Source: https://tendernation.io/guides/how-to-bid-for-council-contracts [Skip to main content](#main-content) Guide # How to bid for council contracts Councils buy in value bands set by their own contract rules. Learn which band you are bidding in, where each is advertised, and what the council scores. Updated 14 Oct 2026 To bid for council contracts, register on the council's e-tendering portal and the government's Central Digital Platform, then find the contracts the council advertises and answer exactly what its tender documents ask. To win them, you also need to know which value band a contract falls into, because a council buys a £4,000 job, a £60,000 service and a £400,000 contract in three very different ways. Start with the council's own rulebook, because it decides whether you'll ever see the opportunity at all. ## Start with the council's contract procedure rules Every council has to make standing orders for its contracts for goods and works ([Local Government Act 1972, s.135(2)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/70/section/135)). Councils usually call them contract procedure rules (CPRs) or contract standing orders, and most publish them as part of their constitution. CPRs set the value bands. A typical structure has: - **A low band** where an officer can buy direct or ask for a handful of written quotes. - **A middle band** where the council runs a request for quotation or a simple tender. - **A top band** where a formal tender is needed, which over the legal threshold means a full Procurement Act procedure. The figures differ from council to council. Brighton & Hove City Council's supplier page, for example, [says](https://design.brighton-hove.gov.uk/business-and-trade/contracts-and-tenders/becoming-approved-council-supplier) officers may just get competitive quotes in writing below £25,000, and invite at least four companies to tender up to £75,000. Your target council will have its own numbers, so search its website for "contract procedure rules" and note the bands before you plan anything. This matters because the low band is where many SMEs could win the most work, and it is the band you are least likely to see advertised. ## How the Procurement Act 2023 applies to councils The Procurement Act 2023 applies in layers, depending on value. All the figures below include VAT, which is how the Act estimates value ([GOV.UK thresholds guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-define-phase/guidance-thresholds-html)). **Above the threshold.** For a council (a "sub-central" authority), the threshold for goods and services is **£207,720**, light touch services such as many care contracts are **£663,540**, and works are **£5,193,000** ([Schedule 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/schedule/1), as amended from 1 January 2026). Above these figures the full Act applies: a tender notice on Find a Tender, a set procedure, published award criteria, an assessment summary for every assessed bidder ([s.50](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/50)) and a standstill period. **From £30,000 to the threshold.** These are "notifiable below-threshold contracts". If the council advertises one, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice ([s.87](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/87)). It must also publish a contract details notice after it signs the contract, even if it never advertised. **Any below-threshold tender.** If the council invites tenders, it can't restrict who may submit one by first assessing suppliers' suitability, such as their finances or experience ([s.85](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/85)). In plain terms: no separate pre-qualification stage to cut the field. There is one exception: works contracts worth £207,720 or more can still have one. Government guidance confirms the council can still check suitability when it assesses the tenders themselves ([below-threshold guidance, para 16](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-define-phase/guidance-below-threshold-contracts-html)). **The catch.** Section 87(2) says the notice rule does not apply when a council only invites particular or pre-selected suppliers. GOV.UK guidance confirms a council can ask for quotes from a closed group or targeted suppliers without advertising at all, provided it does not advertise in any other way (para 23). That is how a lot of low-value council work is bought, and why being known to the right officer still counts. Some top-ranking guides still tell SMEs that "most councils use the Standard Selection Questionnaire". That was the old regime. For council contracts below the threshold, a separate selection stage is now generally banned, and above it buyers set conditions of participation and must confirm you have shared your core supplier information on the Central Digital Platform ([conditions of participation guidance, para 38](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-procure-phase/guidance-conditions-of-participation-html)). For the full picture read our [Procurement Act 2023 guide for SMEs](/guides/procurement-act-2023-smes). ## Where council contracts are advertised Council opportunities appear in four places: 1. **Find a Tender.** Above-threshold notices and, under the Act, below-threshold tender notices too. GOV.UK guidance says a below-threshold tender notice must go on the central digital platform before it appears anywhere else ([para 12](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-define-phase/guidance-below-threshold-contracts-html)). 2. **Contracts Finder.** The old home of lower-value English notices, still worth checking for procurements that began under the old rules. Our guide to [Contracts Finder vs Find a Tender](/guides/contracts-finder-vs-find-a-tender) explains the overlap. 3. **The council's e-tendering portal.** Councils run tenders through portals such as Delta, ProContract or In-Tend, often shared across a region. You download documents and submit your bid there. 4. **Frameworks and dynamic markets.** Councils also buy through frameworks set up by central or regional buying organisations. If you are not on the framework, you can't bid for the call-off. See [approved supplier lists, frameworks and dynamic markets](/guides/council-approved-supplier-lists) for how to get on them. You can browse [councils with open tenders](/opportunities/councils) on TenderNation, or set a saved search so new council notices in your sector and area reach you by email. ## Research the council before the tender appears A council publishes a lot about what it buys. Use it. - **Past awards.** Councils have buyer pages on TenderNation, for example [Kent County Council](/buyers/kent-county-council). It shows past awards, who won them, how often incumbents keep their contracts and how quickly the council pays. If one supplier has held the same contract through several re-tenders, weigh that up before you spend a week on the bid. - **Pipeline and planned procurement notices.