Source: https://tendernation.io/glossary/pipeline-notice Glossary # Pipeline notice An annual notice from buyers spending over £100 million a year, listing contracts over £2 million they plan to tender in the next 18 months. Updated 14 Oct 2026 A pipeline notice is an annual list of upcoming contracts that a large public buyer expects to put out to tender. It gives suppliers advance sight of opportunities, often well before any tender notice appears. ## What it means [Section 93 of the Procurement Act 2023](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/93) applies to any buyer that expects to pay more than £100 million under relevant contracts in the coming financial year. That buyer must publish a pipeline notice within 56 days of the start of the financial year (which begins on 1 April). The notice covers every public contract with an estimated value of more than £2 million for which the buyer intends to publish a tender notice or transparency notice during the "reporting period", which is the 18 months from the start of that financial year. [Regulation 15 of the Procurement Regulations 2024](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/692/regulation/15/made) sets out what each entry must contain. The government's [pipeline notice guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-plan-phase/guidance-pipeline-notice-html) explains the duty in more detail. Pipeline notices are published on the [Central Digital Platform](/glossary/central-digital-platform). ## Why it matters for SMEs Most contracts in a pipeline notice will be larger than an SME would bid for alone, but they are still useful. They show what big buyers plan to buy and roughly when, which helps you: - decide which buyers to build relationships with - spot opportunities where you could be a subcontractor or consortium partner - prepare for [preliminary market engagement](/glossary/preliminary-market-engagement), which often follows Plans can change, so treat a pipeline entry as a signal rather than a promise. ## Practical tip Each April and May, read the pipeline notices from the big buyers in your sector and note any contract that matches your services, with its expected tender date. Then contact the buyer's commercial team well before that date. Pair this with the [contract expiry finder](/tools/contract-expiry-finder) to catch smaller contracts that pipeline notices do not cover. Find tenders that fit your business Search UK, EU and World Bank tenders in one place, get AI summaries and a fit score for each one, and track bids in a pipeline. Professional comes with a 14-day free trial, no card needed. [Browse live tenders](/opportunities)[Start free trial ](/register) 14-day free trial, no card required Browse by sector - [Construction work](https://tendernation.io/sectors/construction-work)338 - [Architecture, engineering & surveying](https://tendernation.io/sectors/architecture-engineering-surveying)126 - [IT services](https://tendernation.io/sectors/it-services)48 - [Business services](https://tendernation.io/sectors/business-services)166 - [Health and social work](https://tendernation.io/sectors/health-social-work)274 - [Sewage, refuse, cleaning & environmental](https://tendernation.io/sectors/sewage-refuse-cleaning-environmental)76 [All sectors ](/sectors) ## Nearby terms [Most advantageous tender (MAT)The bid that meets the buyer's requirements and scores best against the published award criteria, which a buyer may award the contract to.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/most-advantageous-tender)[Open procedureA single-stage competitive tender, open to any supplier, where everyone submits a full bid by the same deadline.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/open-procedure)[Payments compliance noticeA notice public buyers publish twice a year showing how well they have met the 30-day payment rule on their public contracts.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/payments-compliance-notice)[Preliminary market engagementConversations a buyer has with suppliers before publishing a tender, to shape its requirements, procedure and contract terms.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/preliminary-market-engagement)[Procurement Act 2023The UK law that has governed most public sector buying in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since 24 February 2025.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/procurement-act-2023)[Procurement thresholdsThe contract values, including VAT, at or above which a public contract must follow the full competitive rules of the Procurement Act 2023.](https://tendernation.io/glossary/procurement-thresholds) [Read our procurement guides ](/guides)