How to get cleaning contracts from the public sector (UK, 2026)

Published 30 October 2026

Councils, schools, NHS trusts and government offices all need cleaning, and many of these contracts are advertised and awarded through open competition. A small cleaning business can win these contracts. It is not quick, though, and not every contract on the list is worth your time. This guide covers where to find them, what buyers ask for, and how to choose which ones to bid on.

Where public cleaning contracts are advertised

• Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) is the main place. Since the Procurement Act 2023 came in on 24 February 2025, it has been part of the government's Central Digital Platform, which carries both larger and smaller notices for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is free to search, and you can set up email alerts.
• Contracts Finder (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) still lists procurements that started under the old rules before 24 February 2025. It is useful for older contracts and for seeing what similar work was awarded for.
• Scotland has its own procurement rules and its own portal, Public Contracts Scotland.

For contracts worth at least £30,000 including tax (£12,000 for central government, which now includes NHS trusts), a buyer that advertises the contract has to publish a notice on the Central Digital Platform first, under section 87 of the Procurement Act. So advertised council and NHS cleaning contracts above those values in England, Wales and Northern Ireland should appear on Find a Tender. Schools are exempt from these below-threshold notice rules.

How many are there?

We counted Find a Tender notices whose main classification code is cleaning and hygiene services. Between 1 September and 28 October 2026 there were about 34 new cleaning tender notices a month. About 10 a month stated a value under £500,000. Notices that didn't state a value aren't in that figure, so the true number of smaller contracts may be higher.

Of the 45 cleaning contracts awarded on Contracts Finder between 1 July and 28 October 2026, 14 (31%) went to small and medium-sized businesses. That is a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide.

Compared with our other sectors, cleaning is a small market. Construction had about 224 notices a month in the same period, training about 60 and care about 122. A cleaning business should expect only a handful of contracts each month that suit its size and area.

How competitive are they?

Some award notices say how many bids each lot received. Across 21 cleaning lots with a published count, the median was 7 bids, and 19% had only one. Seven is more than in most of our sectors (construction's median was 2), so expect real competition on the contracts that look easiest.

For larger competitive tenders under £5 million, the contract award notice usually shows how many tenders came in and how many were from small businesses. Looking up past cleaning awards from the same buyer tells you what you are up against.

What buyers usually ask a cleaning business for

Every tender is different, so read the documents. These come up often:

• Registration on the Central Digital Platform. Before a contract is awarded, the buyer needs your registration and unique identifier. Since 1 April 2026 that also applies to smaller (below-threshold) contracts that need a published contract details notice. Registration is free. Our Central Digital Platform guide walks through it.
• A plan for TUPE. When a cleaning service moves from one contractor to another, or from in-house staff to a contractor, the existing cleaners' jobs may transfer to the new contractor on their current terms. GOV.UK uses exactly this example. Price the contract with that in mind and ask the buyer for the TUPE information.
• Insurance and health and safety. The notice sets the levels. For larger contracts, buyers can only test your legal and financial capacity and your technical ability, and only in ways that are proportionate to the contract.
• Quality answers. These are usually method, staffing, quality checks and contract management. Some notices also have a social value question. In our count of notices that published award criteria, 8 of 61 cleaning notices (13%) had a criterion with "social value" in its name or description. Our social value guide covers how to answer one.

Which ones to skip

A bid takes time. The FSB found that it takes small businesses five days on average to prepare a bid. Before you start, check:

1. Size. Can you staff every site from day one? A contract that would double your headcount is a big risk.
2. Location. Lots spread across a county may need travel you can't price in.
3. Time left. Under the Procurement Act, a larger open tender usually gets at least 25 days, and in some cases as few as 10. Smaller contracts only need a reasonable period. If the deadline is next week, you will be rushing.
4. Incumbent and TUPE. If a large workforce transfers, check you can take on the wage bill.
5. Fit with your evidence. If you have no similar contract to point to, a smaller lot is a better first win.

Before you spend a week on one

Pick fewer tenders and fit them better. One contract that suits a business your size is worth more than five rushed bids. See which cleaning contracts went to small businesses in our sector breakdown and how many bids tenders get.

Questions

How do I get council cleaning contracts?

Councils in England and Wales that advertise a cleaning contract worth £30,000 or more including tax have to publish a notice on the Central Digital Platform first, so save a Find a Tender search for cleaning in the areas you cover. For smaller council work, check each council's own website too. Register free on the Central Digital Platform, look up who holds the contract now in past award notices, and bid for the ones that suit a business your size.

Get a shortlist of the cleaning tenders worth your week

UK Tender Desk, from Your Evenings Ltd (that's us), is a one-off £149 diagnostic for small businesses in construction trades, training, transport, care, cleaning and catering. It's done for you. 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 what the diagnostic looks like · Get your tender shortlist for £149

Sources

• Find a Tender and Contracts Finder
• Procurement Act 2023, section 87 (below-threshold notices) and section 22 (conditions of participation)
• GOV.UK: Guidance: Below-Threshold Contracts
• The Procurement Regulations 2024, regulation 36A (supplier registration, from 1 April 2026)
• GOV.UK: Time periods guidance
• GOV.UK: Contract award notices and standstill guidance
• GOV.UK: Business transfers, takeovers and TUPE: when TUPE applies
• FSB press release, 15 December 2025
• Our counts: Find a Tender and Contracts Finder open data (OCDS), counted by Your Evenings Ltd on 30 October 2026. Sectors are by the buyer's main classification code. The cleaning samples are small.

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.