ITT meaning: invitation to tender
ITT stands for invitation to tender: the pack of documents a buyer issues inviting suppliers to submit a tender — specification, questions, award criteria, pricing schedule, draft contract and instructions. It is the UK public sector's usual name for what the private sector calls an RFP. The Procurement Act 2023 does not use the phrase; it calls the pack the associated tender documents. 2,655 UK public notices carry it in their title, from 745 buyers.
UK notices counted · 28 Sept 2026
Definition
Invitation to tender (ITT)
The pack of documents a buyer issues inviting suppliers to submit a tender; in the Procurement Act 2023, the associated tender documents.
- UK notice titles using it
- 2,655
- Buyers using it
- 745
01/ What it contains
What's in an ITT
Names differ; the parts don't. This is the pack you read before deciding to bid.
- InstructionsHow, where and by when to submit — portal, format, clarification deadline.
- SpecificationWhat the buyer needs, and the standards the work must meet.
- Conditions of participationThe pass/fail tests: insurance, accreditations, financial standing, experience.
- Questions and weightingsWhat you must answer, word limits, and what each answer is worth.
- Award criteriaHow quality, price and anything else combine into a score.
- Pricing scheduleThe form your price must take.
- Draft contractThe terms you would sign if you win.
02/ Side by side
ITT against RFP, RFQ and RFI
Four documents a buyer can send, and what each wants back. Tap a name to spotlight its column.
| Attribute | RFPRequest for proposal | ITTInvitation to tender | RFQRequest for quotation | RFIRequest for information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The buyer asks | How you would meet an outcome, and at what price | A tender against a set specification and published criteria | A price for a fully specified requirement | What the market can do — before any competition |
| You send back | A proposal | A tender | A quotation | Information |
| How it's judged | Quality and price, against stated weightings | Published award criteria — usually quality and price, often social value too | Mostly or wholly on price | Not scored for an award |
| Ends in a contract? | Yes, if you win | Yes, if you win | Yes, if accepted | No — nothing is awarded from an RFI |
| Where you'll see it | Private sector, international buyers, some UK public bodies | Most UK public-sector competitions | Lower-value goods and simple services | Before a procurement, as market engagement |
03/ The UK record
How often UK buyers say ITT
UK public notices with “invitation to tender” (the acronym ITT is not counted — it also means Initial Teacher Training) in the title, each full year.
Notice titles, Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. Rates are per 10,000 notices classified that year, the Requirements Observatory’s denominator. Titles only: a description mentions the term far more often.
Per 10,000 notices: 2019 43.3 · 2020 36.2 · 2021 45.9 · 2022 35.5 · 2023 29.2 · 2024 32.5 · 2025 24.4
| Period | Titles using ITT | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 222 | 222 |
| 2020 | 147 | 147 |
| 2021 | 283 | 283 |
| 2022 | 325 | 325 |
| 2023 | 282 | 282 |
| 2024 | 327 | 327 |
| 2025 | 211 | 211 |
04/ Who says it
The buyers who say ITT
745 buyers have used it in 2,655 notice titles. These eight use it most.
Notice title contains “invitation to tender” (the acronym ITT is not counted — it also means Initial Teacher Training), grouped by buyer as published.
05/ Recent
ITTs published lately
The most recent UK public notices with ITT in the title. Each opens the full notice.
06/ Questions
ITT, answered
07/ Method
How this page is made
Live figures
Counts are UK public notices — Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, all years — whose title contains “invitation to tender” (the acronym ITT is not counted — it also means Initial Teacher Training). Titles are where a buyer names the document, and they can be counted exactly and quickly; descriptions mention the term far more often.
Rates are per 10,000 notices classified that year, the same denominator the Requirements Observatory uses. Figures are cached for up to 24 hours.
Outside sources
- Find a Tender, Notice types and sequences — the UK4 tender notice, read 28 Sep 2026.
- Procurement Act 2023 — tender notices and associated tender documents.
- Find a Tender and Contracts Finder — every notice counted on this page, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Glossary
Tender meaning
What a tender is, the tender process, and how many open right now.
Glossary
RFP meaning
Request for proposal — and what UK buyers call it instead, measured.
Platform
Find a Tender
Where UK public tenders are published — every notice counted.
Live
Every open UK tender
Search today's notices, categorised and filterable, free.
Free to start · no card
Every UK tender, whatever it’s called
RFP Quest reads every notice — ITT, RFQ, RFI or RFP — and tells you which ones fit your business, free.
RFP Quest reads every notice on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. Counts on this page are read from that record and dated at the top.