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UK supplier guide

Free RFP Software UK:
A Free RFP Database, Not a Trial

UK public procurement notices are free to search. RFP Quest’s public search needs no account; finding a notice does not remove the cost of preparing a response.

Search public notices free →

Checked against primary sources8 sources linked below

  1. Search the official source

    This guide’s primary sources

  2. Choose a place for the record

    This guide’s primary sources

  3. Keep evidence beside requirements

    This guide’s primary sources

  4. Count the team's time

    This guide’s primary sources

  1. The notices are public

    Start with the official sources.

    This guide’s primary sources

  2. The response costs time

    Calculate it with your own assumptions.

    This guide’s primary sources

  3. A plan needs an exit route

    Check feature limits and export terms.

    This guide’s primary sources

What can you do with free RFP software today?

Find public notices and organise work yourself; check every service’s actual feature limits.

A free trial expires; a free plan has ongoing limits.

This page promises free public search, not a RFP Quest free member tier, unrestricted exports or automated submissions.

  1. RFP Quest’s public list needs no account.

    Public search

  2. Find a Tender is the government publication service.

    GOV.UK

  3. Check the official service’s account and notification options.

    Find a Tender

  4. A spreadsheet still needs an owner and source records.

    Bid workflow

Which free route meets the job you need done?

Compare search and record-keeping separately, with unchecked features labelled.

The comparison uses official publication-service information and the practical capabilities of a manually maintained spreadsheet; unknown cells are not guessed.

What do you need?

GOV.UK service

Find a Tender

2 of 4 fully

  • Search UK public noticesYesEvery notice under the Procurement Act, above and below threshold.
  • Email alerts on new noticesYesWith a GOV.UK One Login: save search criteria and get email notifications.
  • Notices matched to what you doNoYou search; it does not match notices to a company profile.
  • A board for the bids you are chasingNoIt is a publication service, not a bid tracker.

GOV.UK service

Contracts Finder

1 of 4 fully, 1 partly

  • Search UK public noticesPartlyOpportunities from £12,000; since 24 Feb 2025, mainly procurements begun under the old rules.
  • Email alerts on new noticesYesCreate an account to get email updates and save searches.
  • Notices matched to what you doNoSaved searches, not a profile match.
  • A board for the bids you are chasingNoIt is a publication service, not a bid tracker.

Sheets or Excel, by hand

Spreadsheet

1 of 4 fully

  • Search UK public noticesNoYou still need a source of notices to copy in.
  • Email alerts on new noticesNoNothing arrives unless you put it there.
  • Notices matched to what you doNoYour own judgement, row by row.
  • A board for the bids you are chasingYesA sheet works as a board if the team keeps it up.

How do you build a useful free workflow before paying for software?

Use the official services for discovery and a clear record for the work they leave with the team.

  1. Start with the source01

    Search the official source

    Use the publication service for the opportunity and keep its original notice link.
  2. Define the scope02

    Choose a place for the record

    A simple shared document or spreadsheet can hold owners, dates and the bid decision.
  3. Read the evidence03

    Keep evidence beside requirements

    Retain the documents and version the team used to prepare each answer.
  4. Make the decision04

    Count the team's time

    Free access does not remove the staff effort needed to read and prepare a response.
  5. Name the next action05

    Buy for a demonstrated gap

    Consider a paid product when a specific workflow problem is costing more than the product would address.

A supplier’s review sequence, based on the primary sources below. It is not a measured outcome or a prescribed buyer timetable.

What does a free notice search give a real supplier?

A starting point for checking the relevant lot, stage and deadline.

Northumbrian Water’s FA08-31 notice can be read publicly, including its £120 million estimated framework value excluding VAT.

The supplier must still read the relevant lot and the documents; the 3 November 2026 noon deadline is for expressions of interest.

Public example checked 12 October 2026, not a customer or recommendation; Northumbrian Water · 095006-2026.

