Research consultancy services: UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition
CPV 73210000·Services · class·in Research & Development (R&D)
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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 15 lots from 15 competitions run by 12 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 8 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 7) and 7 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 133 awards with a usable value, last 36 months.
Published values, not actual spend.
Newest open tenders
3 of 22 open for bids now · newest first
| Notice | Authority | Deadline | Days left | Published value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Nature Recovery Strategies - harnessing geodiversity for nature recovery | NATURAL ENGLAND (Defra Network eTendering Portal) | 16 Nov 2026 | 21d | £25,000 |
| Consultation Services for Existing Town Plan Reviews, and Rural Place Plan Review Development for Gilford, Keady and Rathfriland | Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council | 28 Oct 2026 | 2d | £54,000 |
| Sussex Heritage Coast Visitor Management Plan | South Downs National Park Authority | 29 Oct 2026 | 3d | £80,000 |
Codes and neighbouring classes
The 8-digit CPV codes notices in this class actually use, and the other classes of the same division
73210000 Research consultancy services145 notices · 57%- Research services 419 · 12m
- Research and development consultancy services 150 · 12m
- Development consultancy services 57 · 12m
- Research and experimental development services 50 · 12m
- Design and execution of research and development 14 · 12m
- Test and evaluation 9 · 12m
- Military research and technology 7 · 12m
- Experimental development services 3 · 12m
- Research and Development services on security and defence materials 1 · 12m
- Pre-feasibility study and technological demonstration 1 · 12m
- All of Research & Development (R&D) →
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.
Central government41%(103 notices)
103 of 251 notices are Central government (41%).Local authorities26%(66 notices)
66 of 251 notices are Local authorities (26%).Other public bodies12%(30 notices)
30 of 251 notices are Other public bodies (12%).Education & universities6%(16 notices)
16 of 251 notices are Education & universities (6%).Charities2%(4 notices)
4 of 251 notices are Charities (2%).Not classified13%(32 notices)
32 of 251 notices are Not classified (13%).
| Contracting authority | Type | Notices | Last 12 months | Open now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Research and Innovation | Central government | 19 | 11 | 0 |
| ARMED FORCES COVENANT FUND TRUSTEE LIMITED | Central government | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Ministry of Defence | Central government | 10 | 8 | 0 |
| British Council | Local authorities | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Competition and Markets Authority | Central government | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Defra Network eTendering Portal | not classified | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| ENVIRONMENT AGENCY | Other public bodies | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| NATURAL ENGLAND (Defra Network eTendering Portal) | not classified | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Department for Business & Trade | Central government | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government | Central government | 5 | 3 | 0 |
127 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 107 of 254 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West England | — | — | 14% | |
| South East England | — | — | — | |
| North East England | — | — | — | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | — | — | — | |
| North West England | — | — | — | |
| Greater London | — | 42% | — | |
| West Midlands | — | — | — | |
| East of England | — | — | — | |
| East Midlands | — | — | — | |
| Wales (Cymru) | — | — | — | |
| Scotland | — | — | — | |
| Northern Ireland | — | — | — |
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.
Contract93%(237 notices)
237 of 254 notices are Contract (93%).Framework6%(16 notices)
16 of 254 notices are Framework (6%).Dynamic purchasing system0%(1 notices)
1 of 254 notices are Dynamic purchasing system (0%).
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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.
Open39%(98 notices)
98 of 254 notices are Open (39%).Direct award26%(66 notices)
66 of 254 notices are Direct award (26%).Limited / restricted21%(53 notices)
53 of 254 notices are Limited / restricted (21%).Route not published11%(29 notices)
29 of 254 notices are Route not published (11%).Selective3%(8 notices)
8 of 254 notices are Selective (3%).
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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 threshold23%(14 notices)
14 of 61 notices are Above threshold (23%).Below threshold77%(47 notices)
47 of 61 notices are Below threshold (77%).
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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 (183) · 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 bid13%(2)
2 of 15 lots fall in 1 bid (13%).2–37%(1)
1 of 15 lots fall in 2–3 (7%).4–633%(5)
5 of 15 lots fall in 4–6 (33%).7 or more47%(7)
7 of 15 lots fall in 7 or more (47%).
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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 15 lots from 15 competitions run by 12 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 8 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 7) and 7 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.
64 of 174 notices that state a procedure, last 36 months. 9 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.
61 SME bids out of 86, on 13 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.
49 of 88 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 30 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.
0 of 183 notices, last 36 months.
Only what buyers published. Tenders that quietly went nowhere are not counted.
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 · 179 awards to 164 suppliers · the five most frequent winners hold 7% of contract awards in the last 36 months
| Supplier | Procedures | Awards | Last 12 months | Buyers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEL Research Ltd | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| ALMA ECONOMICS LIMITED | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| GC Insight Ltd | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| RAND Europe Community Interest Company | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| RSK ADAS Limited | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Technopolis Limited | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Acuity Research and Practice Limited | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Atamate Building Intelligence | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
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 · 57 of 254 notices name one · each portal page explains registration
Open tenders in research consultancy services
22 open for bids now · soonest deadline first
| Notice | Authority | Deadline | Days left | Published value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consultation Services for Existing Town Plan Reviews, and Rural Place Plan Review Development for Gilford, Keady and Rathfriland | Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council | 28 Oct 2026 | 2d | £54,000 |
| Sussex Heritage Coast Visitor Management Plan | South Downs National Park Authority | 29 Oct 2026 | 3d | £80,000 |
| Cardiff and Vale Market Stability Report | Cardiff and Vale University Health Board | 2 Nov 2026 | 7d | £50,000 |
| Local Nature Recovery Strategies - harnessing geodiversity for nature recovery | NATURAL ENGLAND (Defra Network eTendering Portal) | 16 Nov 2026 | 21d | £25,000 |
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 7321. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Notices from 2021 to 23 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.