Find a Tender Service (FTS): Complete Guide
What FTS is, how it replaced OJEU, how to search effectively for contracts, and where it falls short as a tool for suppliers.
£139,688+
Central gov threshold for FTS advertising
£214,904+
Sub-central authority threshold
30 days
Maximum time for award notice after signing
25 days
Minimum open procedure response period
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What is Find a Tender Service?
Find a Tender Service (FTS) is the UK government's official portal for above-threshold public procurement. It's where UK contracting authorities — central government, local councils, NHS bodies, and other publicly-funded organisations — must publish Contract Notices, Award Notices, and other required publications for contracts above the procurement thresholds.
FTS launched in January 2021, replacing the EU's OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union) system for UK procurement following Brexit. Before Brexit, UK contracting authorities published to OJEU. Now, they publish to FTS — which in turn notifies international partners under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).
FTS is operated by the Cabinet Office and is free to use for both buyers and suppliers. You can search and browse without an account; creating a free account allows you to save searches and receive email alerts.
How to search FTS effectively
FTS has a search interface that can be used in several ways. Here's how to get the best results.
Search by CPV code
CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) codes are the most reliable way to filter relevant contracts. Enter the 8-digit CPV code for your sector in the classification field. You can enter multiple codes separated by commas. See our CPV Codes guide for the full taxonomy.
Use keyword search carefully
FTS keyword search searches the contract title and description fields only. Buyers use inconsistent language — a contract for 'management information system' might be titled 'MIS', 'data management', or 'business intelligence platform'. Keyword-only searching misses a significant proportion of relevant contracts.
Filter by buyer type
FTS lets you filter by contracting authority type — central government, local authority, NHS, etc. If you're targeting a specific sector, narrow here to reduce noise.
Set saved searches and alerts
You can create a free FTS account and save searches. FTS will email you when new notices match your saved criteria. Set these up once and check them regularly — don't rely on manually visiting the portal.
Check notice types
FTS publishes different notice types: Prior Information Notices (advance warning of upcoming contracts), Contract Notices (active competitions), and Award Notices (published after a contract is signed). Monitoring Contract Notices is your priority, but Prior Information Notices give you earlier visibility.
Use the buyer directory
FTS has a directory of contracting authorities. If you know which buyers are most likely to need your services, find them in the directory and monitor their notices directly.
Limitations of FTS
FTS is a public register — it's comprehensive for its scope, but it's not a complete procurement intelligence tool. Understanding its limitations will help you build a better sourcing strategy.
Only above-threshold contracts
FTS only covers contracts above the procurement thresholds (£139,688 for central government, £214,904 for sub-central). Below-threshold opportunities — often worth significant revenue — are published on Contracts Finder instead.
No fit scoring
FTS returns contracts that match your search terms. It doesn't tell you whether a contract is a genuine fit for your business, whether you meet the financial standing requirements, or whether your chances of winning are realistic.
Keyword matching only
The native FTS search is based on keyword matching against notice text. Buyers use inconsistent terminology, and many relevant contracts use different language than you'd search for. AI-based tools that analyse the full contract text find opportunities FTS keyword search misses.
No historical intelligence
FTS shows current opportunities. It doesn't easily let you research historical awards to a particular buyer, understand the typical contract size, or see who won previous iterations — all of which are useful in deciding whether to bid.
UK-only
FTS covers UK public procurement. If you're bidding in the Republic of Ireland or across the EU, you'll need to monitor Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) separately.
FTS vs Contracts Finder: what's the difference?
| Find a Tender Service | Contracts Finder | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | Above-threshold contracts | Below-threshold contracts |
| Who must use it | All UK contracting authorities for above-threshold contracts | Central gov for contracts over £10k; other public bodies for contracts over £30k |
| Legislation | Procurement Act 2023 | Procurement Act 2023 (transparency obligations) |
| Search | CPV codes, keywords, buyer | Keywords, category, buyer |
| Free to use | Yes | Yes |
| Award notices | Required within 30 days | Required within 90 days |
You need both
FTS and Contracts Finder together give you the full picture of advertised UK public sector opportunities. Missing either means missing revenue. Most professional suppliers monitor both — or use a tool that aggregates both automatically.
Frequently asked questions
What is Find a Tender Service?▼
What replaced OJEU after Brexit?▼
Is FTS free to use?▼
How quickly must contracting authorities publish on FTS?▼
What's the minimum response time for an open procedure tender?▼
Does FTS replace Contracts Finder?▼
RevnIQ
Beyond what FTS can do alone.
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