Find a Tender Service (FTS)

Find a Tender Service, abbreviated as FTS, is the United Kingdom's online portal for publishing above-threshold public sector procurement opportunities. The platform replaced the UK's previous use of Tenders Electronic Daily for above-threshold procurement following Brexit, with FTS becoming the primary publication channel for major UK public contracts from January 2021. Find a Tender Service is operated by the UK Cabinet Office and provides comprehensive coverage of above-threshold UK procurement alongside complementary coverage from Contracts Finder for sub-threshold opportunities.

How Find a Tender Service operates

Find a Tender Service publishes contract notices, prior information notices, contract documents, award notices, modification notices, and other procurement publications required by UK procurement law. UK central government, local authorities, the National Health Service, schools and universities, utility companies, and other public sector entities all publish their above-threshold procurement on FTS. The platform provides standardised infrastructure that supports both UK and international supplier monitoring of UK opportunities.

The FTS interface supports search, filtering, and notification capabilities that allow systematic opportunity monitoring. Suppliers can search by keyword, location, value range, contract type, classification codes, and other criteria. Notification settings allow automated alerts when matching opportunities are published, with configurable filters supporting precise targeting. Free registration is available without geographic restrictions, allowing international suppliers to monitor UK opportunities on equal terms with UK domestic suppliers.

Find a Tender Service has been progressively modernised since launch. Initial versions of the platform faced criticism for usability gaps compared with the previous TED-based approach, with subsequent updates addressing the most significant issues. The transition to UK-specific platform infrastructure has also enabled introduction of UK-specific features that the EU-based predecessor could not provide. Continuing development addresses remaining usability gaps and adds new features supporting UK procurement policy implementation.

UK procurement thresholds for FTS publication

UK procurement thresholds determine when contracts must be published on Find a Tender Service. The thresholds broadly mirror the EU procurement directive thresholds, although UK thresholds are now set in pounds sterling rather than euros and are reviewed under UK domestic procedures. As of 2026, UK thresholds for central government supplies and services contracts stand at approximately one hundred thirty-eight thousand pounds, with works thresholds substantially higher and utilities thresholds also higher than classical procurement levels.

Above the relevant threshold, FTS publication is mandatory under UK procurement law. The Procurement Act 2023, which came into force in 2025, retained the threshold-based publication structure that operated under previous UK procurement regulations. Contracting authorities cannot use sub-threshold procedures for contracts above the thresholds, and threshold avoidance through artificial division of contracts is explicitly prohibited.

Below the FTS thresholds, UK procurement falls under different publication requirements. Contracts Finder publishes most sub-threshold UK public procurement, with thresholds calibrated below FTS levels to capture medium-value opportunities that would otherwise lack systematic publication. Very small contracts may be exempt from formal publication requirements, although many contracting authorities use Contracts Finder voluntarily even for opportunities below mandatory publication levels.

Find a Tender Service after Brexit

Find a Tender Service represents one of the most visible procurement-specific changes resulting from Brexit. Before Brexit, UK above-threshold procurement was published on Tenders Electronic Daily alongside procurement from EU member states. Brexit ended UK use of TED, requiring development of UK-specific publication infrastructure. The transition was completed in January 2021, with FTS becoming the operational replacement for TED publication of UK procurement.

The cross-border supplier landscape has changed correspondingly. EU suppliers can still bid for UK procurement under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, but they must monitor FTS rather than benefiting from TED's automatic coverage. UK suppliers face equivalent adjustment when bidding for EU procurement, needing to monitor TED for EU opportunities rather than receiving them through previous integrated systems. The practical effect on cross-border participation has been moderate, with continuing trade flows in both directions.

The Procurement Act 2023 modernised UK procurement law with a fresh framework that builds on but is no longer derived from EU procurement directives. The Act introduced procedural innovations, expanded transparency requirements, and provided new flexibility for contracting authorities. Find a Tender Service implementation has been adapted to support the modernised framework, with platform features increasingly diverging from EU equivalents to reflect UK-specific policy choices.

Strategic considerations for UK procurement participation

Suppliers focused on UK above-threshold procurement need systematic FTS monitoring as a baseline procurement intelligence capability. Manual checking of all published notices is impractical given the volume of UK procurement, with suppliers needing to use FTS notification features supplemented by procurement intelligence platforms that provide enhanced filtering, ranking, and analytics. The investment in monitoring infrastructure is justified by the volume and value of UK above-threshold procurement opportunity flow.

Cross-border suppliers entering UK procurement should recognise that FTS provides equal access regardless of supplier nationality. EU suppliers, US suppliers, and suppliers from other countries can register and monitor opportunities on FTS without geographic restrictions. The technical accessibility of FTS supports cross-border participation, although other practical considerations including UK presence, local references, and English language capability remain important for sustained UK procurement success.

Procurement intelligence platforms with strong UK coverage typically integrate FTS content with Contracts Finder, sectoral procurement portals, and ancillary UK procurement information sources. Platform integration provides more comprehensive UK coverage than FTS alone, supporting commercial strategies that combine above-threshold targeting with sub-threshold opportunity flow. Integration also supports cross-jurisdiction strategies for suppliers active in both UK and EU markets simultaneously.

Related terms

Contracts Finder: the UK platform for sub-threshold procurement.
Above-threshold Procurement: the regime requiring FTS publication.
Public Procurement: the broader activity that FTS supports.
Procurement Act 2023: the modernised UK procurement law framework.
Cross-border Procurement: supported by FTS open access.

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