How to find construction tenders in the UK (2026)

Published 30 October 2026

The main place to find UK public construction tenders is Find a Tender, which is free to search and covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Search it by CPV code (division 45 covers construction work), then filter by location and value. Also check Contracts Finder, the buyer's own portal, and Public Contracts Scotland or Sell2Wales if you work there.

Public bodies in the UK buy a lot of building work, and most of it has to be advertised in one place now. This guide covers where to look, what you should expect to find, and how to cut a long list down to the few worth pricing.

Where are public construction contracts advertised?

• Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) is the main one. Since the Procurement Act 2023 came in on 24 February 2025, it is part of the government's Central Digital Platform and carries both larger (above-threshold) and smaller (below-threshold) notices for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is free to search.
• Contracts Finder (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) still lists procurements that started under the old rules (the Public Contracts Regulations 2015) before 24 February 2025. Fewer new notices go there, but it remains useful for older frameworks and past award values.
• Scotland: below-threshold contracts are advertised on Public Contracts Scotland, not Find a Tender.
• Wales and Northern Ireland: Sell2Wales and eTendersNI are still worth a look alongside Find a Tender.
• The buyer's own portal. The notice tells you where the tender documents sit. Many councils and housing associations use their own e-tendering system, and you usually have to register there to download the pack.

Which construction contracts have to be published?

Under section 87 of the Procurement Act 2023, a public buyer that invites tenders for a "notifiable below-threshold contract" must publish a notice on the Central Digital Platform first. That means contracts worth £12,000 or more including tax for central government buyers (which includes NHS trusts), or £30,000 or more including tax for everyone else, such as councils. The buyer must also give a reasonable time to respond, the same for every supplier.

Above that sit the full-procedure thresholds. From 1 January 2026, the threshold for works contracts is £5,193,000 including tax.

Below-threshold public buyers covered by the Procurement Act 2023 also can't run a separate pre-qualification (suitability) stage to shortlist bidders, under section 85. The exception is works contracts worth £135,018 or more (central government buyers) or £207,720 or more (other buyers), from 1 January 2026, where a separate suitability stage is allowed. So on smaller building jobs in England you normally go straight to the tender. For Welsh buyers and frameworks, it can differ. Northern Ireland transferred authorities and Scottish buyers follow their own rules.

How much construction work is out there?

We counted notices in the official open data:

• 449 construction tender notices (CPV division 45, "construction work") were published on Find a Tender between 1 September and 28 October 2026. 183 of them were for under £500,000.
• On Contracts Finder, 603 of 1,315 construction contract awards (46%) between 1 July and 28 October 2026 went to small and medium-sized businesses.

So there is a steady flow of work at a size a small contractor can take on. The hard part is not finding notices. It is spotting the few that suit your business.

How do I search Find a Tender for building work?

1. Search by CPV code, not just keywords. Division 45 covers construction work. Narrower codes (for example roofing, electrical installation or painting) cut the noise. Keywords alone miss notices that use different wording.
2. Filter by location and value. Set the area you actually work in and a value range you could start on time without stretching your team or cash flow.
3. Look for the SME suitability marker. Buyers can flag notices as suitable for small businesses. Treat it as a hint, not a promise.
4. Run the same search every week so nothing slips past, and check Public Contracts Scotland or Sell2Wales too if you work there.
5. Read award notices as well as tenders. Awards show who won similar work, at what value, and when contracts end. A contract ending next spring is often advertised again.

Do I need to register on the Central Digital Platform?

Registration on Find a Tender is free. Since 1 April 2026, the winner of a notifiable below-threshold contract has to be registered on the platform and give the buyer its unique identifier before the buyer publishes the contract details. GOV.UK describes the registration as a short, one-off process. Do it before you bid, so it doesn't delay an award, and never pay anyone just to register you.

What other routes into public building work are there?

• Frameworks and dynamic markets. Many councils and housing groups buy through frameworks. Getting onto one can mean mini-competitions later without a full tender each time. Their notices also appear on Find a Tender.
• Subcontracting to main contractors. Larger public contracts are often won by main contractors who then buy in specialist trades. Their supply chain teams usually ask for accreditations such as an SSIP scheme or the Common Assessment Standard.

What should I check before I spend a week on a bid?

Small businesses told the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) that a bid takes on average five days to prepare, and only 5% get comprehensive, actionable feedback (FSB press release, 15 December 2025). So check these before you open the questions:

• Pass/fail items: insurance levels, accreditations, minimum turnover, references. If you can't meet one today, walk away.
• Fit: the location, value and start date suit your team.
• Evidence: two or three real examples of similar work for a similar client.
• Scoring: if price carries most of the weight, can you win on price and still make money?
• Time: enough days left to do it properly, including any site visit.

Questions

How do I get council building contracts?

A council in England or Wales that advertises building work worth £30,000 or more including tax has to publish a notice on the Central Digital Platform first, so search Find a Tender by CPV code (division 45 covers construction work) and set the area you work in. Many councils use their own e-tendering system for the documents, so register there too. On below-threshold building work worth under £207,720 (£135,018 for central government), a council in England can't run a separate pre-qualification stage, so you go straight to the tender. Above that, and for Welsh buyers and frameworks, it can differ.

Want us to do the sorting?

UK Tender Desk, from Your Evenings Ltd (that's us), is a one-off £149 diagnostic for small businesses. We look at live tenders on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, pick up to 5 that suit a business your size, and tell you what to fix before you bid. It arrives by email within 5 working days of your form, with no call. If it's late, you don't pay. If no live tender fits, we say so and why. See how UK Tender Desk works

Sources

• Find a Tender and Contracts Finder
• Procurement Act 2023, section 85 and section 87
• GOV.UK: Guidance: Below-Threshold Contracts (updated 13 July 2026; paragraphs 16–19 and 23–24)
• GOV.UK: PPN 023: 2026 Threshold Amounts
• The Procurement Regulations 2024, regulation 36A (supplier registration for below-threshold awards, from 1 April 2026)
• GOV.UK: Guidance: Central Digital Platform and Publication of Information
• FSB press release, 15 December 2025
• Our counts: Find a Tender and Contracts Finder open data (OCDS), counted by Your Evenings Ltd on 28–29 October 2026.

This guide summarises the official sources above. It isn't legal advice. Check the notice and tender documents for each contract.

Written with AI assistance by the Your Evenings team at Your Evenings Ltd. Last updated 31 October 2026.