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UK supplier guide

Procurement Act notices:
UK1 to UK17 explained

The Procurement Act 2023 replaced the old contract notices with seventeen Procurement Act notices, numbered UK1 to UK17 on Find a Tender. Each one marks a stage, from a buyer’s pipeline to the end of a contract, and linked notices share one procurement identifier.

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Checked against primary sources3 sources linked below

  1. Plan

    This guide’s primary sources

  2. Compete

    This guide’s primary sources

  3. Decide

    This guide’s primary sources

  4. Sign

    This guide’s primary sources

  1. Seventeen notices

    UK1 to UK17, from pipeline to payments compliance.

    This guide’s primary sources

  2. Early warning

    UK1, UK2 and UK3 come before the tender notice.

    This guide’s primary sources

  3. After award

    UK7 contract details notices are most of what is published.

    This guide’s primary sources

Which notices warn you before a tender is published?

The pipeline notice (UK1), the preliminary market engagement notice (UK2) and the planned procurement notice (UK3).

NoticeWhen it is requiredWhat it gives a supplier
UK1 pipeline noticeAuthorities expecting to pay over £100 million in the financial year, for contracts over £2 million, within 56 days of 1 April (s.93)An 18-month view of planned competitions and direct awards
UK2 preliminary market engagement noticeBefore the tender notice if the buyer engaged the market, or reasons given in the tender notice (s.17)A chance to shape the requirement before it is fixed
UK3 planned procurement noticeOptional; 40 days to 12 months ahead it can shorten the tendering period (s.15)Notice of a specific competition before it opens
Procurement Act 2023 and Find a Tender notice types, read 25 October 2026. Find a Tender says a qualifying UK3 can cut the minimum tendering period for an above-threshold contract to 10 days.

Which notices open and close a competition?

The tender notice (UK4) opens it; the contract award notice (UK6) announces the decision and starts the standstill.

  1. Before you start01

    Use the current documents

    Check the primary publication and later changes before using the sequence below.
  2. Check 202

    UK4 tender notice

    Advertises an open or competitive flexible procedure, including a framework or dynamic market. Above threshold the normal minimum tendering period is 25 days with electronic submission and full documents (Find a Tender).
  3. Check 303

    UK5 transparency notice

    Published before a direct award, including a switch to direct award after an unsuccessful competition (s.44).
  4. Check 404

    UK6 contract award notice

    Published before the contract is signed, after each assessed bidder has had its assessment summary; it starts the standstill of at least eight working days where one applies (s.50; see the standstill period).
  5. Follow through05

    UK12 procurement termination notice

    Published when a procurement is cancelled and the contract will not be signed (Find a Tender).

An editorial order of work, not a buyer's fixed timetable. The current notice and documents determine participation and submission.

Which notices does one procurement produce?

From pipeline to termination, all sharing one identifier.

  1. Start with the source01

    Plan

    UK1 pipeline, UK2 market engagement, UK3 planned procurement.
  2. Define the scope02

    Compete

    UK4 tender notice, or UK5 transparency notice for a direct award.
  3. Read the evidence03

    Decide

    UK6 contract award notice starts the standstill.
  4. Make the decision04

    Sign

    UK7 contract details notice within 30 days.
  5. Name the next action05

    Manage and end

    UK9 performance, UK10 change, UK11 termination.

A supplier’s review sequence, based on the primary sources below. It is not a measured outcome or a prescribed buyer timetable.

Which notices follow the contract after award?

Contract details (UK7), performance (UK9), change (UK10) and termination (UK11), plus payments compliance (UK17).

