Business Services & Consultancy: UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition
CPV 79000000·Services · division·45 classes with notices·Official label: Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
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Tenders you can still bid for.
Notices at tender stage whose deadline has not passed, counted the way the search counts them: a notice shows under every code and region it names.
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Notices published in the last 12 months.
Counted per tender, not per lot, against the 12 months before where shown.
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How many companies usually bid for a lot here.
The middle value of the bid counts that award notices publish, one per lot. Only real competitions count: direct awards and framework places are left out.
Based on 1,817 lots from 1,557 competitions run by 787 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 959 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 858 from older notices (bids received, middle 5).
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What a contract here is usually worth.
Middle value of published award values, VAT excluded. Framework ceilings are left out because they are not real contract values.
Based on 6,381 awards with a usable value, last 36 months.
Published values, not actual spend.
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How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Based on 952 decided competitions, last 36 months.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Newest open tenders
3 of 291 open for bids now · newest first
| Notice | Authority | Deadline | Days left | Published value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Housing Emerging Disrupters 6 (SHED 6) | Procurement for Housing | 17 Nov 2026 | 22d | £250,000,000 ceiling |
| Bin Permits | West Northamptonshire Council | 18 Nov 2026 | 23d | £440,000 |
| ACE 1122 ITQ - 'Artsmark 25 Young People Commissioners' Project Partner | The Arts Council of England | 16 Nov 2026 | 21d | £15,000 |
What business services & consultancy covers
Official CPV label: Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security · editorial summary
UK contracting authorities routinely procure professional services, strategic advisory, media campaigns, and temporary staff via Crown Commercial Service and regional collaborative frameworks.
Typical requirements: Management Consultancy · Legal Advisory Services · Recruitment & Agency Staffing · Marketing & Communications · Manned Guarding & Security.
Sub-sectors of business services & consultancy
45 CPV classes with notices · sorted by notices in the last 12 months · 17,074 of 18,286 notices in this division carry a class-level code
Show 4 quieter classes (fewer than 5 notices in 12 months, none open)
Reprographic services79520000 | 0 | 11 | 6 | — | |
Filing services79560000 | 0 | 2 | — | — | |
Statistical services79330000 | 0 | 9 | 2 | — | |
Management holdings services79910000 | 0 | 1 | — | — |
Who buysi
Which buyers publish the most notices here.
Buyers ranked by the number of notices, duplicate names merged.
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Which buyers publish the most notices here.
Buyers ranked by the number of notices, duplicate names merged.
All notices carrying this code · official UK_CA_TYPE where published (NHS bodies are central government authorities), else derived from the authority name
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What kinds of public bodies buy here.
Notices by the buyer’s type as published, otherwise by its name.
Local authorities30%(5,253 notices)
5,253 of 17,677 notices are Local authorities (30%).Central government30%(5,244 notices)
5,244 of 17,677 notices are Central government (30%).Other public bodies16%(2,898 notices)
2,898 of 17,677 notices are Other public bodies (16%).Education & universities11%(1,980 notices)
1,980 of 17,677 notices are Education & universities (11%).Housing associations2%(313 notices)
313 of 17,677 notices are Housing associations (2%).Not classified11%(1,989 notices)
1,989 of 17,677 notices are Not classified (11%).
| Contracting authority | Type | Notices | Last 12 months | Open now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Research and Innovation | Central government | 349 | 191 | 2 |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | Central government | 234 | 62 | 4 |
| British Council | Local authorities | 230 | 125 | 0 |
| Ministry of Defence | Central government | 188 | 37 | 1 |
| University of the West of England | Education & universities | 143 | 93 | 0 |
| Department for Business & Trade | Central government | 141 | 71 | 0 |
| Tees Valley Combined Authority | Local authorities | 112 | 84 | 1 |
| Sheffield City Council | Local authorities | 106 | 38 | 0 |
| NHS England | Central government | 105 | 32 | 3 |
| The Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London | Local authorities | 105 | 57 | 1 |
2,415 distinct authorities in total · the ten most active shown.
Where the work is deliveredi
Where the work on these notices is delivered.
Delivery regions published on the notices. A notice with several regions counts in each.
Where the work is, not where the buyer is based.
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Where the work on these notices is delivered.
Delivery regions published on the notices. A notice with several regions counts in each.
Where the work is, not where the buyer is based.
Delivery regions (ITL1) published on 11,129 of 18,286 notices · a notice covering several regions counts in each · competition columns: contracts awarded in the last 36 months, lots delivered in the region
| Region | Notices | Bids / lot | SME wins | Local wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater London | 4 | 47% | 50% | |
| South East England | 5 | 49% | 18% | |
| North West England | 5 | 46% | 23% | |
| South West England | 6 | 48% | 16% | |
| East of England | 5 | 48% | 16% | |
| West Midlands | 6 | 48% | 16% | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 5 | 49% | 15% | |
| North East England | 5 | 51% | 14% | |
| East Midlands | 5 | 50% | 11% | |
| Scotland | 4 | 56% | 57% | |
| Wales (Cymru) | 5 | 45% | 35% | |
| Northern Ireland | 3 | 69% | 73% |
Local wins = the winner’s registered region is the delivery region. Dashes: fewer than ten observations.
