# UK Tenders Scraper - Find a Tender & Contracts Finder (`compass_lab/uk-tenders-scraper`) Actor

UK tenders scraper and API for Find a Tender and Contracts Finder: export public procurement notices (title, buyer, CPV, value, deadline, status, supplier) to JSON, CSV or Excel. Filter by keywords, CPV, buyer and dates. Track new tenders, changed deadlines and awards.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/compass_lab/uk-tenders-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [COMPASSLAB](https://apify.com/compass_lab) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$4.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

**Get UK Tenders Scraper - Find a Tender & Contracts Finder results as clean JSON, CSV or Excel, from the Apify API or on a schedule. No login, about $4.00 for 1,000 results.**

### What does UK Tenders Scraper - Find a Tender & Contracts Finder do?

**UK Tenders Scraper - Find a Tender & Contracts Finder** extracts structured data from **[find-tender.service.gov.uk](https://find-tender.service.gov.uk)**. Collect UK public procurement notices from the government's two official services, Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, through their public OCDS APIs: one clean record per procedure (title, buyer, CPV, value and currency, procedure, published date, deadline, status, supplier), filtered by keywords, CPV codes, buyer, value and dates, and watched for new tenders, changed deadlines and awards. It works
as an **API for find-tender.service.gov.uk data**: run it from Apify Console, on a schedule, or from your own code, and get clean,
typed JSON with numbers as numbers and dates in ISO 8601.

### What you get

| | |
|---|---|
| **Data** | 22 fields per item: `ocid`, `noticeId`, `source`, `title`, `description`, `buyer`, ... |
| **Formats** | JSON, CSV, Excel, HTML, or the Apify API |
| **Price** | $4.00 per 1,000 results, pay per result |
| **Access** | Public find-tender.service.gov.uk data only: no login, no cookies, robots.txt respected |
| **Licence** | Open Government Licence v3.0: free reuse, including commercial, with attribution to the source (Find a Tender / Contracts Finder, Crown copyright) |

### Why use UK Tenders Scraper - Find a Tender & Contracts Finder?

- **Analysts and researchers**: export the data to a spreadsheet or database.
- **Developers**: call it from your own code through the Apify API.
- **Monitoring**: run it on a schedule and compare results over time.
- **AI agents and RAG**: give an LLM live structured data.

Main features:

- Follows pagination up to `maxPages` pages per start URL and stops at `maxItems` results.
- Filters: `sources` (sources), `keywords` (keywords), `cpvCodes` (cpv codes), `buyer` (buyer name), `minValue` (minimum value), `publishedAfter` (published or updated after), `deadlineAfter` (deadline after), `onlyChanges` (only changes since the last run), so you only get (and pay for) the results you need.
- Polite by default: respects robots.txt, at most `maxConcurrency` parallel requests and a delay between requests.
- Checks every result against field validators, so layout changes show up as clear data-quality warnings.
- Runs on the Apify platform: scheduling, API access, integrations, monitoring and datasets you can export.

### What data can UK Tenders Scraper - Find a Tender & Contracts Finder extract?

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `ocid` | string | Open Contracting ID of the procedure |
| `noticeId` | string | ID of the latest release |
| `source` | string | Find a Tender or Contracts Finder (source acknowledged, OGL) |
| `title` | string | Tender title |
| `description` | string | Tender description |
| `buyer` | string | Buyer (contracting authority) |
| `country` | string | Always GB |
| `cpvCodes` | array | CPV codes |
| `mainCpv` | string | Main CPV code |
| `value` | number | Value without VAT, when published |
| `currency` | string | ISO 4217 code; null when the page's symbol is ambiguous and unresolved |
| `currencySymbol` | string | Raw symbol shown on the page, only when it could not be resolved to an ISO code |
| `procedure` | string | Procurement method: open, selective, limited, direct, ... |
| `category` | string | goods, services or works |
| `stage` | string | Latest release tag: tender, tenderUpdate, award, contract, planning, ... |
| `publishedDate` | ISO 8601 date | Date of the latest release (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| `deadline` | ISO 8601 date | Tender deadline (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| `status` | string | open, deadline passed, awarded, planned, cancelled, closed or other |
| `awardedTo` | array | Suppliers named in award releases |
| `url` | string | Notice page on the source |
| `changeType` | string | new, changed, unchanged since the last run with the same input |
| `changes` | object | What changed since the last run: {field: {from, to}} |

### How to scrape find-tender.service.gov.uk

1. Open UK Tenders Scraper - Find a Tender & Contracts Finder in Apify Console and go to the Input tab.
2. Enter what to scrape (see the Input section below), for example the start URLs.
3. Set **Max items** to the number of results you need.
4. Click **Start** and wait for the run to finish.
5. Download the results from the Output tab, or fetch them with the API.

### How much will it cost to scrape find-tender.service.gov.uk?

This Actor is priced **per result**: $4.00 per 1,000 results, with no extra charge for platform usage. That is about $4.00 for 1,000 results: 100 results cost $0.40 and 10,000 results cost $40.00. Set a maximum cost per run and the Actor stops when it is reached.