NoticeWhen it is published
UK7 contract details noticeWithin 30 days of signature (120 for light touch); the contract itself within 90 days if over £5 million
UK9 contract performance noticeTo report against key performance indicators, and on breach or failure to improve
UK10 contract change noticeBefore a modification, unless it changes value by 10% or less (15% for works) or term by 10% or less
UK11 contract termination noticeWithin 30 days of a contract ending, including on successful completion
UK17 payments compliance noticeWithin 30 days of each six-month reporting period ending 31 March or 30 September
s.53, s.75, s.80 and Find a Tender notice types, read 25 October 2026. The contract details notice replaced the old contract award notice and Contracts Finder’s awarded opportunity notice (guidance, para 7).

How many of each notice are published?

Contract details notices dominate: about 58% of Procurement Act records in our corpus in the year to 30 September 2026.

Latest notice on the record, 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026Records
UK7 contract details notice33,163
UK4 tender notice7,252
UK2 preliminary market engagement notice4,904
UK6 contract award notice4,694
UK1 pipeline notice2,808
UK5 transparency notice2,713
UK12 procurement termination notice889
UK11 contract termination notice440
UK3 planned procurement notice327
UK10 contract change notice215
UK13–UK16 dynamic market notices72
UK9 contract performance notice28
All Procurement Act records57,505
RFP Quest corpus: Find a Tender records with legal basis 2023/54, by the type of the latest notice document on each record, by publication date, queried 25 October 2026. Records, not procurements: one procurement can produce several records. Below-threshold contracts also need a UK7, which is one reason it leads. UK17 notices are not in this count.

Which notices should a supplier watch?

UK1 to UK3 to plan, UK4 to bid, UK6 to learn the result, and UK7 and UK11 to see when an incumbent’s contract ends.

Linked notices share one procurement identifier (OCID), so a supplier can follow a single procurement from pipeline to termination (Find a Tender).

Our tender alerts guide covers how to watch for the notices that matter to you.

  1. UK1, UK2 and UK3 arrive before the competition.

    Find a Tender

  2. UK4 sets the deadline and documents.

    Find a Tender

  3. UK6 names the intended winner and starts the standstill.

    s.50

  4. UK7 gives the contract term; UK11 marks its end.

    s.80

The award notice is your last chance to act: the standstill runs from the day it is published.

  1. Seventeen notices

    UK1 to UK17, from pipeline to payments compliance.

  2. Early warning

    UK1, UK2 and UK3 come before the tender notice.

  3. After award

    UK7 contract details notices are most of what is published.
Search UK tenders →

Free: tender, award and contract notices from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, with links to the originals.

What else should you know about Procurement Act notices?

Check these points before committing your team’s time.

How many notices are there under the Procurement Act 2023?
Seventeen, numbered UK1 to UK17 on Find a Tender. Not every procurement uses all of them.
What is a contract award notice?
The notice a buyer must publish before entering into a public contract, saying it intends to enter into it (s.50). It is UK6 on Find a Tender and starts the standstill period.
What is a contract details notice?
The notice published after the contract is signed: within 30 days, or 120 days for a light touch contract. For a contract over £5 million a copy of the contract follows within 90 days (s.53).
What is a transparency notice?
The notice a buyer must publish before awarding a contract directly, without a competition (s.44). It is UK5 on Find a Tender.
What is a pipeline notice?
A forward look at contracts over £2 million that a buyer expecting to pay over £100 million in the financial year intends to tender or award directly in the next 18 months (s.93).
When is a contract change notice needed?
Before most modifications, unless the change is to value by 10% or less (15% for works) or to term by 10% or less (s.75). Defence and security and light touch contracts are among the exceptions.

Where can you check the evidence?

Read the primary publication and the buyer’s current documents before acting.

SourceWhat it supports
Notice types and sequences · Find a Tender ↗UK1 to UK17, when each is published; read 25 October 2026.
Procurement Act 2023, sections 15, 17, 44, 50, 53, 75, 80 and 93 · legislation.gov.uk ↗The statutory duty behind each notice.
Guidance: Contract Details Notices · GOV.UK ↗What the contract details notice replaced.
Follow the current primary publication for its scope and any later changes. Calculators use your inputs, not measured savings.

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