What Is Contracts Finder?
Contracts Finder is the UK government's free service for searching public contract opportunities and looking up past tenders and contracts. Under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR) it was where lower-value (below-threshold) opportunities had to be published. Procurements started since 24 February 2025 run under the Procurement Act 2023 instead, which publishes their notices on Find a Tender and does not require Contracts Finder. TenderTracker currently tracks 80,904 Contracts Finder notices alongside Find a Tender's.
Key Fact
Since 24 February 2025, new below-threshold opportunities worth at least £12,000 including VAT (central government) or £30,000 (other authorities) are published on Find a Tender, the central digital platform. Contracts Finder publication continues only for procurements started under the PCR.
What Gets Published
Under PPN 019, Contracts Finder publication now applies only to procurements commenced under the PCR. For those, in-scope bodies publish:
- Award notices — for contracts awarded under the PCR, including above-threshold awards also published on Find a Tender and call-offs from PCR dynamic purchasing systems
- Framework call-offs — awards made under framework agreements set up under the PCR
- Below-threshold awards — contracts awarded under the PCR's below-threshold rules
Earlier opportunities and awards stay searchable, which keeps it useful for researching who won past contracts and at what value.
Transparency Requirements
For PCR procurements, PPN 019 sets the Contracts Finder thresholds at £12,000 including VAT for central government authorities and £30,000 for sub-central authorities, NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. Award notices are due within 30 days of award for central government and 90 days for the others. For Procurement Act procurements, PPN 019 says the Act does not require publication on Contracts Finder; below-threshold tender notices must appear on the central digital platform before being published anywhere else.
Last verified 2026-10-18 against the GOV.UK sources listed on this page.
Contracts Finder on TenderTracker
TenderTracker syncs Contracts Finder hourly and currently indexes 80,904 of its notices, combining them with Find a Tender results in a single searchable index, so older PCR notices and new Procurement Act notices sit side by side. You can filter search results by source, set up alerts for specific sectors, and track buyer activity across both platforms without switching between sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Contracts Finder free to use?
Yes. Anyone can search Contracts Finder's opportunities and past contracts without an account. An account is only needed for email updates and saved searches.
What is the minimum contract value published on Contracts Finder?
For procurements started under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, central government authorities publish contracts worth at least £12,000 including VAT, and sub-central authorities, NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts at least £30,000 (PPN 019). Procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 do not have to be published on Contracts Finder: their below-threshold notices go on Find a Tender, where NHS trusts count as central government.
What is the difference between Contracts Finder and Find a Tender?
Since 24 February 2025 new procurements run under the Procurement Act 2023, and their notices, including below-threshold tender notices, are published on Find a Tender, the central digital platform. Contracts Finder carries notices for procurements started under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, such as their contract awards and call-offs from older frameworks, plus its archive of earlier opportunities and awards.
Can I see who won past contracts on Contracts Finder?
Yes. Award notices name the winning supplier and the contract value, which makes Contracts Finder a useful market research tool for sizing up competitors and understanding what buyers typically pay.
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