If you want to sell to UK councils, the NHS or government departments, there’s one place you must be registered: Find a Tender. Since the Procurement Act 2023 came into force, it’s the central hub for public sector contracts — and registration is free and takes about 20 minutes. Here’s exactly how to do it.
What is Find a Tender?
Find a Tender is the UK government’s official portal for public contracts above £139,688 (including VAT). It also hosts the Central Digital Platform — a “tell us once” supplier registration where you enter your business details a single time and reuse them across every bid. Lower-value contracts (from £12,000) are advertised on Contracts Finder, so you’ll want alerts on both.
Before you start: what you’ll need
Have these to hand — it makes registration one sitting instead of three: your Companies House number, VAT number (if registered), registered address, details of directors (“connected persons”), and basic financial information. If you’re missing any of the fundamentals, work through our free 10-Minute Tender-Ready Checklist first.
Step 1: Create a GOV.UK One Login
Go to Find a Tender and choose to register as a supplier. You’ll sign in with GOV.UK One Login — the same account used across government services. You’ll need an email address and to verify your identity.
Step 2: Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform
Once signed in, add your organisation. Enter your Companies House number and most details pull through automatically. You’ll confirm your address, add connected persons (directors and anyone with significant control), and answer the core supplier questions about your business.
Step 3: Complete your supplier information
This is the “tell us once” part — the information every buyer will see: financial standing, insurance levels, relevant certifications (Cyber Essentials is worth having for any contract involving data), and any exclusion grounds. Be accurate rather than impressive; buyers verify.
Step 4: Set up saved searches and email alerts
This is the step most small businesses skip — and it’s the one that wins contracts. Search by your sector keywords and location, then save the search and switch on daily email alerts. Do the same on Contracts Finder for smaller contracts, which are often the realistic entry point: sub-£100k contracts with local councils frequently attract only a handful of bids.
Step 5: Share your identifier when you bid
When you respond to a tender, buyers access your Central Digital Platform information via your supplier identifier — no more re-typing company details into every portal. Keep your record updated (insurance renewal dates especially) so nothing lapses mid-bid.
What about local council portals?
Many councils still run their own portals (ProContract, In-Tend, Delta) for lower-value work. Register with your own council’s portal plus two or three neighbouring authorities — it’s 15 minutes each and puts you on their radar for quotes that are never publicly advertised.
Next steps
Registration gets you visible to buyers searching Find a Tender — but buyers also search the open web for suppliers, especially for below-threshold work where they only need three quotes. Make sure your business is easy to find: create your free LocoSearch listing so public and private sector buyers can discover you, and grab the Tender-Ready Checklist to make sure your first bid isn’t rejected on a technicality.