Source: https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker Free competition benchmark # How many bids will you be up against? See the typical number of bidders for tenders in your sector and value band, from published award notices. SectorChoose a sector Contract value Buyer type Check ## Where the numbers come from When a public buyer awards a contract it often publishes how many tenders it received. We collect that figure from award notices on Find a Tender and Public Contracts Scotland, take the busiest lot where a notice has several, and group it by CPV sector, contract value and type of buyer. From 81,312 award notices on Find a Tender and Public Contracts Scotland, published 1 Jan 2021 to 14 Oct 2026. The median is the middle contract: half drew fewer bids, half drew more. We only show a median from 5 notices and an average from 3, and we leave out frameworks and DPS admissions, which count every applicant as a bid. ## Bids per tender by sector Median bids on UK award notices since 2021, busiest sectors first. SectorNoticesMedian bidsSingle bidder[Health and social work](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=85)26,633159%[Transport services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=60)13,380816%[Business services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=79)4,591329%[Construction work](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=45)4,319420%[IT services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=72)3,530153%[Education & training](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=80)2,776155%[Sewage, refuse, cleaning & environmental](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=90)2,738415%[Architecture, engineering & surveying](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=71)2,726425%[Repair & maintenance services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=50)2,665328%[Software packages & information systems](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=48)1,856155%[Medical equipment & pharmaceuticals](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=33)1,301164%[Financial & insurance services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=66)1,114326%[Laboratory & precision equipment](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=38)1,060151%[Transport equipment & vehicles](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=34)948241%[Hospitality, catering & hotel services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=55)923411%[Research & development](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=73)866236%[Other community & personal services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=98)851237%[Agricultural, forestry & horticultural services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=77)696413%[Public administration & defence services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=75)625236%[Construction materials & structures](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=44)595326%[Industrial machinery](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=42)529332%[Furniture, furnishings & cleaning products](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=39)493329%[Fuels, energy & petroleum products](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=09)472329%[Electrical equipment & lighting](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=31)439332%[Security, fire & defence equipment](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=35)435153%[Office & computing equipment](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=30)393242%[Real estate services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=70)372327%[Telecoms & broadcasting equipment](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=32)369334%[Food, drink & tobacco](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=15)361325%[Recreation, culture & sport services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=92)333326%[Logistics & travel services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=63)331245%[Postal & telecoms services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=64)288245%[Clothing, footwear & uniforms](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=18)201519%[Installation services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=51)188333%[Printed matter & publishing](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=22)147327%[Agriculture, farming & fishing products](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=03)130246%[Public utilities](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=65)130238%[Musical, sports & leisure equipment](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=37)123324%[Mining & construction machinery](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=43)85321%[Chemical products](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=24)75331%[Agricultural machinery](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=16)61328%[Mining & quarrying products](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=14)49241%[Leather, textiles & plastics materials](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=19)42329%[Oil & gas industry services](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=76)26227%[Collected & purified water](https://tendernation.io/tools/competition-checker?sector=41)4n/an/a A dash means fewer than 5 award notices in that sector report their bids. [Create a free account](/register) to see how contested each buyer’s contracts are, alongside every live tender in your sector. ## Questions people ask How many bids does a typical public sector tender get?It depends heavily on the sector. Across UK award notices since 2021 that report it, the typical (median) contract drew only a handful of bids, and a large share drew just one. Construction and transport contracts tend to be more contested; specialist health, care and IT contracts are often single-bidder. Use the table on this page for your sector. Does fewer bidders mean a better chance of winning?Not on its own. A single-bidder award is often a direct award, an extension or a very specialist requirement where only the incumbent could deliver, so those contracts are not open to you anyway. Fewer bids does mean the contracts that are genuinely competed in that sector are winnable with a strong, compliant bid, and that buyers there may welcome new suppliers. Where do these numbers come from?From the number of tenders received that buyers publish on contract award notices on Find a Tender, Public Contracts Scotland and Sell2Wales (Contracts Finder does not publish it). Where a notice has several lots we count the busiest lot. We leave out frameworks and notices reporting more than 100 bids, because framework, DPS and approved-list admissions count every applicant as a bid. Value bands use only award values that pass our value checks. Why do some sectors show no data?We only show a median when at least five award notices in that sector (and value band or buyer type, if you chose one) report how many bids they received, and averages need at least three. Some sectors are small, mostly bought through frameworks, or published by buyers who leave the figure blank. Widen the value band or buyer type to see more. ## More free tools - [Free ### Who won it? Look up past contract awards by buyer or keyword: who won, for how much, and how many bids came in. Use the tool ](https://tendernation.io/tools/who-won-it) - [Free ### Supplier health check Enter a company name or number to see filed accounts, insolvency notices and public sector wins in one place. Use the tool ](https://tendernation.io/tools/supplier-health-check) - [Free ### CPV code finder Type what you sell in plain English and get the CPV codes buyers use for it, with live tender counts. Use the tool ](https://tendernation.io/tools/cpv-code-finder) Now find the tenders to bid for TenderNation scores every UK public tender against what your business sells and alerts you the day a match is published. [All free tools](/tools)[Start free trial ](/register) 14-day free trial, no card required