How long does a tender process take?

There's no single answer, because the buyer sets the timetable for each contract. What the Procurement Act 2023 does set are minimum time limits for the key stages. GOV.UK's guidance on time periods says there are mandatory minimum periods and no set maximum. Here are the stages of a UK public sector tender, the minimums that apply, and what they mean for your planning.

The stages at a glance

These are minimums. The buyer must have regard to things like the nature and complexity of the contract, the need for site visits, the need for subcontracting and the importance of avoiding unnecessary delay (section 54(1)), so many tenders give longer.

1. Before the tender: pipeline and planned notices

You can often see a tender coming. Buyers with large annual spend publish a pipeline notice (UK1) of contracts they plan to tender. A buyer can also publish a planned procurement notice (UK3) between 40 days and a year before the tender notice. If it does, it can cut the tendering period to 10 days. See our guide to tender notice types.

For your planning: when you see a planned procurement notice in your area of work, start getting ready then, not when the tender notice arrives.

2. Taking part: the participation period

In a competitive flexible procedure with a separate first stage, suppliers first ask to take part. The minimum participation period is 25 days, or 10 days if the buyer considers there's a state of urgency. Light touch contracts have no minimum.

3. Writing your bid: the tendering period

The tendering period runs from the day after the buyer invites tenders to the deadline. If tenders can be sent online and all the documents are provided at the start, the minimum is 25 days. Otherwise it's 30 or 35 days. GOV.UK's guidance says that where there are several tendering rounds, the minimum is expected to apply to each round, unless later tenders are simply updates.

For your planning: count back from the deadline and leave time for clarification questions, references and sign-off. If the timetable doesn't work for your business, our bid or no-bid guide helps you decide.

4. Evaluation

The Act doesn't set a time for the buyer to assess tenders. The tender documents often give an expected award date, but it can move.

5. Award and standstill

Before a competitively tendered contract is awarded, each bidder whose tender was assessed gets an assessment summary showing how it was assessed (section 50). The buyer publishes a contract award notice (UK6). For many contracts there's then a standstill period of at least 8 working days before the contract can be signed (section 51).

6. Contract details

After signing, the buyer publishes a contract details notice (UK7). Find a Tender says that for above-threshold contracts this is within 30 days of the contract being signed.

So how long, overall?

From tender notice to signed contract, a 25-day tendering period plus an 8-working-day standstill comes to more than a month before you add evaluation time. Light touch contracts and some other cases can be quicker. For smaller contracts, see our guide to below-threshold tenders. Always check the deadlines in the notice and tender documents, as they're the ones that apply.

For what happens between the stages and how bids are scored, see how to win public sector contracts and our guide to the Procurement Act 2023 for small businesses.

Questions

What is the minimum time to submit a tender?

Usually 25 days if tenders can be sent online and all the documents are provided at the start, under section 54 of the Procurement Act 2023. It can be 10 days in some cases, such as after a qualifying planned procurement notice, under a dynamic market or if urgent. Light touch contracts have no minimum, and nor do some tenders from buyers other than central government where only pre-selected suppliers are invited and the period is agreed with them.

How long is the standstill period?

For many contracts, at least 8 working days from the day the contract award notice is published, under section 51.

Is there a maximum time for a tender process?

No. GOV.UK's guidance says there are mandatory minimum time periods but no set maximum.

Want to know which tenders are worth your week?

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Sources

• Procurement Act 2023, section 54 (time limits), section 50 and section 51 (read 31 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: Guidance: Time Periods (read 31 October 2026)
• Find a Tender: notice types (read 31 October 2026)
• Procurement Act 2023, section 93 (pipeline notices) (read 31 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.