Government Tenders

If your organisation is looking for business growth opportunities in public sector procurement, government tenders are a great place to start. Every year, government in the UK spends approximately £300 billion on procuring goods, works and services from external suppliers – across central government, local government, the NHS and other public bodies. Government relies on the competitive public sector supply market to keep services across the UK running; therefore, government contracts are a key area for businesses looking to expand, with plenty of lucrative opportunities.

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What are government contracts?

Government contracts are public sector tenders where either a department within UK central government or one of the devolved administrations – Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Assembly – is listed as the contracting authority or buyer of the goods, works or services in question. Everything that government buys needs to be bought through the public procurement process by way of a tender notice. This is in order that the expenditure of public money can be commercially justified, with the service received balancing public interest requirements such as value for money, quality and sustainability.

Government is a particularly attractive buyer for suppliers of all sizes and specialisms – not only because of the huge sums of money the government spends each year on procurement, but because it requires a vast range of goods, works and services across all industries and sectors. Whether your organisation can provide consultancy services, IT equipment or building works, chances are that central government will have a steady demand for whatever your organisation offers, and tender opportunities which you can realistically deliver.

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How can SMEs get government tenders?

The UK Government and the devolved administrations are keen to encourage new suppliers, particularly SMEs, to supply to them, either directly or as part of the wider supply chain. Measures put in place by central government are designed to support SMEs to bid for, win and successfully deliver government tenders, such as the target of spending fully £1 in every £3 of its procurement activities with SMEs by 2022.

This initiative was introduced in 2015, when 26% of UK central government spend was with SMEs, then an unprecedented £11.6 billion. By increasing that overall value spend with smaller businesses to at least 33%, the Government is recognising the immense contribution and innovation that SMEs bring to the UK economy every year.

Percentage by which S2G contract notice volumes exceed national government portals*

government tenders

* Source: Business Intelligence Research Team Jan 2017 – December 2017

Why the Public Sector is potentially your best customer 

If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably already identified the public sector as a reliable and lucrative market. There are many reasons for this, for example:

  • You will be paid and paid on time
  • It’s a transparent and non-discriminatory process
  • You will be treated fairly
  • If for any reason you’re not treated fairly, you have rights to information and rights to challenge.

While S2G contains contracts of all sizes, one of its strengths is its provision of lower value opportunities, which, especially when you’re an SME or are new to the public sector marketplace, are a great place to start your journey as a supplier…and remember, increasing the proportion of SMEs in public sector supply chains is Government policy.

In addition, the requirements for public bodies to publish lower value opportunities have been updated, and from 21st December 2022 central government authorities have to publish all of their contracts with a value equal to or in excess of £12,000 (inc VAT) and sub-central authorities (any public body that is not central government) have to publish all of their contracts with a value equal to or in excess of £30,000 (inc VAT).

This transparency means that you should find contracts that fit your ability to bid, win and deliver.

Current Government Tenders

UK-Uxbridge: Community health services.

Published: 17/07/2014 | Value: Not Disclosed | Buyer: London Borough of Hillingdon

Community health services. Health and social work services. Social services. Other community, social and personal services. Integrated and managed Community [...]

The Provision of Branded Merchandise for North Wales Child Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) School In-Reach Service

Published: 27/02/2024 | Deadline: 27/03/2024 | Value: Not Disclosed | Buyer: NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust)

Branded merchandise such as stress balls, pens, note books CPV: 22458000.

UK-London: Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services.

Published: 18/07/2014 | Value: Not Disclosed | Buyer: London Legacy Development Corporation

Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services. Architectural and related services. Advisory architectural services. Architectural design services. Urban areas mapping services. [...]

CEFAS24-18 ITT for technical advisory services on Sustainable Financing in Belize for the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP)

Published: 06/03/2024 | Deadline: 09/04/2024 | Value: Not Disclosed | Buyer: Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)

The Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) is funded through UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) as part of the UK's Blue [...]

UK-London: Sports facilities operation services.

Published: 06/11/2013 | Value: Not Disclosed | Buyer: London Legacy Development Corporation Level 10

Sports facilities operation services. Entertainment services. Sporting services. Event services. Cultural event organisation services. Sports-event organisation services. Cleaning and sanitation [...]

How to find government tenders

‘Meet the buyer’ events are a great way for SMEs and other businesses new to public sector procurement to start networking. These events are run across the UK every year and encourage all types of businesses to get involved and engage early with buyers. They also present an opportunity for larger buyers to learn about smaller businesses and the products, solutions and services they offer.

Meeting directly with important decision makers is one of the most effective ways to win government tenders and to build your connections within the market. They also give you an early insight into new tender opportunities coming up, long before the tender notices themselves are even published. Departments will advertise these events on their respective pages on www.gov.uk – make sure you put the dates in your diary.

 

How can Supply2Gov help you find tender opportunities?

The Supply2Gov service is designed to help organisations find, bid for and win tenders in the public sector. Our team of researchers comb through over 3000 unique sources of government contracts to send you tender alerts that are relevant to your organisation’s business interests. You will receive these tender alerts every day delivered straight to your inbox, saving your organisation valuable time and resource.

Registration to Supply2Gov is free, and you will receive instant access to tender opportunities in one region or location of your choice as soon as they become available. You will then have the option to add more locations if you wish to, with flexible packages to suit your business growth needs.

Start receiving tender alerts for government tenders today.

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Take out one of our country plans and you can add another country for 30% discount, add 2 more for 35%, add 3 for 40% or add 4 for 45%!

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Take out one of our country plans and you can add another country for 30% discount, add 2 more for 35%, add 3 for 40% or add 4 for 45%!

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