Where tenders are published, what the jargon actually means, and how to get started bidding for public sector work.
No single portal carries everything. Which one a notice lands on depends on where the buyer sits and what the contract is worth — which is why suppliers who watch only one of them miss work they were qualified to win.
The portals, search tactics and the daily-alert habit that wins work.
Where an SME with no public-sector track record should realistically start.
Answering the question that was asked, and scoring against the actual criteria.
The new regime, the new notices, and what it means for smaller suppliers.
The highest-volume buyers in the UK, and how they actually buy.
Trusts, frameworks and the compliance the health sector expects.
Procurement runs on acronyms, and most of them are doing less work than they appear to. 18 terms in plain English, each linked to the guide that goes deeper.
A contract whose estimated value exceeds the point at which the full regulated procurement process applies — broadly £139,688 for central government goods and services, £214,904 for other bodies, and £5,372,609 for works. Above threshold, the notice must appear on Find a Tender. Read more →
Published after a contract is awarded, naming the winning supplier and usually the value. The most under-used free intelligence in public procurement: it tells you who you are bidding against and roughly what price won last time. Read more →
A guarantee that a bidder will honour its offer if selected. Rare in UK public procurement compared with international work, but still used on some large works contracts and by private buyers. Read more →
An individual contract awarded under an existing framework or dynamic purchasing system, without running a full open tender. The work most suppliers actually earn once they are on a framework. Read more →
The formal advertisement that opens a procurement, setting out what is being bought, the process, and the deadline for responses.
The Common Procurement Vocabulary — a standard numeric classification buyers use to describe what they are buying. Searching by CPV catches notices whose titles use vocabulary you would never think to search for. Read more →
An open-ended list of pre-qualified suppliers that, unlike a framework, accepts new joiners throughout its life. If you missed a framework, check whether a DPS covers the same work. Read more →
An agreement with one or more suppliers setting the terms for future contracts. Getting on a framework does not guarantee work, but you cannot win its call-offs without being on it. Read more →
Invitation to Tender — the document pack containing the specification, the contract terms and the response templates. The stage where the actual bid is written. Read more →
A sub-division of a larger contract. The Procurement Act 2023 encourages buyers to split requirements into lots so smaller suppliers can bid for the parts they can deliver rather than being shut out of the whole. Read more →
The Procurement Act 2023 test for awarding a contract, replacing "most economically advantageous tender". The wording change is deliberate: it gives buyers more room to weigh quality and social value against price. Read more →
A single-stage process where any supplier may submit a full tender without a separate selection round. Common for lower-value and straightforward requirements.
An early signal that a buyer intends to procure something, published before the formal contract notice. Worth watching — it is the only advance warning you get.
A two-stage process: suppliers first pass a selection questionnaire, and only those shortlisted are invited to tender. Standard for complex or high-value contracts. Read more →
The pre-qualification stage — financial standing, insurance, health and safety, past performance. It decides who gets to bid, not who wins, but failing it ends the opportunity. Read more →
The wider economic, social and environmental benefit a contract delivers beyond the goods or services themselves. Central government must weight it at a minimum of 10% of the score, and many councils weight it higher. Read more →
The pause between announcing an intended award and signing the contract, during which unsuccessful bidders can challenge. Usually eight working days.
A contract below the regulated thresholds. Still frequently advertised — Contracts Finder carries English public contracts over £12,000 — and generally the most winnable work for a supplier bidding publicly for the first time. Read more →
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