How to find out about local and national opportunities
There are plenty of contracts to bid for across the North West as well as nationwide but finding out about them can be a little tricky. This is why we have put together a list of websites that provide access to tender invitations across the region and beyond to save you time and hassle.
This is by no means an exhaustive list but an outline of some of the main procurement portals available to you.
Supply2Gov
TED
North West Local Authorities
Opportunities across North England
Central Government Opportunities
Sector specialist opportunities
NHS and other healthcare opportunities
Opportunities related to major sporting events
Supply2Gov
Supply2Gov is the only official government lower-value contract opportunity portal, created specifically to provide small businesses with visibility of public sector contract opportunities typically below £100,000. It is free for public sector buyers to advertise contract opportunities and private sector suppliers can search the listed opportunities free of charge via the Online Contract Search. Additionally you can sign up for Contract Alert which is a subscription based service providing tailored alerts directly to your inbox. Visit supply2.gov.uk to register.
TED (Tenders Electronic Daily)
TED is the online version of the 'Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)', dedicated to European public procurement. Public procurement in the UK and European Union is governed by a number of Directives and Regulations and all tender opportunities above a certain monetary threshold must be published in the OJEU. TED provides free access to business opportunities. It is updated five times a week with approximately 1500 public procurement notices from the European Union, the European Economic Area and beyond. Register on the TED website for free to get started or contact the Enterprise Europe Network for further advice and support.
North West Local Authorities
The Chest
The Chest has been created with funding from the North West Centre of Excellence to bring together buyers and suppliers making it easier for businesses to find out about new sources of potential revenue and to grow and develop to the benefit of the local economy.
Local Authorities in the North West currently spend between £6bn and £6.5bn each year on goods and services so they could provide long-term stability for local businesses. Visit the Chest online to find tender opportunities above and below the OJEU threshold offered by North West Local Authorities.
Individual Local Authorities
Companies might also want to contact individual Local Authorities or check their websites as Local Authorities in the Northwest may also publish tenders on their own websites. These websites might also include additional information on the Council’s procurement strategy and procedures. Some examples are provided below.
Bolton Council opportunities
Liverpool City Council opportunities
Warrington Borough Council opportunities
Knowsley Council opportunities
Opportunities across North England
Below are some examples of other sites providing access to contract opportunities across the North of England.
Northwest Regional Development Agency tender opportunities
North East of England tender opportunities
Central England tender opportunities
Yorkshire Local Authorities tender opportunities
Central Government opportunities
Some examples of Central Government procurement sites are listed below. Central Government typically advertises through TED and Supply2.gov which are listed at the top of this page. Another procurement portal is Buying Solutions which is an Executive Agency of the Office of Government Commerce in the Treasury and provides an excellent starting point for suppliers new to the public sector procurement process. Visit the Buying Solutions website to find out more.
Other Central Government sites advertising tendering opportunities include:
Home Office tender opportunities
The Department for Work and Pensions tender opportunities
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office tender opportunities
Department for International Development tender opportunities
Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) - This programme provides business opportunities for innovative companies whilst solving the needs of government departments.
Ireland – eTenders.gov.ie
Northern Ireland tender opportunities – NI Business Info
Scotland tender opportunities – Public Contracts Scotland
Highland.gov.uk
Wales tender opportunities – Sell2Wales
Sector specialist opportunities
Some examples of public sector sites for specialist sectors:
Food Northwest – food and drink sector opportunities
Cirrus Tenders - housing sector opportunities
National Policing Improvement Agency
Forestry Commission
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Bluelight - tendering solutions for all emergency services
Construction Line - pre-qualification website charge applies from £90
NHS and other healthcare opportunities
NHS opportunities in the North West
NHS healthcare opportunities - www.supply2health.nhs.uk
Department of Health opportunities
Major sporting events including the Olympic Games 2012
Please take a look at our sporting events procurement factsheet to find information about opportunities related to major sports events.
Access to help and support
If you would like to talk about tendering for contracts and how we could support your business, call the business adviser team on 0845 00 66 888 or use our contact us form.