If you’re a business trying to get into the world of public sector contracts, chances are you’ve come across something called Find a Tender. Or maybe it was the Find a Tender Service. Or FTS. Or even the central digital platform.
Yes, they’re all the same thing. Just different names. And it can be a bit of a head-scratcher.
Then, just when you think you’ve got it figured out, someone brings up eSourcing or ProContract or Bravo Solutions, and you start wondering where you’re actually supposed to go to find these tender opportunities.
So let’s break it down in a way that makes sense. We’re going to compare it to something most of us have done before—looking for a house.
Finding a House Versus Finding a Tender
When you’re house hunting, chances are you go straight to a site like Rightmove. It pulls together listings from lots of different estate agents and puts them all in one easy place. You can scroll through them, compare options, and see what’s out there.
But when you want to view or buy the house, you don’t deal with Rightmove directly. You contact the estate agent who’s handling that property. They’re the ones who guide you through the process.
Find a Tender works in pretty much the same way, but for public sector contracts.
- Rightmove is like Find a Tender
- Estate agents are like the procurement portals, such as ProContract or eSourcing
- Property listings are like the tender opportunities themselves
So just like you browse houses on Rightmove, you browse contract opportunities on Find a Tender. And when you find one you’re interested in, you click through to the portal where the actual bidding happens.
What’s With All the Different Names?
Here’s a quick translation:
- Find a Tender is the main website
- Find a Tender Service is just another name for the same site
- FTS is simply an abbreviation
- Central Digital Platform is a slightly fancy way of saying it’s all one government-run site
No matter which one you hear, they’re all pointing to the same place.
How Do You Use It?
You can visit the Find a Tender website and search for current contract opportunities using keywords, filters, and regions. It’s not the prettiest website in the world, but it does the job.
One handy feature is that you can set up a business profile. This means buyers can see important information about your organisation when they need it. If you want to be visible to public sector buyers, it’s worth filling that out.
In Simple Terms?
Find a Tender is like Rightmove, but for public sector contracts.
You search there, find what’s available, and then go to the relevant portal to bid.
If you’re ready to grow your business through public sector work, start with Find a Tender.
