Tender for public sector contracts in Great Britain and Ireland

Many public sector organisations - particularly local authorities - have approved lists of potential suppliers to tender for contracts. They must review these regularly to include new suppliers and check current suppliers are providing value for money.

UK wide opportunities

There are also a number of websites you may wish to visit to expand your search to public sector opportunities outside of Northern Ireland:

• for public sector contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT) in England and with non-devolved bodies, search Contracts Finder
• for high value public sector contracts in the UK, usually above £139,688, search Find a Tender
• for UK public sector tender opportunities for digital services visit the Digital Marketplace
• for tender opportunities with schools, universities, local councils, visit YPO
• for tender opportunities with the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, visit the DEFRA eSourcing portal
• for opportunities with the Ministry of Defence, visit the Defence Sourcing Portal
• for tender opportunities with the UK National Health Service, visit the NHS Procurement Portal
• for UK-wide opportunities in further education, academies and free schools visit the Crescent Purchasing Consortium
• the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) presents specific challenges faced by the public sector across the UK and offers funding for innovative products or solutions
• for information on selling goods and services to UK public sector buyers, see the Crown Commercial Service

Opportunities in England

For public sector tender opportunities in England search Contracts Finder which advertises government and agency contracts over £12,000 (including VAT) in value.

Local authorities in England are organised by region, each with a tendering portal:

• South West of England - Supplying the South West
• South East of England - South East Business Portal
• North West of England, including Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds - Chest
• North East of England - North East Procurement Organisation portal (NEPO)
• East Midlands of England - East Mids Tenders
• London Borough - London Tenders Procurement Portal

In addition, many universities and further education colleges have formed purchasing consortiums, with online tendering portals:

• London Universities Purchasing Consortium
• North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium
• North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium
• Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium
• Further Education Colleges
• Higher Education Procurement Assosiation (HEPA)
• Education & Training Foundation 

For public and private sector tender opportunities linked to capital projects in England (including buyers such as Transport for London, Crossrail and the Metropolitan Police Service) see CompeteFor.

For tender opportunities with police and fire and rescue services in England and Wales, see Bluelight.

Opportunities in Scotland

For all public sector tender opportunities (both central and local government) in Scotland visit Public Contracts Scotland.

Opportunities in Wales

For all public sector tender opportunities (both central and local government) in Wales visit Sell 2 Wales.

Opportunities in Ireland

For all public sector tender opportunities (both central and local government) in the Republic of Ireland visit eTenders.

The Office of Government Procurement is a useful source to gather information on supplying to the government.

Organisations offering access to procurement opportunities

Some organisations charge a small fee to access a wide range of public sector tendering portals and search for contracts on your behalf.

Invest Northern Ireland's Tender Alert Service offers businesses access to thousands of public sector tender opportunities, with contract values starting from £30,000, for a subscription fee.