Contracts Finder
The UK government portal for publishing public sector procurement opportunities above £12,000 and award notices for the same.
Definition
Contracts Finder is the UK government's primary portal for publishing public sector procurement opportunities above £12,000 for central government and £25,000 for the wider public sector. Publication is mandatory for in-scope central government contracts and widely used by local authorities, NHS trusts, and other public bodies for sub-threshold opportunities and below-FTS-threshold work. Contracts Finder also hosts award notices, contract awards, and historical procurement data going back years.
How it works in practice
Contracts Finder is operated by the Cabinet Office and is the single UK-wide register for sub-FTS-threshold public sector procurement. The data model is OCDS (Open Contracting Data Standard) compatible, which is what allows third-party monitoring tools (including KimonBids) to ingest the feed via the public API. The portal lists planned, open, and awarded contracts. For suppliers the value lies in two things: an early-warning channel for upcoming work via "planned" or "pipeline" notices, and an analytical record of who has been winning what kind of work across local government and central government. The free public search interface lets suppliers filter by location, value band, CPV code, and buyer; but the search UX is basic and unsuitable for monitoring at scale. KimonBids ingests the Contracts Finder API directly and surfaces matching opportunities through saved alerts, so suppliers see every notice that matches their saved criteria without needing to visit the portal daily. Contracts Finder coexists with Find a Tender (the high-value FTS-threshold portal), Sell2Wales, and Public Contracts Scotland; a single opportunity above the FTS threshold is published on both Contracts Finder and Find a Tender.
Common questions
What is the threshold value for publishing on Contracts Finder?
Central government must publish on Contracts Finder for opportunities above £12,000 (including VAT). Other public sector bodies must publish for opportunities above £25,000. Both above-threshold and below-FTS-threshold opportunities are typically published. The Procurement Act 2023 has revised some thresholds; check the current Cabinet Office guidance.
Is Contracts Finder the same as Find a Tender?
No. Contracts Finder is the UK-wide register for sub-FTS-threshold opportunities (and many above-threshold ones too). Find a Tender (FTS) is the dedicated portal for opportunities above the FTS threshold, replacing OJEU after Brexit. Above-threshold opportunities are commonly cross-posted on both portals.
How current is Contracts Finder data?
New notices typically appear within hours of publication by the buyer. Award notices can lag by days to weeks depending on the buyer's internal process. The public API is updated in near real time. KimonBids polls the API frequently so saved alerts surface new opportunities within an hour of publication.