UK supplier guide
Contracts Finder UK:
legacy records and today’s notice routes
Contracts Finder remains useful for legacy procurement records and awards. For procurements begun under the Procurement Act from 24 February 2025, required notices go to Find a Tender rather than being duplicated on Contracts Finder. The Cabinet Office’s current publication guidance explains the change.
Explore the published tender records →Checked against primary sources5 sources linked below
- Search the relevant work
- Check the stage
- Read the original
- Authorise the effort
The stage determines the next action
Keep future plans, invitations and awards separate.The official record remains the reference
Follow its documents and later changes.The buyer sets the response route
Finding a notice is not submitting a bid.
Where should you look for notices from new procurements?
Find a Tender is the central digital platform for required Procurement Act notices, including relevant below-threshold notices.
| Procurement context | Publication route |
|---|---|
| Commenced under the Procurement Act from 24 February 2025 | Required notices go to Find a Tender; the Act does not require duplication on Contracts Finder |
| Commenced under the previous Public Contracts Regulations | Contracts Finder transparency requirements can still apply to legacy awards, including awards through older frameworks |
| A search result on either service | Check the regime, stage, original documents and any subsequent notice |
What can you find on Contracts Finder?
Read the available opportunity, planning and award records in their procurement context; an older record is not a fresh invitation.
The GOV.UK service entry point describes Contracts Finder’s search and account functions. Use the newer Cabinet Office transparency guidance for publication rules and the transition to Find a Tender.
- Check whether the recorded invitation is still open, and whether later notices supersede it.
- Read when a planning record was published; it is not automatically an invitation to bid.
- An award or older contract can inform research but is not a live opportunity.
- Return to the original notice for current documents and later changes.
How do you move from a search to a useful bid decision?
Use the stage and buyer documents to decide whether the result deserves preparation time.
- Start with the source01
Search the relevant work
Use the service appropriate to the buyer and procurement. - Define the scope02
Check the stage
Separate future plans, current invitations and award records. - Read the evidence03
Read the original
Retain its identifier and follow the current documents and updates. - Make the decision04
Authorise the effort
Compare delivery capacity, evidence gaps and preparation time. - Name the next action05
Follow the response route
Use the buyer’s named service, format and deadline.
A supplier’s review sequence, based on the primary sources below. It is not a measured outcome or a prescribed buyer timetable.
Which publication service should you search?
Use the service appropriate to the buyer and procurement; Contracts Finder does not replace every UK register.
| Service | Start here |
|---|---|
| Contracts Finder | Legacy procurement records and awards; check stage and currency |
| Find a Tender | Required Procurement Act notices, including relevant below-threshold notices; check regime and contract type |
| Public Contracts Scotland | Scottish public-sector opportunities |
| Sell2Wales | Welsh public-sector opportunities |
| eTendersNI | Northern Ireland public-sector opportunities |
How should a small supplier start the search?
Search the work you can deliver, then narrow the results and read each notice’s stage.
A keyword match starts an investigation. It does not establish eligibility, delivery capacity or the likelihood of winning.
- Start with the words a buyer would use for the service or supply.
- Use the buyer’s published name to investigate its records.
- Separate invitations from future plans and past awards.
- Keep the original publication with the result you review.
How much preparation work should you authorise?
Estimate team effort before turning a search result into a bid commitment.
Use your own hours and hourly cost. Free access to the register does not remove the work of reading the buyer’s documents and preparing an offer.
Your bid effort
Starting figures are an illustration, not a measured average or a saving promised by RFP Quest.
£4,000 and 80 team hours each month if you prepare every bid.
Use the estimate to decide how much work to authorise before drafting starts.
It excludes software fees and external costs.
- This bid£2,000
- Other bids this month£2,000
How would a cleaning supplier review a result?
An illustrative supplier separates the location and lot, participation conditions, documents and response deadline before drafting.
Example Cleaning Ltd is fictional. No contract value, win rate or customer outcome is implied by this worked example.
- Example Cleaning Ltd checks the places, services and relevant lot it can deliver.
- The team reads the actual participation conditions and required supporting evidence.
- The team distinguishes a planning record or award from a current invitation.
- The team follows the portal, format and deadline named in the notice.
What should happen after you find a relevant notice?
Read the original, establish the work and evidence, then follow the buyer’s stated response route.
- Before you start01
Use the current documents
Check the primary publication and later changes before using the sequence below. - Check 202
Open the current notice
Keep its identifier, source and publication date; look for updates. - Check 303
Read the linked documents
Check scope, lots, participation conditions and assessment. - Check 404
Record a reasoned decision
Compare preparation work with capacity and evidence gaps. - Follow through05
Follow the buyer’s service
Use the required portal or contact route and retain the actual deadline.
An editorial order of work, not a buyer's fixed timetable. The current notice and documents determine participation and submission.
Do you need an account or paid software?
GOV.UK says you can search and apply without an account; an account adds saved searches and email updates.
Buyer submission services may have their own registration requirements. RFP Quest’s search is another way to explore its retained notice corpus; it does not submit your response.
- Use the official search without a Contracts Finder account.
- An official service account can retain searches.
- An official service account can provide email updates.
- Decide separately where your team keeps its decisions, evidence and owners.
A search result becomes useful when the team checks the original notice.
The stage determines the next action
Keep future plans, invitations and awards separate.The official record remains the reference
Follow its documents and later changes.The buyer sets the response route
Finding a notice is not submitting a bid.
Read the original notice before deciding whether to prepare a response.
What else should you know about Contracts Finder UK?
Check these points before committing your team’s time.
Has Find a Tender replaced Contracts Finder for new notices?
Is Contracts Finder free?
Is Contracts Finder the same as Find a Tender?
Does RFP Quest submit my bid?
Where can you check the evidence?
Read the primary publication and the buyer’s current documents before acting.
| Source | What it supports |
|---|---|
| Cabinet Office: Contracts Finder transparency ↗ | Legacy applicability, commencement date and new notice publication route. |
| Cabinet Office: central digital platform ↗ | Find a Tender’s role under the Procurement Act. |
| GOV.UK: Contracts Finder ↗ | Service entry point, account functions and devolved service links; not used as the current publication-rule summary. |
| Contracts Finder: official search ↗ | Search and original contract publications. |
| GOV.UK: Find a Tender ↗ | Find a Tender service and other procurement routes. |
Which guide answers your next question?
Follow the part of the bid you need to work on next.
