What to expect from a tender alert service
A tender alert service watches procurement notices and sends you the ones that fit your business, so you do not have to check portals by hand. Whether you call it a tender finder, a tender alert service or tender alert software, the job is the same: find relevant notices, filter out the noise, and tell you before the deadline.
A new wave of AI-first UK tools has appeared. One thing worth knowing up front: AI relevance scoring is now common across nearly all of them, TenderSignal included, so it rarely separates one product from another. Coverage, price, billing terms and what you get beyond the alert matter more.
Everything below comes from each vendor's own website, checked on 1 October 2026. Prices are as listed then and may change. Where a detail was not on a vendor's site, the table says so.
The tools, one by one
BidFinder
BidFinder (bidfinder.uk) is a bid-writing service. It says it monitors every new UK public tender, flags the ones worth bidding on, and drafts the response for you to review. Monitoring and matching is listed as free; bid preparation is listed from £600 per bid, plus a 5% success fee if you win. It names Contracts Finder and Find a Tender as its sources.
BidSkim
BidSkim scans UK procurement portals each morning and emails scored matches. Its pricing page describes "600+ buyer portals in one feed", and its home page cites 63 portals and 653 buyer sites. That is BidSkim's own description. Monitor is listed at £79 a month, or £780 billed yearly. Predict (renewal forecasting, buyer contacts and competitor tracking) is listed at £189 a month, or £1,860 billed yearly. A free plan offers a 12-month opportunity report and a one-time scan, no card needed. Paid plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee.
BidSonar
BidSonar describes itself as a free index of UK and EU contracts and grants, matched to a plain-English business profile with a confidence score. It lists Contracts Finder, Find a Tender, TED, eTenders Ireland, Innovate UK and UKRI as sources. No card is needed, and it offers buyer profiles with award history.
Jorpex
Jorpex is a multi-country tool. It says it monitors 50+ public procurement sources, including Contracts Finder and Find a Tender alongside sources in the EU, North America and Asia-Pacific. Alerts go to email or Slack. Starter is listed at $49 a month and Pro at $149 a month, both in US dollars, with a 14-day free trial and cancel-anytime terms.
KimonBids
KimonBids combines AI matching with AI bid drafting. It says it covers England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through Contracts Finder, Find a Tender and Public Contracts Scotland, and states that each tender includes buyer contact details. Its Free plan is £0 with three keyword alerts. Pro is listed at £79 a month, Growth at £179 and Scale at £399, with 20% off annual billing and no annual lock-in.
TenderAI
TenderAI (tenderai.uk) delivers a scored daily brief by email. It lists Find a Tender and Contracts Finder as its sources. It is priced at £99 a month per business profile, with the first month free and no card required, no minimum term, and a free weekly digest.
TenderLedger
TenderLedger focuses on incumbents, renewal timelines and buyer patterns. It lists five sources: Contracts Finder, Find a Tender, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTenders NI. Starter is listed at £99 a month (£990 a year) and Pro at £249 a month (£2,490 a year), with a 14-day free trial and cancel-anytime terms.
Side-by-side table
| Tool | Entry price | Free plan or trial | Billing | Coverage as described by the vendor | Buyer contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BidFinder | Monitoring free; bids from £600 each | Free monitoring | Per bid, plus 5% success fee | Contracts Finder, Find a Tender | Not listed on its website |
| BidSkim | £79/month (£780/year) | Free 12-month report, one-time scan | Monthly or annual | "600+ buyer portals"; 63 portals, 653 buyer sites | On Predict plan |
| BidSonar | Free | Free, no card | None listed | UK and EU sources incl. eTenders Ireland | Buyer profiles |
| Jorpex | $49/month | 14-day trial | Monthly, cancel anytime | 50+ sources worldwide, incl. UK national portals | Not listed on its website |
| KimonBids | Free; Pro £79/month | Free plan | Monthly or annual (20% off) | Four UK nations, national portals | Listed on tenders |
| TenderAI | £99/month per profile | First month free | Monthly, no minimum term | Find a Tender, Contracts Finder | Not listed on its website |
| TenderLedger | £99/month | 14-day trial | Monthly or annual | Five UK national portals | Not listed on its website |
| TenderSignal | Free; Pro £39/month + VAT | Free search plan with a weekly count of new matches, no card | Monthly or annual, cancel any time | National portals plus 600+ buyer portals, UK and Ireland | Free on tenders also on the national portals; all of them on Pro |
How TenderSignal fits in
TenderSignal covers the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It checks the national portals plus 600+ buyer portals, including councils, NHS bodies, housing associations, universities and utilities (browse them in our buyer directory). Around one in four live tenders we carry is not on any national portal. Pro is £39 a month + VAT (or £390 a year + VAT), and adds daily matches, an AI relevance score with its reasoning, and buyer contact names, emails and phone numbers. Business plans start at £99 a month + VAT for five seats. See pricing for the full list.
How to choose
- Coverage beyond national portals. Many notices appear only on a buyer's own portal. Check what each vendor says it covers and where.
- UK and Ireland. If you bid in both, confirm Irish sources are included.
- Buyer contacts. Some tools list them, some do not. They matter when you want to ask a clarification question.
- Price and billing. Compare monthly cost, annual discounts, currency, minimum terms and cancellation.
- Team features. Seats, shared searches and notes matter once more than one person bids.
- Beyond alerts. Decide whether you also want bid drafting, renewal forecasting or award history.
Most offer a free plan or trial, so test two or three with your real profile. For deeper dives, see our pages on PSIP, Stotles, Tenderbase and Tenders Direct, the portal comparison and all alternatives. If you only want free alerts, see free tender alerts. If you are looking at ongoing monitoring, see tender monitoring.