The market
What the public sector buys, and how it buys it
We read every notice public buyers publish on the UK government's central contract portals. Here is what three months of that data shows.
Source: Tender Ladder analysis of every notice published on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, 13 July to 9 October 2026.
contract notices published, from planned work to tenders and awards
new tenders, from 1,590 different public buyers
contracts awarded
early notices of work being planned, before any tender
How contracts are awarded
45% of contracts are awarded without an advertised tender
Of the 19,776 awards where the buyer said how it chose the supplier, 45% went by invited quote or direct award. Some of that is call-offs from existing frameworks, but the award notices also show which buyers regularly ask firms to quote, and that's a list worth getting on.
Size and access
More of it is within reach than most firms expect
of tenders that said so were marked as suitable for small businesses
of tenders with a published value were worth £250,000 or less
were worth £100,000 or less
new tenders were for building and construction works, and 46% of those with a value were worth £250,000 or less