Local government funding
Procurement: Where to find local authority tenders
Local government commissioning is the process of identifying needs of residents, identifying gaps in services, and then planning appropriate services to fill the gaps. Procurement is the process used by local authorities to buy goods and services. Unfortunately, there is not a standard procurement process, and thus it is the fundraiser’s responsibility to undertake background research about their local authority’s procurement process and identify the most effective way to be informed of new tenders as soon as they arise.
Most local authorities publish information about their procurement process under the 'business' section which is a link usually found on the council's home page, but relevant information can also be found by searching for 'tenders' in the key word search on the council website. Apart from looking at new tenders, it is also useful to look at contracts that have already been awarded and see when they will be renewed. For further information about the procurement process, please refer to the commissioning and procurement section on the helpful documents page.
The structure of your local authority - i.e. city, county, district or borough council - will determine what services they are responsible for delivering and thus what services they can buy. The value of the tender will often determine where and how it is advertised, for example some service departments may choose to do their own tendering or seek quotes for lower value work from providers they have identified through market research. Some local authorities advertise tenders on their website, some on external portals, and some do both. There are also local authorities that advertise online and in the local newspaper, so background research is essential.
The tables below include websites, mostly of city and county local authorities in England, where tenders are advertised. In addition to these websites, tenders from local authorities and government departments are published on Contracts Finder. EU legislation requires all local authorities to register tenders over the value of £156,000 with the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). Fundraisers can register on Tenders Direct to access live contracts and receive email alerts of appropriate tenders as soon as they arise, or check the local authority or funding portal websites listed below on a regular basis.
This section of the website was created with support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
East Midlands
| Area |
Website address |
|---|---|
| Derbyshire County Council and other local authorities in Derbyshire |
|
| Leicestershire County Council and other local authorities in Leicestershire |
|
| Lincolnshire County Council and other local authorities in Lincolnshire |
|
| Rutland County Council |
|
| Northamptonshire County Council and other local authorities in Northamptonshire |
|
| Nottinghamshire County Council and other local authorities in |
|
East of England
| Area |
Website address |
|---|---|
| Central Bedfordshire
|
Council website and register on the
Council's vendor portal.
|
|
Cambridgeshire County Council |
Council website |
|
Essex County Council |
Essex Council e- procurement Portal
|
| Hertfordshire County Council |
|
| Norfolk County Council |
|
| Suffolk County Council |
Council website and TED |
North East
| Area |
Website address |
| Durham County Council |
North Eastern Purchasing Organisation (NEPO) portal
|
| Northumberland County Council |
North Eastern Purchasing Organisation (NEPO) portal
|
|
Tees Valley local authorities:
|
North Eastern Purchasing Organisation (NEPO) portal |
|
Tyne and Wear local authorities:
|
North Eastern Purchasing Organisation (NEPO) portal |
South East
|
West Berkshire Council
|
|
|
Buckinghamshire County Council
|
|
|
Milton Keynes Council
|
Electronic tendering site |
|
Brighton and Hove City Council
|
South East Business Portal |
|
East Sussex County Council
|
South East Business Portal |
| Hampshire County Council |
|
| Portsmouth City Council |
Use the ‘In-tend Supplier Site’ link to register and find tenders.
|
|
Southampton City Council
|
Supply Southhampton |
|
Winchester City Council
|
Council website |
| Isle of Wight Council |
|
| Kent County Council |
|
|
Canterbury City Council
|
Council website |
|
Kent County Council
|
South East Business Portal |
|
Medway Council
|
Council website |
|
Oxford City Council
|
Council website and South East Business Portal |
|
Oxfordshire County Council
|
South East Business Portal |
| Surrey County Council |
|
|
West Sussex County Council
|
Council website |
South West
|
Bristol City Council
|
Bristol E-Procurement System (BEPS) |
|
Cornwall Council
|
Tenders in Cornwall |
| Devon County Council |
|
|
Exeter City Council
|
Council website |
| Plymouth City Council |
|
|
Torbay Council
|
Supplying the South West |
|
Dorset County Councill and other local authorities in Dorset
|
|
|
Gloucester City Council
|
Supplying the South West |
|
Gloucestershire County Council
|
Council website |
|
Isle of Scilly Council
|
Council website |
|
Bath and North East Somerset
|
Supplying the South West |
|
Somerset County Council
|
My Tenders |
| Wiltshire Council |
Supplying the South West and Buy Wiltshire
|
Yorkshire and Humberside
|
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
|
East Riding Contracts Finder |
|
Kingston upon Hull City Council
|
Supplier and Contrcat Management System |
|
City of York Council and other local authorities in north Yorkshire.
|
|
|
Sheffield City Council and other local authorities in south Yorkshire.
|
Supplier and Contract Management Systems |
|
Leeds City Council and other local authorities in west Yorkshire.
|
Supplier and Contract Management Systems |
North West
|
Cheshire East Council
|
The Chest - North West Portal |
|
Cheshire West and Chester Council
|
The Chest - North West Portal |
|
Carlisle City Council
|
The Chest - North West Portal (From January 2011) |
|
Cumbria County Council
|
The Chest - North West Portal |
|
Manchester City Council
|
The Chest - North West Portal |
|
Salford City Council
|
The Chest - North West Portal |
|
Lancaster City Council
|
The Chest - North West Portal |
|
Preston City Council
|
Council website |
|
Liverpool City Council
|
The Chest - North West Portal |
|
Sefton Council |
Council website |
West Midlands
|
Herefordshire County Council
|
Herefordshire Business Portal |
|
Shropshire Council
|
Council website |
|
Staffordshire County Council
|
Council website |
|
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
|
Council website |
|
Warwickshire County Council
|
Council website |
|
Birmingham City Council
|
Council website |
|
Coventry City Council
|
Council website |
|
Wolverhampton City Council
|
Find it in Wolverhampton portal |
|
Worchester City Council
|
Council website |
|
Worchestershire County Council
|
Worchestershire etendering |
Greater London
|
Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Barnet London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Bexley London Borough Council
|
London Tenders Procurement Portal |
|
Brent London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Bromley London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Camden London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
City of London
|
London Tenders Procurement Portal |
|
Croydon London Borough Council
|
London Contracts Register |
|
Ealing London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Enfield London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Greenwich London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Hackney London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Haringey London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Harrow London Borough Council
|
Council website and e-tendering portal |
|
Havering London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Hillingdon London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Hounslow London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Islington London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Keningston and Chelsea Royal Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Lambeth London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Lewisham London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Merton London Borough Council
|
Alito procurement portal |
|
Newham London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Redbridge London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council
|
Procurement portal |
|
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
|
Council website |
|
Southwark London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Sutton London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Tower Hamlets London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Waltham London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Wandsworth London Borough Council
|
Council website |
|
Westminster London City Council
|
Compete For portal |
