Contracts Finder: Complete Guide
What Contracts Finder covers, how to search and set up alerts effectively, and why it's essential alongside Find a Tender for full UK market coverage.
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What is Contracts Finder?
Contracts Finder is the UK government's portal for below-threshold public procurement. Unlike Find a Tender — which covers high-value contracts above the procurement thresholds — Contracts Finder is where smaller public sector contracts are advertised.
Central government bodies must publish contracts over £10,000. Local authorities, NHS bodies, housing associations, universities, and other public sector organisations must publish contracts over £30,000. These are the transparency thresholds under the Procurement Act 2023.
Contracts Finder launched in 2012 and is operated by the Cabinet Office. It's free for suppliers to use, and creating an account lets you set up email alerts for new opportunities matching your criteria.
Importantly, many above-threshold contracts also appear on Contracts Finder in addition to Find a Tender. This means Contracts Finder provides a reasonably complete picture of all UK public procurement advertising in a single place — though it's not a substitute for monitoring FTS directly for above-threshold work.
What's published on Contracts Finder
Contract opportunities
Central government contracts over £10,000 and other public sector contracts over £30,000 that haven't reached the above-threshold level requiring FTS publication.
Above-threshold contracts (also)
Contracts that appear on Find a Tender are usually also published to Contracts Finder. So Contracts Finder is a near-complete picture of all UK public procurement advertising.
Award notices
When contracts are awarded, buyers must publish an award notice on Contracts Finder within 90 days. These show who won, the value, and the duration — useful market intelligence.
Sub-contractor opportunities
Prime contractors who win government contracts can advertise sub-contract opportunities through Contracts Finder. If you're targeting second-tier work, this is worth monitoring.
How to search Contracts Finder effectively
The quality of your search setup determines the quality of your pipeline. Here's how to configure Contracts Finder for useful results.
Search by category, not just keyword
Contracts Finder allows filtering by procurement category — a broad taxonomy of service types. While not as precise as CPV codes, combining category filters with keywords narrows results more reliably than keyword alone.
Filter by buyer organisation
If you've identified target buyers — a specific council, NHS trust, or government department — search by their organisation name. Review their recent awards to understand typical contract sizes and durations.
Use the supplier registration and alerts
Creating a free supplier account on Contracts Finder enables email alerts for new opportunities matching your saved criteria. Set these up for your primary categories and review them regularly.
Monitor award notices for market intelligence
Award notices tell you who won a contract, the value, and how long it runs. This tells you when a contract is likely to come back to market (allowing you to prepare), who the incumbent is, and what price range to expect.
Check location filters
Many below-threshold contracts are local or regional. Filtering by region or postcode proximity is more relevant for service delivery contracts than for goods or software — but it's a useful way to reduce noise if you only serve specific areas.
Contracts Finder vs Find a Tender
The two portals serve different parts of the market. Here's when each one applies.
| Contracts Finder | Find a Tender (FTS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Contract value | £10k–£139,688 (central gov) / £30k–£214,904 (other) | Above £139,688 (central gov) / £214,904 (other) |
| Mandatory advertising | Yes, for above-threshold contracts | Yes, for above-threshold contracts |
| CPV code search | No (category-based) | Yes |
| Sub-contract opps | Yes | No |
| Award notices | Required within 90 days | Required within 30 days |
The practical answer: use both
For comprehensive UK public sector market coverage, monitor both Contracts Finder and Find a Tender. Below-threshold contracts often represent strong revenue opportunities with lower competition. Don't leave that market to your competitors.
Frequently asked questions
What is Contracts Finder?▼
What's the difference between Contracts Finder and Find a Tender?▼
Is Contracts Finder free?▼
How current is the data on Contracts Finder?▼
Can I find sub-contract opportunities on Contracts Finder?▼
Are there contracts that should be on Contracts Finder but aren't?▼
How do I set up alerts on Contracts Finder?▼
RevnIQ
Both portals. Every opportunity. Zero manual effort.
RevnIQ monitors Contracts Finder, Find a Tender, and more — scoring every contract against your profile so you only see the opportunities that actually fit.