  1. Notice published

    The public source is available to read.

    Northumbrian Water · 095006-2026

  2. Express interest

    Read the requested stage and current instructions.

    Northumbrian Water · 095006-2026

  3. Planned start

    Not guaranteed supplier revenue.

    Northumbrian Water · 095006-2026

What does a free tool leave your team to pay for?

Your preparation time, plus any software or outside costs you choose.

This calculator multiplies your hours, hourly cost and bids; it does not estimate product savings or include external fees.

Your bid effort

Starting figures are an illustration, not a measured average or a saving promised by RFP Quest.

Preparation cost per bid£2,000

£4,000 and 80 team hours each month if you prepare every bid.

Team hours × hourly cost × bids

Use the estimate to decide how much work to authorise before drafting starts.
It excludes software fees and external costs.

£2,000one bid
  • This bid£2,000
  • Other bids this month£2,000
A planning estimate from the figures you entered, not measured savings or contract value.
Source: Your inputs · Bid effort calculation

Where should you search for UK public opportunities?

Check the applicable public register and the buyer’s own response instructions.

Official registers

  1. Find a Tender

    The central digital platform for Procurement Act notices.

    GOV.UK

  2. Contracts Finder

    Relevant for procurements under earlier regulations.

    PPN 019

  1. The central digital platform for Procurement Act notices.

    GOV.UK

  2. Relevant for procurements under earlier regulations.

    PPN 019

  3. Check the notifiable contract and publication rules.

    Cabinet Office

  4. Do not assume one register describes every devolved procurement route.

    Act · scope

When is a spreadsheet enough for a bid team?

When the team can maintain the evidence, dates and ownership it needs.

What work must the team control?

  • Occasional simple response

    A shared sheet can record notice link, requirement, owner and date if the team keeps it current.

  • Repeated coordinated bids

    Assess whether the volume justifies dedicated workflow support, permissions and retained decisions.

What should you check before putting work into a free plan?

The limits, exit route and cost of the team’s manual work.

Check the terms

  1. Duration

    Find the difference between a trial and a continuing plan.

    Tool comparison

  2. Export

    Ask how to recover notes and responses, not just public notices.

    Data policy

  1. Find the difference between a trial and a continuing plan.

    Tool comparison

  2. Ask how to recover notes and responses, not just public notices.

    Data policy

  3. Name who maintains each deadline and requirement.

    Work organisation

  4. Keep the original notice beside copied details.

    Original register

How do you start without buying more software?

Search a real notice, verify the scope, then budget a response your team can own.

  1. Before you start01

    Use the current documents

    Check the primary publication and later changes before using the sequence below.
  2. Check 202

    Search the notice

    Use a free official register or the public list.
  3. Check 303

    Keep the source

    Save the original URL and current documents.
  4. Check 404

    Record the work

    List requirements, dates and owners.
  5. Follow through05

    Review the cost

    Use actual hours before paying for an extra tool.

An editorial order of work, not a buyer's fixed timetable. The current notice and documents determine participation and submission.

Free access still needs a team that owns the work.

  1. The notices are public

    Start with the official sources.

  2. The response costs time

    Calculate it with your own assumptions.

  3. A plan needs an exit route

    Check feature limits and export terms.
Search public notices free →

No account is needed for public search; check the original notice before preparing a response.

What else should you know about free RFP software?

Check these points before committing your team’s time.

