Tender meaning: what a tender is
A tender is a supplier's formal, priced offer to supply goods, services or works, made in response to a buyer's invitation — and, by extension, the competition the buyer runs to choose between offers. In UK public procurement the buyer advertises in a tender notice, suppliers submit tenders, and the contract goes to the most advantageous tender.
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Definition
Tender
A supplier's formal, priced offer to supply goods, services or works in response to a buyer's invitation; by extension, the competitive process a buyer runs to choose between such offers.
01/ The tender process
How a UK public tender runs, step by step
Under the Procurement Act 2023 each stage of a public tender has its own notice on Find a Tender, all linked by one procurement identifier.
- Planned (UK3)Optional early warning that a competitive procurement is coming.
- Tender notice (UK4)The advertisement: the opportunity, open for tenders or requests to participate.
- Tender documentsThe pack behind the notice — specification, questions, award criteria, draft contract. Often called the ITT.
- ClarificationSuppliers ask questions; answers usually go to every bidder.
- Tenders submittedEach supplier's priced offer, by the deadline in the notice.
- EvaluationTenders scored against the published award criteria.
- Award (UK6)The award decision is published, and each assessed supplier is told its result.
- Contract (UK7)The contract details notice, once the contract is signed.
Source: Find a Tender, Notice types and sequences, read 28 Sep 2026.
02/ Side by side
A tender against an RFP, RFQ and RFI
The documents a buyer can send, and what each wants back. A UK public tender is usually run through an ITT. 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/ In practice
How to find and win a UK public tender
- 01
Find it
Public tenders are published on Find a Tender; RFP Quest reads every notice and matches the ones that fit you.
- 02
Qualify
Read the conditions of participation first — insurance, accreditations, financial standing. Fail one and nothing else is scored.
- 03
Respond to the scoring
Answer each question against its criterion and weighting, with evidence the evaluator can check.
- 04
Learn from the result
Under the Procurement Act every assessed supplier is told its score — win or lose, it is the brief for the next bid.
04/ Questions
Tenders, answered
05/ Method
How this page is made
Live figures
Open now: UK public notices in RFP Quest's search index that are still active and whose closing date is in the future. Tender notices: UK4 releases published on Find a Tender in the last 12 complete months, from the release table that keeps every notice, not just the latest — including amended versions, and including notices filed under a generic tender tag whose documents name them UK4.
The latest tender notices are the six most recent UK4 releases. Figures are cached for up to six hours.
Outside sources
- Find a Tender, Notice types and sequences — the UK3, UK4, UK6 and UK7 notices and their purposes, read 28 Sep 2026.
- Cabinet Office, Guidance: below-threshold contracts — the £12,000 and £30,000 notifiable thresholds, read 28 Sep 2026.
- Procurement Act 2023 — competitive tendering procedures, the most advantageous tender and assessment summaries.
- Find a Tender and Contracts Finder — every notice counted on this page, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Platform
Find a Tender
Where UK public tenders are published — every notice counted.
Glossary
ITT meaning
Invitation to tender: the pack behind a UK public tender.
Glossary
RFP meaning
Request for proposal — and what UK buyers call it instead, measured.
Live
Every open UK tender
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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.