Find a Tender Service (FTS) vs Contracts Finder
A side-by-side comparison of FTS and Contracts Finder for UK suppliers — features, pricing, and who each tool best suits. Honest about where each is genuinely stronger.
TL;DR
Find a Tender Service (FTS): Find a Tender Service is the UK government's official portal for higher-value public sector contracts (above the procurement thresholds). It publishes tender notices, contract notices and award notices. Free for any supplier to use.
Contracts Finder: Contracts Finder is the UK government's free portal for below-threshold public sector contracts (typically £12k–£138k for central government, higher for sub-central). Publishes contract opportunities and awards.
FTS vs Contracts Finder: side-by-side
| Feature | Find a Tender Service (FTS) | Contracts Finder |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Government portal | Government portal |
| Origin | UK · gov.uk (replaced OJEU post-Brexit) | UK · gov.uk |
| Primary audience | Any UK supplier — free public service | Any UK supplier — free public service |
| Pricing model | Free (taxpayer-funded UK government service) | Free (taxpayer-funded UK government service) |
| UK public sector focus | Yes — specialist | Yes — specialist |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Live UK tender feed | Yes | Yes |
| Bid library | No | No |
| Tender-pack parser | No | No |
| AI bid drafting | No | No |
Where FTS is stronger
- Free, official, authoritative source of UK above-threshold tender notices
- Direct from the buyer (no aggregator delay)
Where Contracts Finder is stronger
- Free, official, authoritative source of UK below-threshold notices
- Required publication for many UK public sector opportunities
Best for FTS
Anyone who only needs to view UK above-threshold notices and click through to the buyer's portal.
Best for Contracts Finder
Anyone who only needs to view UK below-threshold notices and submit through the buyer's portal.
There's also a third option
BidWriter — AI bid writing built for UK SMEs
If you're a UK supplier bidding into public sector contracts, BidWriter is purpose-built for the job — UK public sector specialism, AI drafting, integrated live tender feed, free plan, and per-seat pricing from £49/mo. No annual enterprise contract required.
FAQs
What's the difference between Find a Tender Service (FTS) and Contracts Finder?
FTS is government portal for any uk supplier — free public service. Contracts Finder is government portal for any uk supplier — free public service. The full feature-by-feature breakdown is in the table on this page.
Which is better for UK public sector — Find a Tender Service (FTS) or Contracts Finder?
FTS has a specialist UK public sector focus; Contracts Finder is a UK public sector specialist. For UK suppliers bidding into government, framework agreements and NHS, the more specialist option is usually the better starting point — but worth weighing against the rest of the comparison table.
Is Find a Tender Service (FTS) cheaper than Contracts Finder?
FTS's pricing: Free (taxpayer-funded UK government service). Contracts Finder's pricing: Free (taxpayer-funded UK government service). Whichever fits your team's size, contract length, and per-bid economics best is the right answer — both can work out cheaper depending on your situation.
Who should pick Find a Tender Service (FTS)?
Anyone who only needs to view UK above-threshold notices and click through to the buyer's portal.
Who should pick Contracts Finder?
Anyone who only needs to view UK below-threshold notices and submit through the buyer's portal.
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