Council tender portals: which ones to register on

Public bodies have to advertise larger contracts on the government's Find a Tender service. Smaller jobs, and the documents for bigger ones, are often on a council's own portal. Registering on the right ones is free and takes an evening.

The national services

• Find a Tender — the central service. Since the Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025, new opportunities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are published here.
• Contracts Finder — the older service, still used for procurements that started under the previous rules.
• ProContract — the system behind many council portals. One registration often lets you respond to several councils.

TendersNearMe searches Find a Tender, Contracts Finder and Public Contracts Scotland in one place, so you don't need to check them every day.

Regional and council portals

Not every council in an area uses the shared portal, so check each council's "selling to the council" or "procurement" page too.

How to register well

1. Use a shared inbox such as tenders@yourbusiness, so invitations aren't missed when someone's away.
2. Pick every category that fits. Portals use category codes (often CPV codes) to send alerts. Too few and you'll miss work.
3. Fill in your company profile fully — size, location and accreditations. Some buyers search profiles when they need quotes.
4. Upload standard documents once — insurance certificates and policies — where the portal allows it.
5. Note your logins. Many portals lock accounts that aren't used for a while.

Portal names and addresses change from time to time. Always check the council's own website.

Questions