SaaS and cloud services), Big Data and Analytics, Spark DPS (innovation), and Cyber Security Services 3. NHS uses NHS SBS frameworks alongside CCS.
The Procurement Act 2023 governs above-threshold buying; below £213k, departments use Digital Outcomes mini-competitions or G-Cloud direct awards. The Government Digital Service (CDDO) sets the Service Standard that every public-sector digital project must meet, including accessibility (WCAG 2.2), open standards and security.
Notable demand drivers include the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the NHS Federated Data Platform rollout, the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) profession reform, legacy system replacement across HMRC and DWP, and the devolved governments' digital strategies.
Digital Outcomes 6 mini-competitions are typically single-stage written submissions plus presentations, with quality weighted 70–80%. Scoring covers proposed approach, team experience (named day-rates and CVs), reference work, and value-for-money commercials. Discovery and alpha phases are short and competitive; beta-to-live phases longer and higher-value.
Framework presence is near-essential. Digital Outcomes 6 covers most user-centred design and engineering work; G-Cloud 14 covers SaaS, PaaS, IaaS and specialist cloud services; Spark DPS covers innovation pilots. Cyber Essentials Plus is mandatory for all CCS frameworks; ISO 27001 is widely required; NHS DSP Toolkit for health work.
Common pitfalls: vague methodology not aligned to GDS Service Standard, missing accessibility commitments, weak reference work that doesn't match the user group, over-reliance on associates without core team continuity, and unrealistic day rates that don't reflect actual delivery capacity. Strong bids show named multi-disciplinary teams, GDS-style outcome thinking, and credible technical-debt awareness.
Most digital work is delivered hybrid or remotely, so geography matters less. TenderSignal still lets you filter by buyer region — useful for council and NHS work that often prefers UK-based or local delivery teams.
Discovery and alpha phases typically £50k–£250k. Beta-to-live phases £500k–£5m. Multi-year platform contracts and AI programmes can exceed £20m. NHS FDP sub-contracts vary from £100k specialist packages to multi-million data-engineering builds.
For central government and NHS, yes — Digital Outcomes 6 and G-Cloud 14 handle the vast majority of digital spend. Below threshold, direct awards via G-Cloud are common. Councils and universities sometimes run direct ITTs for non-CCS-framework work.
TenderSignal ingests around 100–250 digital opportunities per week. Digital Outcomes mini-competitions are continuous; G-Cloud refreshes annually. NHS FDP sub-tenders, AI pilots and council data programmes drive steady volume.
Cyber Essentials Plus (mandatory for CCS); ISO 27001 (widely required); NHS DSP Toolkit (for health work); accessibility expertise (WCAG 2.2); SC clearance for sensitive central-government data; GDS Service Standard familiarity for all user-facing services.
Yes — SMEs win around 28% of central-government digital spend. Digital Outcomes 6 is explicitly designed for SME-friendly engagement, with no minimum turnover and capability-based scoring. The Procurement Act 2023's lotting requirements strengthen this further.
Services above £213,477 (central) or £164,176 (sub-central) must be advertised on Find a Tender. Below that, departments default to G-Cloud direct award or Digital Outcomes mini-competitions. Many discovery and alpha phases fall below threshold by design.
FDP is delivered by Palantir as Tier 1, with Accenture, NECS and PwC as core partners — but they sub-contract widely. TenderSignal Pro users see FDP-adjacent ITTs and NHS trust data-engineering work that often feeds the broader programme.
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