Facilities management tenders: how FM procurement works in the UK

Facilities management is one of the steadiest public markets in the UK. Every hospital, school, office, depot and leisure centre needs cleaning, security, maintenance and grounds care every day, and those services are contracted out on multi-year terms. That makes FM predictable: contracts come back to market on known cycles, and the supplier who tracks those cycles is ready when they do.

How public bodies package FM

• Single-service contracts: cleaning, security, grounds maintenance, waste or pest control on their own. The most accessible route for specialist SMEs.
• Hard FM: planned and reactive maintenance of building fabric and M&E systems, statutory compliance testing and small works. See our M&E tenders guide.
• Soft FM bundles: several people-facing services under one contract.
• Total or integrated FM: hard and soft services across an estate from one supplier, usually large, long and aimed at national providers, with SME subcontracting underneath.

Read the lot structure before deciding a contract is too big. Large FM tenders are often split by service or by site precisely so that smaller firms can bid.

Where FM tenders appear

Contracts above £30,000 from councils, NHS bodies and other public buyers in England are published on Contracts Finder, and higher-value contracts and frameworks on Find a Tender. Regional portals matter too:

• Manchester and Liverpool: councils across the North West use The Chest. The large NHS foundation trusts and the universities in both cities are major buyers of cleaning, security and estates maintenance. See Manchester tenders and Liverpool tenders.
• Birmingham: Birmingham City Council's budget pressure since 2023 has meant tighter pricing and some services re-let on reduced scope, while the NHS trusts and universities remain steady buyers. See Birmingham tenders.
• Glasgow: Scottish public bodies publish on Public Contracts Scotland, and Fair Work First conditions, including the real Living Wage, apply to many FM contracts. See Glasgow tenders.

Frameworks

A lot of FM is bought through frameworks: Crown Commercial Service's national facilities and workplace services agreements, regional buying organisations such as ESPO, YPO and NEPO, and NHS Shared Business Services for health bodies. If your target buyers use a framework, the framework's re-tender is the opportunity to prepare for. Framework agreements explained covers how appointment works.

TUPE shapes the price

When an FM contract changes supplier, the staff working on it usually transfer to the new supplier under TUPE, keeping their pay and terms. Buyers publish anonymised employee information with the tender. Price that workforce accurately: pay rates, pension obligations, holiday and any accrued entitlements. Bids that underestimate TUPE costs either lose on credibility or win and lose money.

Accreditations buyers check

• Security: SIA licensing for staff and, for most public contracts, the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme.
• Cleaning: trained staff (BICSc qualifications are widely recognised) and, in healthcare, experience of NHS cleaning standards.
• Health and safety: an SSIP scheme such as CHAS or SafeContractor.
• Management systems: ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001; ISO 41001 for facility management systems on larger contracts.
• Workforce commitments: real Living Wage accreditation is increasingly scored, and in Scotland often required.

Use award notices to plan a year ahead

FM contracts typically run three to five years, often with extension options. The award notice tells you who won, the start date and frequently the value, which tells you roughly when the contract will return. Across 440 building maintenance, cleaning, security and waste awards with a published value in the last two years, the typical contract was £161k, with half between £64k and £589k. Using contract award notices explains how to build that pipeline.

Common questions

What is the difference between hard FM and soft FM?

Hard FM covers the building fabric and its systems: mechanical and electrical maintenance, fire safety, lifts and building repairs. Soft FM covers services to the people using the building: cleaning, security, catering, reception, waste and grounds maintenance. Public buyers let them separately, together, or as a single total facilities management contract.

Does TUPE apply when an FM contract changes hands?

Usually, yes. When a service contract moves to a new supplier, staff mainly assigned to it generally transfer under the TUPE regulations with their existing terms. Buyers publish TUPE information with the tender, and the cost of those staff has to be built into your price.

Which frameworks do public bodies use for facilities management?

Crown Commercial Service runs national facilities management and workplace services agreements, and regional buying organisations such as ESPO, YPO and NEPO, NHS Shared Business Services and other consortia run their own. Many councils and trusts also tender FM directly.

Where are facilities management tenders in Manchester and Liverpool published?

North West councils publish through The Chest, their shared portal, and all contracts above £30,000 also appear on Contracts Finder. NHS trusts and universities in both cities publish on Contracts Finder and Find a Tender.