Find a Tender is now the central home for UK public sector opportunities. If you've never used it, the interface can feel bureaucratic — but the process is straightforward once you know the steps. Here's how to search it and register to bid.
At a glance
- Find a Tender (FTS) is the central digital platform under the Procurement Act 2023, run by the Cabinet Office.
- You can search without an account; you only need to register when you want to bid.
- Registration is via GOV.UK One Login, after which you enter your organisation's details once.
- You reuse those details across bids with a share code — no re-keying the same information each time.
- Set up saved searches and email alerts so new opportunities come to you.
Step 1: Search the notices
Go to find-tender.service.gov.uk and select "Search" to see all current notices. You can then narrow the list by:
- Notice type (e.g. tender notices, planned procurement notices — see below)
- Suitability, including a filter for "Small and medium-sized enterprises"
- Contract location, to focus on your region
Apply your filters and update the results. You don't need an account for any of this — searching is open to everyone.
Step 2: Understand the notice types
The platform uses a set of standard notice types covering the whole procurement lifecycle. The ones suppliers watch most are:
- Pipeline notice — advance warning of large upcoming procurements
- Preliminary market engagement notice — the buyer is engaging the market before tendering
- Planned procurement notice — early notice of a specific upcoming tender
- Tender notice — the live opportunity you can bid on
- Contract award notice — who won, and the start of the standstill period
- Contract details notice — published after a contract is signed
Knowing the difference helps you act early. A pipeline or planned procurement notice is your cue to prepare; a tender notice is the one with a deadline. (See contract notices, PINs and early market engagement for the full set.)
Step 3: Register on the Central Digital Platform
When you find something to bid on, register your organisation. The platform breaks this into three steps:
- Register via GOV.UK One Login and create your organisation account.
- Enter your details — you'll need your Companies House number (or equivalent, such as a Charity Commission number) and registered address. The platform gathers core information including basic details, connected persons, qualifications, trade assurances, exclusions and financial information.
- Declare and share — generate a share code that hands your verified information to a buyer's system.
The point of this design is "enter once, reuse many times." You don't re-type your company information for every bid — you provide a share code, and the buyer's portal pulls in your details.
Step 4: Set up alerts
Rather than checking the site daily, save your searches and choose how often you want email alerts. That way, relevant notices land in your inbox as they're published.
Set the alerts wider than feels comfortable at first. A too-narrow saved search is the most common reason suppliers conclude there is "nothing out there" — buyers describe the same requirement in wildly different language, and a keyword that matches your own marketing copy will miss most of it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to search Find a Tender?
No. Searching is open to everyone. You only need to register when you want to bid for a contract.
How do I register on Find a Tender?
Register through GOV.UK One Login, then add your organisation's details (including your Companies House number and registered address). You then generate a share code to provide your information to buyers.
What is a share code?
A share code lets you reuse your registered organisation information across multiple bids, instead of re-entering it each time. You give the code to the buyer's system, which pulls in your details.
Can I get email alerts for new tenders?
Yes. Save a search on Find a Tender and set an alert frequency. Do the same on Contracts Finder and on the devolved portals that cover you — alerts are per-portal, not UK-wide.
Sources
- GOV.UK — How to use the central digital platform (enhanced Find a Tender)
- GOV.UK — Suppliers: how to register your organisation on Find a Tender
- Find a Tender — Notice types