Guides

How UK public sector buying actually works, written from the published record rather than from theory.

• How to find UK contracts before they go to tender

  Work backwards from the contract end date. UK buyers publish it on the contract details notice when they award, and it is the earliest reliable signal that a piece of work will come back to market.

• What a framework agreement is, and whether to bother

  A framework is a pre-approved list of suppliers a buyer can call off from without running a full tender each time. Getting on one is permission to compete, not a guarantee of work.

• How long a UK public tender takes, from notice to award

  Expect thirty days minimum from notice to submission, and commonly two to six months from notice to award. The bigger the contract, the longer everything takes.