** Under the Act, bigger buyers publish pipelines of upcoming work, and many councils publish forward plans. These give you months of warning. - **Preliminary market engagement.** Councils often hold supplier days or ask for comments on a draft specification before they tender. Take part. It is the legitimate way to be known before the competition starts. - **Payment record.** Councils must pay valid, undisputed invoices within 30 days, both on above-threshold contracts ([s.68](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/68)) and on regulated below-threshold ones ([s.88](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/88)). Our free [payment time checker](/tools/payment-time-checker) shows how a council has actually performed. ## Decide whether to bid Not every council tender suits you. Before you commit, check: - **Lots.** Councils often split contracts by area or service. Bid for the lot you can deliver best. - **Pass/fail requirements.** Insurance levels, accreditations, policies and minimum experience. Fail one and the rest of your bid may never be scored. - **The incumbent and the competition.** The buyer page tells you who won last time and roughly how many bids similar contracts attracted. - **Your evidence.** Do you have two or three relevant case studies, ideally from public sector clients? Our [bid/no-bid scorecard](/tools/bid-no-bid-scorecard) turns those questions into a score, and TenderNation shows a fit score and a bid/no-bid call on every tender, Free plan included. ## Write to the council's scoring Councils award on the most advantageous tender against published award criteria. The tender documents tell you the criteria, the weighting of each one and how each answer will be scored. Read them before writing anything. Three things are particular to council bids: **Local knowledge.** Councils serve a specific place. Name the area, its services and its partners. A method statement that works for any council will score like one. **Social value.** Councils have their own legal duty, separate from central government policy. Under the [Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, s.1(3)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/3/section/1), before buying services a council must consider how the contract might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of its area. The central government social value model in [PPN 002](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-002-taking-account-of-social-value-in-the-award-of-contracts) is written for central government contracts, so read the council's own social value questions rather than assuming the central model. Make commitments specific, measurable and tied to the council's area. **Pricing in the council's format.** Use its pricing schedule exactly. Leave nothing out that the specification requires. For the full method of writing scored answers, with a before-and-after example, see [how to write a tender](/guides/how-to-write-a-tender). If you are new to public sector work altogether, start with [how to win your first public sector contract](/guides/how-to-win-your-first-public-sector-contract). ## Get registered before you need to be Two registrations come up again and again: - **The Central Digital Platform.** Under the Act, suppliers register their core information once and share it with buyers. Use our [Central Digital Platform checklist](/tools/central-digital-platform-checklist) so you are not doing it on deadline day. - **The council's portal.** Register on the e-tendering portal of each council you target and pick your categories carefully, so its notices reach you. If you do building, maintenance or repairs, also check whether the council asks for a third-party accreditation such as Constructionline or a CHAS-style health and safety assessment. These are covered in the [approved supplier lists guide](/guides/council-approved-supplier-lists). ## After the decision On an above-threshold contract awarded by competitive tender, you will get an assessment summary with your scores and the winner's, and a standstill period of at least eight working days starts when the contract award notice is published ([s.51](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/51)). Below the threshold the Act does not require an assessment summary, so ask for feedback in writing anyway. Many councils give it. Whatever comes back, compare it with your bid. Our guide on [why you lose tenders](/guides/why-you-lose-tenders) shows how to read scores against the winner and what to change next time. ## How TenderNation helps with council bids - Council notices from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder in one search, with saved-search alerts. - [Buyer pages](/buyers/kent-county-council) for every council: past awards, incumbents and payment speed. - A fit score and bid/no-bid call on each tender. - [AI bid writing](/features/ai-bid-writing) grounded in the tender documents and your own bid library, with a requirements checklist that cites the page each requirement came from. Your evidence and your judgement still win the contract. The tools take the slog out of finding the right ones and reading the documents. ## Keep going - [Council approved supplier lists, frameworks and dynamic markets](/guides/council-approved-supplier-lists) - [Why you lose tenders, and how to use the feedback](/guides/why-you-lose-tenders) - [Find frameworks that councils buy through](/tools/framework-finder) Put this guide to work 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. 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For some suppliers that's enough. Here's what they do, what they don't, and when paying makes sense.Updated 14 Oct 2026](https://tendernation.io/guides/free-vs-paid-tender-alerts) - [ 8 minHow to get on a council approved supplier listWhat "approved supplier list" means in 2026: frameworks, dynamic markets, minor works lists and accreditations like Constructionline, and how to join each one.Updated 14 Oct 2026](https://tendernation.io/guides/council-approved-supplier-lists) - [ 8 minWhy you keep losing tenders, and how to fix itHow to get the feedback you are entitled to under the Procurement Act, read your scores against the winner's, and find what really keeps costing you contracts.Updated 14 Oct 2026](https://tendernation.io/guides/why-you-lose-tenders) - [ 10 minCan UK companies bid for EU tenders after Brexit?What the WTO Government Procurement Agreement and the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement give UK suppliers, which EU contracts they cover, and how to find and bid for them on TED.Updated 14 Oct 2026](https://tendernation.io/guides/eu-tenders-for-uk-companies) [Compare TenderNation with other tools ](/compare)