What Is Find a Tender? UK Government Procurement Data Explained

Find a Tender Service: Post-Brexit Procurement

Before Brexit, UK public contracts above the EU procurement threshold were published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). After the UK left the EU, the government created the Find a Tender Service (FTS) — a UK-specific procurement database. FTS publishes all UK public sector contract notices above the procurement thresholds: approximately £139,000 for central government and £214,000 for local authority contracts.

What the Data Contains

Each procurement notice includes: notice type, contracting authority, contract description, CPV codes (Common Procurement Vocabulary classification), estimated value, award date, and supplier name (for contract award notices).

The Difference Between Notices and Awards

Contract notices are forward-looking — they announce upcoming procurement opportunities. Contract award notices are backward-looking — they announce contracts that have already been awarded, telling you which companies are winning government business and for how much. For most B2B sales use cases, award notices are more valuable.

CPV Codes for Filtering

CPV codes classify what is being procured — the procurement equivalent of SIC codes. Technology contracts tend to fall in the 72000000–72999999 range. Combined with Contracts Finder (covering UK contracts from £10,000 upward), the two databases give comprehensive coverage of UK public sector procurement.