Research & Development (R&D): UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition
CPV 73000000·Services · division·11 classes with notices·Official label: Research and development services and related consultancy services
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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 262 lots from 231 competitions run by 140 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 147 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 115 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).
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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 1,410 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 142 decided competitions, last 36 months.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Newest open tenders
3 of 83 open for bids now · newest first
| Notice | Authority | Deadline | Days left | Published value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Engagement Services | Maidstone Borough Council | 20 Nov 2026 | 25d | £50,000 |
| Local Nature Recovery Strategies - harnessing geodiversity for nature recovery | NATURAL ENGLAND (Defra Network eTendering Portal) | 16 Nov 2026 | 21d | £25,000 |
| Homelessness Toolkits | Local Government Association | 9 Nov 2026 | 14d | £64,800 |
What research & development (r&d) covers
Official CPV label: Research and development services and related consultancy services · editorial summary
Commissioned R&D tenders by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Typical requirements: Defence & Security Innovation · Clinical Trials & Medical R&D · Renewable Energy & Clean Tech R&D · Economic Feasibility Studies.
Sub-sectors of research & development (r&d)
11 CPV classes with notices · sorted by notices in the last 12 months · 2,151 of 3,728 notices in this division carry a class-level code
| Class | Open now | Notices, 12m | Buyers | Bids / lot | SME wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Research services73110000 | 29 open → | 228 | 4 | 36% | |
Research and development consultancy services73200000 | 17 open → | 161 | 4 | 54% | |
Research consultancy services73210000 | 22 open → | 127 | 6 | 56% | |
Development consultancy services73220000 | 6 open → | 102 | 7 | 57% | |
Research and experimental development services73100000 | 4 open → | 51 | 4 | 28% | |
Design and execution of research and development73300000 | 1 open → | 52 | 4 | 23% | |
Test and evaluation73430000 | 3 open → | 17 | 3 | — | |
Military research and technology73410000 | 1 open → | 5 | 5 | — | |
Research and Development services on security and defence materials73400000 | 2 open → | 6 | — | — | |
Pre-feasibility study and technological demonstration73420000 | 1 open → | 3 | — | — |
Show 1 quieter class (fewer than 5 notices in 12 months, none open)
Experimental development services73120000 | 0 | 6 | 2 | — |
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 government47%(1,723 notices)
1,723 of 3,687 notices are Central government (47%).Local authorities18%(659 notices)
659 of 3,687 notices are Local authorities (18%).Other public bodies14%(524 notices)
524 of 3,687 notices are Other public bodies (14%).Education & universities5%(168 notices)
168 of 3,687 notices are Education & universities (5%).Police, fire & emergency1%(21 notices)
21 of 3,687 notices are Police, fire & emergency (1%).Not classified16%(592 notices)
592 of 3,687 notices are Not classified (16%).
| Contracting authority | Type | Notices | Last 12 months | Open now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Research and Innovation | Central government | 180 | 75 | 2 |
| Ministry of Defence | Central government | 174 | 25 | 0 |
| The Food Standards Agency | Central government | 108 | 24 | 0 |
| Defra Network eTendering Portal | not classified | 94 | 0 | 0 |
| Nuclear Decommissioning Authority | Central government | 78 | 45 | 1 |
| DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS | Central government | 76 | 59 | 0 |
| Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB) | Other public bodies | 75 | 25 | 3 |
| United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority | not classified | 68 | 0 | 0 |
| ENVIRONMENT AGENCY | Other public bodies | 66 | 42 | 0 |
| Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government | Central government | 63 | 33 | 1 |
646 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 1,497 of 3,728 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 | 6 | 43% | 41% | |
| South East England | 5 | 53% | 20% | |
| South West England | 5 | 46% | 11% | |
| North West England | 5 | 49% | 17% | |
| North East England | 5 | 56% | 11% | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 4 | 50% | 13% | |
| Wales (Cymru) | 4 | 48% | 37% | |
| East of England | 5 | 48% | 18% | |
| West Midlands | 5 | 58% | 13% | |
| East Midlands | 5 | 51% | 4% | |
| Scotland | 5 | 48% | 31% | |
| Northern Ireland | 3 | — | — |
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.
Contract92%(3,416 notices)
3,416 of 3,728 notices are Contract (92%).Framework8%(287 notices)
287 of 3,728 notices are Framework (8%).Dynamic purchasing system1%(25 notices)
25 of 3,728 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.
Open36%(1,357 notices)
1,357 of 3,728 notices are Open (36%).Direct award21%(795 notices)
795 of 3,728 notices are Direct award (21%).Limited / restricted19%(690 notices)
690 of 3,728 notices are Limited / restricted (19%).Route not published15%(557 notices)
557 of 3,728 notices are Route not published (15%).Selective9%(329 notices)
329 of 3,728 notices are Selective (9%).
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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 threshold33%(232 notices)
232 of 699 notices are Above threshold (33%).Below threshold67%(467 notices)
467 of 699 notices are Below threshold (67%).
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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 (2,346) · 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 bid14%(36)
36 of 262 lots fall in 1 bid (14%).2–326%(68)
68 of 262 lots fall in 2–3 (26%).4–630%(79)
79 of 262 lots fall in 4–6 (30%).7 or more30%(79)
79 of 262 lots fall in 7 or more (30%).
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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 262 lots from 231 competitions run by 140 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 147 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 115 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).
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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.
910 of 2,197 notices that state a procedure, last 36 months. 149 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.
784 SME bids out of 1,245, on 212 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.
456 of 1,019 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 266 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.
33 of 2,346 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 112 lots from 46 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 · 3,094 awards to 1,792 suppliers · the five most frequent winners hold 5% of contract awards in the last 36 months
| Supplier | Procedures | Awards | Last 12 months | Buyers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IFF Research Ltd | 32 | 40 | 16 | 15 |
| UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER | 31 | 31 | 12 | 12 |
| Fera Science Ltd | 30 | 32 | 12 | 6 |
| WSP UK Limited | 30 | 31 | 16 | 14 |
| OVE ARUP & PARTNERS LIMITED | 26 | 31 | 8 | 19 |
| IPSOS (MARKET RESEARCH) LTD | 23 | 27 | 9 | 14 |
| TUV SUD LIMITED | 19 | 20 | 19 | 1 |
| Ricardo AEA Ltd | 16 | 18 | 6 | 8 |
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 · 979 of 3,728 notices name one · each portal page explains registration
Open tenders in research & development (r&d)
83 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 73, on the tender or any of its lots. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Notices from 2021 to 24 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.