Find a Tender Service (FTS)

Find a Tender Service (FTS) is the mandatory UK notice publication platform that replaced the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) for UK contracting authorities following the UK's departure from the EU. From 1 January 2021, public bodies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland are required to publish procurement notices on FTS when their contracts exceed the statutory thresholds set by the UK government. The platform is operated by the Cabinet Office and is available at find-tender.service.gov.uk.

What is Find a Tender Service (FTS)?

FTS accepts a range of notice types that mirror the European procurement lifecycle, including prior information notices, contract notices, contract award notices, and voluntary ex ante transparency (VEAT) notices. Scottish contracting authorities may additionally publish on Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) and are still required to publish above-threshold notices on FTS.

The thresholds triggering mandatory FTS publication are set by the UK government and broadly track the former EU thresholds (derived from WTO GPA obligations), though they are set independently. For central government authorities, the works threshold is approximately 5.37 million GBP and the goods and services threshold is approximately 139,688 GBP, reviewed periodically.

Under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force in February 2025, FTS will be progressively replaced and extended by the Central Digital Platform (CDP). The CDP introduces a single supplier registration system and richer machine-readable notice formats, but FTS remains the primary publication channel during the transition period.

Why it matters for bidders

Monitoring FTS is essential for any supplier competing for UK public sector contracts above threshold. Notices published on FTS represent legally mandated transparency: contracting authorities cannot run a compliant above-threshold procedure without publishing there. Failing to monitor FTS means missing the start of procurement procedures, including prior information notices that signal upcoming opportunities and allow early market engagement.

FTS notices are searchable by CPV code, contracting authority, notice type, and keyword, and they include links to buyer portals such as ProContract, Atamis, In-tend, and others where the actual tender documents are hosted.

Example

A local authority in Yorkshire publishes a contract notice on FTS for a highways maintenance framework worth 12 million GBP over four years. The notice sets out the CPV codes, the procurement procedure (open procedure), the deadline for expressions of interest, and a link to the YPO Procurement Portal where the ITT documents are available for download. Suppliers monitoring FTS by CPV code receive an alert and access the portal to download the specification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FTS the same as OJEU?

No. OJEU (the Official Journal of the European Union) is the EU's publication platform, managed by the Publications Office and accessible via TED (Tenders Electronic Daily). UK contracting authorities no longer publish on TED for domestic contracts. FTS is the UK-only equivalent. However, UK contracting authorities that are party to international agreements (for example, certain defence contracts) may still need to consider international publication obligations separately.

Do I need to register to view FTS notices?

No. FTS notices are publicly available without registration at find-tender.service.gov.uk. Suppliers do not need an account to search or view notices. Registration is managed at the individual buyer portal level or, under the Procurement Act 2023, through the Central Digital Platform (CDP).

Will FTS be replaced?

FTS will be extended and supplemented by the Central Digital Platform introduced under the Procurement Act 2023. The CDP provides a single supplier registration and enhanced notice formats, but the publication function of FTS continues during the transition. Suppliers should monitor both platforms during the changeover period.