Low value council contracts: how smaller work gets bought
Plenty of council work is too small for a full tender. Under £30,000, a council doesn't have to publish a notice on Find a Tender before it asks for quotes, so this work is easy to miss. This guide covers how councils buy smaller work and how a small business gets in front of it.
The three bands
| Contract value (including tax) | What the Procurement Act requires |
|---|---|
| Under £30,000 | No below-threshold tender notice. The council follows its own rules for how it buys. |
| £30,000 up to the threshold (£207,720 for goods and services, £5,193,000 for works) | If the council advertises, it publishes a below-threshold tender notice first, and a contract details notice after the award. |
| At or above the threshold | Most of the Procurement Act applies, including minimum time limits. |
Our guide to below-threshold tenders covers the middle band in more detail.
How councils find suppliers for smaller work
- Quotes from suppliers they know. A council can ask one or more targeted suppliers for quotes without publishing a notice, as long as it doesn't advertise the contract another way.
- Their own website or portal. Smaller contracts are often advertised on the council's own procurement pages.
- Local suppliers. Councils in England can reserve competitions for below-threshold contracts to suppliers based in the UK or a defined local area.
- No separate pre-qualification stage. When a council invites tenders for a contract below the threshold, it can't run a separate suitability stage first. It can still check suitability when it decides the award. Devolved Welsh councils and frameworks can differ.
How to get in front of it
- Register on the Central Digital Platform. It's free, and a buyer must confirm your registration before it publishes the contract details notice, so register before you bid.
- Register on each council's supplier portal, if it uses one.
- Read the contracts register. Councils in England publish details of every contract worth more than £5,000 each quarter, including the supplier and the dates. That shows who does the work now and when it ends.
- Watch the advertised tenders. Councils in England also publish details of every invitation to tender worth more than £5,000 each quarter.
- Save a search on Find a Tender for councils near you, for the contracts worth £30,000 or more.
Questions
Do councils have to advertise contracts under £30,000?
No. The Procurement Act's notice rule for councils in England and Wales starts at £30,000 including tax. Below that, each council follows its own rules, which may mean asking a few suppliers for quotes.
How do I find out what a council has bought before?
Councils in England publish details of every contract worth more than £5,000 each quarter under the Local Government Transparency Code 2015, including the supplier, the value and the dates.
Can a council keep smaller contracts for local businesses?
Councils in England can reserve competitions for below-threshold contracts to suppliers based in the UK or a defined local area, following GOV.UK guidance.
Want a shortlist done for you?
UK Tender Desk, from Your Evenings Ltd (that's us), is a done-for-you tender shortlist for small businesses in construction trades, training, transport, care, cleaning and catering. We look at live tenders on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder and pick the ones that suit a business your size. See how UK Tender Desk works
Sources
- GOV.UK: Guidance: Below-Threshold Contracts (updated 13 July 2026; read 31 October 2026) (paragraphs 15, 16, 23 and 39)
- GOV.UK: Guidance: Thresholds (read 31 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Local government transparency code 2015 (paragraphs 27, 31 and 32)
- The Procurement Regulations 2024, regulation 36A (supplier registration, from 1 April 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.