Is there truly free RFP software?
Yes — in two forms. The two government services, Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, let you search UK public notices and set up email alerts with an account. Spreadsheets are free and do whatever you have time to do by hand. RFP Quest does not yet have a free plan or sign-up; its live tender search is free to use without an account. What free usually does not include is volume, export and AI drafting.
Is there a free RFP database?
For UK public sector work, yes: every notice published on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder is public. RFP Quest's tender search reads both into one list, and searching it is free, without an account.
What's the difference between a free trial and a free plan?
A free trial gives full access for a limited time, then asks for payment. A free plan is permanently free but restricted — by features, usage or users. Freemium is a free plan with paid tiers above it. RFP Quest offers neither yet: there is no sign-up, trial or free plan open.
Which RFP tools have a free trial?
Many paid RFP tools offer a trial or a demo, and the terms change often, so read the vendor's own pricing page on the day. We do not list other vendors' plans here because we could not open their pricing pages on the date this page was reviewed. RFP Quest has no trial and no sign-up open yet.
What does RFP Quest's free tier include?
There is no RFP Quest free tier yet: sign-up is not open. What is open today is the live tender search: notices from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder in one list, searchable without an account. Member alerts are not included in this public search. Nothing beyond that search is promised on this page.
Can free RFP software handle government tenders?
It can find them — the notices are public and free. Where free tools run out is the work after: compliance tracking against every requirement, team coordination, and a record of what you submitted. For an occasional simple tender, free tools and a spreadsheet can be enough; for a steady flow of public sector bids, you will want something that tracks requirements and deadlines for you.
What happens to my data if I stop using a free tool?
It depends on the provider, so check before you start. The notices themselves stay public on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, but anything you have saved, tagged or written in a tool is only as portable as that tool lets it be. The general rule for any tool: know how you get your work out before you put it in.
Where are UK public sector RFPs published?
Under the Procurement Act 2023, on Find a Tender — above and below threshold — once a below-threshold contract is notifiable: from £12,000 for central government and £30,000 for other buyers (Cabinet Office guidance). Contracts Finder carries procurements begun under the old regulations (PPN 019) and still some new notices. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have their own portals.

Where can you check the evidence?

Read the primary publication and the buyer’s current documents before acting.

SourceWhat it supports
Northumbrian Water official notice ↗Public worked example checked 12 October 2026.
Find a Tender service ↗opened 29 Sep 2026: with a GOV.UK One Login you can register a supplier organisation, save search criteria and sign up for notifications by email.
GOV.UK — Contracts Finder ↗opened 29 Sep 2026 (page updated 9 Sep 2026): you can create an account to get email updates and save searches, and search and apply without one.
Cabinet Office — PPN 019, publishing on Contracts Finder ↗opened 29 Sep 2026: the guidance applies only to procurements commenced under the Public Contracts Regulations; new below-threshold opportunities must be advertised on Find a Tender.
Cabinet Office — below-threshold contracts guidance ↗opened 29 Sep 2026: the below-threshold tender notice goes on the central digital platform and replaces the old duty to publish only on Contracts Finder; notifiable from £12,000 (central government) and £30,000 (other buyers).
The Procurement Act 2023 (Threshold Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, S.I. 2025/1200 ↗opened 29 Sep 2026: from 1 January 2026, £135,018 (central government) and £207,720 (other buyers) for goods and services.
find-tender.service.gov.uk · Primary service ↗Primary publication or provider reference retained from the previous page. Check current wording before acting.
gov.uk · contracts finder ↗Primary publication or provider reference retained from the previous page. Check current wording before acting.
gov.uk · find tender ↗Primary publication or provider reference retained from the previous page. Check current wording before acting.
gov.uk · update to legal requirements to publish procurement information on contract ↗Primary publication or provider reference retained from the previous page. Check current wording before acting.
gov.uk · guidance below threshold contracts html ↗Primary publication or provider reference retained from the previous page. Check current wording before acting.
legislation.gov.uk · contents ↗Primary publication or provider reference retained from the previous page. Check current wording before acting.
legislation.gov.uk · made ↗Primary publication or provider reference retained from the previous page. Check current wording before acting.
Follow the current primary publication for its scope and any later changes. Calculators use your inputs, not measured savings.

Follow the part of the bid you need to work on next.

RFP Quest logo — RFP software, RFP platform and RFP tools

Built on published notices from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder.

15 minutes · RFP Quest

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