On 31st December 2020, the UK’s new e-notification service Find a Tender was launched.The purpose of this service is to capture and distribute high value tender notices (those above the public procurement thresholds), in a similar way that OJEU does for EU tenders. Please see our previous blog, which explain more about the background to the launch of this service.
Our initial findings are that the service looks and feels very much like Contracts Finder. You can use your existing Contracts Finder log in to access the site. However, you will need to create new saved searches, in order to receive email alerts about high value UK tenders.
Searches can be created using keywords, CPV codes, or both. You can also search by region, which makes the service work well for those businesses that operate in a specific area. The search criteria available also includes notice type, helping you to narrow down your results even further, if required.
In order to receive email alerts, you need to log into the site then create a search. Once the results of your search have been loaded, you will be able to save that search. When saving the search you can select how oftenyou would like to be sent email alerts, e.g. daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
When your search results alert email arrives (usually overnight) you will see that the results are listed in a similar style and format to saved searches from Contracts Finder. However the header information and email subject line show that these are Find a Tender results – therefore implying the notices will relate to contracts of a higher value than those captured by Contracts Finder.
When you click on the opportunitylink in your email, it takes you to the Find a Tender page, where you can read more detailed information about the opportunity and then follow the links to the buyer’s portal and access the documents.
At the time of publishing this blog, it is still early days for the new service. If through our use of the site we find any additional noteworthy information or recommendations, we will be sure to share them with you through this blog, or our LinkedIn page. As always, if you have any queries relating to public sector tendering, please do drop us a line.