Free tender alerts or a done-for-you shortlist?
Free tender alerts and a done-for-you shortlist solve different problems. Alerts tell you what's been published. A shortlist tells you which of those tenders are worth your week. Many small businesses need both, at different times.
What free alerts do well
The official portals are free. On Find a Tender you can save a search and get an email when a new notice matches it. Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and the Northern Ireland portals have their own alerts. Our free tender alerts guide shows how to set them up.
Free alerts are the right choice if you:
- already know which buyers and contract types suit you
- have time each week to read notices and tender documents
- are comfortable deciding for yourself whether to bid
Where free alerts stop
An alert matches words and codes. It can't tell you whether you meet a tender's pass or fail conditions, whether the contract size suits a business your size, or whether you have the documents the buyer will ask for. That reading and deciding is the slow part, and it's where small businesses lose time on bids they were never likely to win.
What a done-for-you shortlist adds
UK Tender Desk is a one-off diagnostic for small businesses in construction trades, training, transport, care, cleaning and catering. You answer a short form, and we look at the live tenders for you and tell you which suit a business your size. If no live tender fits, we say so and why. It's £149 once, and nothing renews.
How to choose
- Use free alerts if you have the time and the tendering experience to sort notices yourself.
- Use a done-for-you shortlist if you're new to tendering, short of time, or tired of bidding on the wrong contracts.
- Use both if you want alerts running in the background and a clear verdict before you commit a week to a bid.
Written with AI assistance by the Your Evenings team at Your Evenings Ltd. Last updated 31 October 2026.