How it is boughti
How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
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How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
Commercial tool, procedure route and threshold as published on the notice, not a legal-regime claim
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How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
Contract87%(15,909 notices)
15,909 of 18,286 notices are Contract (87%).Framework12%(2,132 notices)
2,132 of 18,286 notices are Framework (12%).Dynamic purchasing system1%(245 notices)
245 of 18,286 notices are Dynamic purchasing system (1%).
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Which procedures buyers here use.
Notices by the procedure they declare: open, selective, limited or direct. Open and selective are competitions; limited and direct are not.
Open37%(6,806 notices)
6,806 of 18,286 notices are Open (37%).Direct award21%(3,761 notices)
3,761 of 18,286 notices are Direct award (21%).Route not published17%(3,068 notices)
3,068 of 18,286 notices are Route not published (17%).Limited / restricted14%(2,601 notices)
2,601 of 18,286 notices are Limited / restricted (14%).Selective11%(2,050 notices)
2,050 of 18,286 notices are Selective (11%).
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How much of this market is above the legal threshold.
Notices by whether the buyer marked them above or below the threshold that triggers the full rules.
Above threshold60%(2,079 notices)
2,079 of 3,470 notices are Above threshold (60%).Below threshold40%(1,391 notices)
1,391 of 3,470 notices are Below threshold (40%).
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How long bidders get to respond.
Middle value in days from the tender notice to its deadline.
Competition
Contracts published in the last 36 months (10,739) · bid counts per lot from award notices · values are net contract awards, framework and DPS ceilings excluded · SME and local status as declared
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How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid15%(268)
268 of 1,817 lots fall in 1 bid (15%).2–324%(441)
441 of 1,817 lots fall in 2–3 (24%).4–628%(508)
508 of 1,817 lots fall in 4–6 (28%).7 or more33%(600)
600 of 1,817 lots fall in 7 or more (33%).
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The usual range of contract values here.
The middle half of published award values, VAT excluded, with the middle value marked. Framework ceilings are left out.
Published values, not actual spend.
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How many companies usually bid for a lot here.
The middle value of the bid counts that award notices publish, one per lot. Only real competitions count: direct awards and framework places are left out.
Based on 1,817 lots from 1,557 competitions run by 787 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 959 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 858 from older notices (bids received, middle 5).
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How much of this market is actually put out to competition.
Notices run as an open or selective procedure, out of all notices that say which procedure was used. Direct awards count as not competed.
3,989 of 9,715 notices that state a procedure, last 36 months. 1,024 more give no procedure and are left out.
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What share of bids come from small and medium firms.
SME bids divided by all bids, on lots where the buyer published the split.
5,927 SME bids out of 8,963, on 1,518 lots where the buyer published the split.
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What share of contracts go to small and medium firms.
Awards to a single supplier that declared its size. SME divided by all.
2,284 of 4,911 awards where the winner declared its size.
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How much work here goes to companies based in the region.
Contract awards where the winner’s registered address is in this region, out of awards where the address is known.
Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.
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Do winners come in above or below the buyer’s estimate.
For each lot we compare the published estimate with the award, like for like. Below means the winner was paid less than estimated, above means more.
Based on 1,355 lots with both an estimate and an award, last 36 months.
A past pattern, not a price to bid.
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How often a tender ends with no award.
Notices cancelled, withdrawn or marked unsuccessful, plus terminated ones that never got an award.
192 of 10,739 notices, last 36 months.
Only what buyers published. Tenders that quietly went nowhere are not counted.
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How many companies apply to get onto a framework or DPS here.
Middle value per lot, frameworks and dynamic markets only. Getting onto a panel is not the same as winning work, so it is kept separate.
Based on 1,184 lots from 458 framework and DPS notices, last 36 months.
Who winsi
Which suppliers win the most here.
Suppliers ranked by the number of tenders won, not by money. A supplier on one big framework with many call-offs does not outrank one that won many separate competitions.
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Which suppliers win the most here.
Suppliers ranked by the number of tenders won, not by money. A supplier on one big framework with many call-offs does not outrank one that won many separate competitions.
Ranked by distinct procedures won on notices carrying this code, then award records · 17,699 awards to 8,290 suppliers · the five most frequent winners hold 3% of contract awards in the last 36 months
| Supplier | Procedures | Awards | Last 12 months | Buyers |
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| KPMG | 99 | 113 | 38 | 84 |
| Deloitte | 63 | 94 | 23 | 46 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP | 61 | 70 | 29 | 51 |
| HAYS SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT LIMITED | 53 | 57 | 19 | 43 |
| BDO LLP | 50 | 56 | 16 | 48 |
| GatenbySanderson Limited | 48 | 52 | 26 | 39 |
| Ernst and Young LLP | 45 | 62 | 13 | 36 |
| THOMSON REUTERS (PROFESSIONAL) UK LIMITED | 42 | 43 | 22 | 37 |
Where to submiti
Where bids for this work are submitted.
Notices by the portal in their submission link, where one is published.
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Where bids for this work are submitted.
Notices by the portal in their submission link, where one is published.
E-sourcing portals named in the submission address · 5,597 of 18,286 notices name one · each portal page explains registration
Open tenders in business services & consultancy
291 open for bids now · soonest deadline first
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- What counts here. Every notice with a CPV code starting 79, on the tender or any of its lots. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Notices from 2021 to 25 Oct 2026.
- Competition. Bids and winners cover the last three years and count each lot as its own contest; frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems are shown apart from ordinary contracts.
- Why no total spend. Notice estimates often repeat a framework’s ceiling, so adding them up would overstate the market. Typical contract values are shown instead.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.