Find a Tender Service (FTS) is the UK government’s official portal for finding and applying for Public Contracts (High-value tenders), typically worth over £139,688. The portal was launched in 2021, and replaced Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) for UK contracts.

FTS features Public Contracts published in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is used by public buyers to advertise contracts, and by suppliers to access these opportunities.

What are Public Contracts (High-value tenders)?

Public Contracts make up around 34% of all contract opportunities in the UK, with Below-threshold Contracts (Low-value tenders) making the other 66%. The thresholds which determine if a contract is High or Low-value change biennially, and vary in value for goods, works and services. Details of current thresholds can be found on our ‘UK Public Procurement Thresholds‘ page.

Prior to 1 January 2021, high-value notices were published on TED – the official portal for active notices within the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). With the conclusion of Brexit, High-value notices from the UK are no longer advertised on the OJEU. UK businesses can, however, still bid for applicable high-value EU contracts.

Limitations of Find a Tender (FTS)

If you are planning to search for tenders using FTS, you should be aware of the following constraints and challenges you will encounter.

  • Only covers Public Contracts (High-value tenders) in the UK, which is 34% of the total market. For Below-threshold Contracts (Low-value Tenders), you have to also supplement searches with Contracts Finder, as well as a range of other regional/departmental portals.
  • Offers limited alert options for new or relevant opportunities, meaning you would miss opportunities and have to frequently conduct manual searches for tenders.
  • Has basic search filters, making it difficult to narrow results to the opportunities you want to see.
  • Does not have additional market intelligence features, making it difficult to conduct research.
  • Does not have any bid management tools, making it difficult to track your opportunity pipeline.
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Why use a tender alert service over Find a Tender (FTS)?

Tenders Direct goes beyond FTS and empowers your business to win public sector contracts.

  • Unlimited tender alerts for search keywords across all industries and sectors, tailored to your business’ unique requirements.
  • Total market awareness with 100% coverage of all High and Low-value tenders, ensuring you have access to the perfect opportunities.
  • Never miss a contract with our tender guarantee, eliminating your need to conduct manual searches.
  • Matchmaking magic from our Peer-Review Process and advanced filters, ensuring you only see the tenders relevant to your business.
  • Additional features such as Competitor Tracker and Opportunity Manager will help you better navigate the public sector marketplace.
  • Unbeatable support from your dedicated Account Manager, who will help you make the most of our systems and provide support whenever you need it.

 

Tenders Direct is your
complete tendering solution

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