What is Tenders Direct?
Tenders Direct is a UK tender alert service. Its website says it was established in 1993 and that the service is run by Proactis Tenders Limited. It says it covers every UK, Ireland and OJEU opportunity and scans 500+ sources daily. Its tender alert subscriptions are sold on an annual basis, and as listed on its website in October 2026 they start from £1,359 per year.
Alongside the alerts, Tenders Direct sells bid writing training (from £159 per course) and bid support services on tailored fees. Its site also offers a free trial.
What Tenders Direct does well
It has a long track record and a clear service model, and several of its strengths are real:
- Human support. According to its website, every subscriber gets a dedicated Account Manager, expert onboarding support and a customer support team available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. If you want a named person to help you use the service, that is a genuine advantage.
- Advance Tender Alerts. It says these give up to 18 months' notice of contract expiry dates, so you can prepare for re-tenders.
- Competitor Tracker and awards data. It lists a searchable notice database with over ten years of notices, and a tool to monitor where competitors are winning work.
- Opportunity Manager and API. It describes a bid management tool that can also hold opportunities found elsewhere, plus an API to link the service to your existing systems.
- FOI tool and bid services. It offers a tool for submitting anonymous Freedom of Information requests, and bid writing, review and management services.
- Unlimited users. Its site says plans include unlimited user access.
How TenderSignal approaches the same job
TenderSignal is built for businesses that want to find and win public sector work without a large annual commitment. It leads with two things.
Coverage beyond the national portals. We bring together the national portals (Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales, eTendersNI and eTenders in Ireland) and check 600+ buyer portals on top: councils, NHS bodies, housing associations, universities, utilities and more, on platforms such as In-Tend, Delta eSourcing, ProContract, Atamis and Jaggaer. Around one in four live tenders we carry is not on any national portal. Coverage spans England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Buyer contacts on Pro. On Pro at £39/month + VAT you see the buyer contact's name, email and phone on matching tenders, so you know who to speak to before you decide to bid.
Free lets you browse and discover, with no card: the Free plan costs £0 and lets you browse every live tender, search, filter and sort, and keep one saved search with its matches in your account, with a weekly email of how many new tenders it found. Pro does the finding for you every morning, with every match delivered daily, an AI relevance score with the reasoning, matches not on the national portals, contracts coming up for renewal in your sectors, and unlimited saved searches. Billing is monthly and you can cancel any time (or pay £390/year + VAT).
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Tenders Direct | TenderSignal |
|---|---|---|
| Price (as listed in October 2026) | Alert subscriptions from £1,359 per year | Free; Pro £39/month + VAT; Business from £99/month + VAT |
| Billing | Annual plans | Monthly, cancel any time (Pro also £390/year + VAT) |
| Free option | Free trial | A free search plan, no card |
| Sources | 500+ sources scanned daily, per its website | National portals plus 600+ buyer portals |
| Geography | UK, Ireland and OJEU | UK and the Republic of Ireland |
| Buyer contact details | Not listed on its website | Free on tenders also on the national portals; all of them on Pro |
| Advance contract expiry alerts | Up to 18 months' notice | Renewals in your sectors on Pro; every sector on Business |
| Award data and competitor tracking | Ten years of notices; Competitor Tracker | Award history and competitor profiles on every plan; competitor alerts on Business |
| Account manager | Dedicated Account Manager | Self-serve, no account manager |
| Bid writing and training | Yes, sold separately | Not offered |
| FOI tool | Yes | Not offered |
| Team seats | Unlimited users | Business: up to 20 seats |
Who each product suits
Tenders Direct may suit you if you want a named account manager, bid writing and training from the same supplier, an FOI tool, and you are comfortable with an annual subscription. Larger bid teams that value hands-on guidance and unlimited users will find that a good fit.
TenderSignal may suit you if you prefer to set up your own searches, want to start free and pay month by month, and care about tenders that never reach the national portals. It also suits small teams that want to phone or email the buyer contact directly. You can search free first and choose Pro only if it earns its place. If you would like a comparison with a different type of provider, see our page on BiP Solutions (Tracker and Delta eSourcing).
Next steps
See the full pricing, browse the alternatives hub, or start with free tender alerts. You can explore the buyer directory, sector pages such as construction tenders and IT support tenders, and nation hubs for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Also compare Tracker Intelligence and Contracts Advance.