### Input

See the Input tab for full configuration options.

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `sources` | array | no | Find a Tender (above-threshold) and/or Contracts Finder (lower-value). |
| `keywords` | array | no | Keep notices whose title or description contains any of these words. |
| `cpvCodes` | array | no | Keep notices with a CPV code starting with any of these, e.g. 72 (IT services) or 79410000. |
| `buyer` | string | no | Words in the buyer's name, e.g. 'NHS' or 'council'. |
| `minValue` | number | no | Keep notices whose value is at least this (GBP). |
| `publishedAfter` | string | no | YYYY-MM-DD. Default: the last 3 days. |
| `deadlineAfter` | string | no | YYYY-MM-DD: keep tenders still open to bids after this date. |
| `onlyChanges` | boolean | no | For scheduled runs: return (and pay for) only new and changed records, compared with the last run with the same input. The snapshot is kept in a named key-value store; delete it to start over. |
| `maxItems` | integer | no | Maximum number of items to return (0 = unlimited). |
| `startUrls` | array | no | Optional: OCDS API URLs of either service (replace the default searches). |
| `maxPages` | integer | no | Maximum listing pages to follow per start URL (pagination). |
| `maxConcurrency` | integer | no | Maximum parallel requests (politeness; 1-10). |
| `requestDelayMs` | integer | no | Minimum delay between requests, in milliseconds (at least 250). Find a Tender allows about 12 requests per minute: keep at least 6000. |
| `proxyType` | string | no | none (direct connection), datacenter (Apify Proxy, cheapest) or residential (opt-in, billed per GB, fewer blocks). The actor never switches by itself. |
| `proxyCountry` | string | no | Two-letter country code for the proxy IP (optional). |
| `defaultCurrency` | string | no | ISO 4217 code (e.g. USD) used when the page shows an ambiguous symbol such as $ or kr. Leave empty to detect it from the site. |

Example input:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 400,
  "maxPages": 2,
  "maxConcurrency": 1,
  "requestDelayMs": 6000,
  "proxyType": "none"
}
```

### Output

You can download the dataset in various formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel. Example results
from a real run:

```json
[
  {
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-077b07",
    "noticeId": "093581-2026",
    "source": "Find a Tender",
    "title": "Play Ground Refurbishment x 2",
    "description": "Ingoldmells Parish Council is seeking suitably qualified and experienced contractors to design, supply and install new play equipment and associated safety surfacing at two existing play areas within Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire. The proposed works are intended to provide attractive, inclusive and acce…",
    "buyer": "Ingoldmells Parish Council",
    "country": "GB",
    "cpvCodes": [
      "45000000"
    ],
    "mainCpv": "45000000",
    "value": 120000.0,
    "currency": "GBP",
    "currencySymbol": null,
    "procedure": "open",
    "category": "works",
    "stage": "tenderUpdate",
    "publishedDate": "2026-10-04",
    "deadline": "2026-12-31",
    "status": "open",
    "awardedTo": [],
    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093581-2026",
    "changeType": "new",
    "changes": {}
  },
  {
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06d28d",
    "noticeId": "093580-2026",
    "source": "Find a Tender",
    "title": "Supply Staff - ACET",
    "description": "Supplier to provide supply agency staff services across ACET",
    "buyer": "ASTON COMMUNITY EDUCATION TRUST",
    "country": "GB",
    "cpvCodes": [
      "79000000"
    ],
    "mainCpv": "79000000",
    "value": null,
    "currency": null,
    "currencySymbol": null,
    "procedure": "selective",
    "category": null,
    "stage": "contract",
    "publishedDate": "2026-10-04",
    "deadline": null,
    "status": "awarded",
    "awardedTo": [
      "AFFINITY WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS LIMITED",
      "TRADEWIND RECRUITMENT LTD",
      "VISION FOR EDUCATION",
      "ZEN EDUCATE LIMITED"
    ],
    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093580-2026",
    "changeType": "new",
    "changes": {}
  },
  {
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-07803a",
    "noticeId": "093579-2026",
    "source": "Find a Tender",
    "title": "Supply Staff Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust",
    "description": "Supplier to provide supply agency staff services across Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust",
    "buyer": "DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST",
    "country": "GB",
    "cpvCodes": [
      "79000000"
    ],
    "mainCpv": "79000000",
    "value": 1245833.0,
    "currency": "GBP",
    "currencySymbol": null,
    "procedure": "selective",
    "category": null,
    "stage": "contract",
    "publishedDate": "2026-10-04",
    "deadline": null,
    "status": "awarded",
    "awardedTo": [
      "3D RECRUIT LIMITED",
      "TEACHING PERSONNEL LIMITED",
      "ENGAGE PARTNERS LIMITED",
      "GUARDIAN SELECTION LIMITED (GSL Education)",
      "HAYS SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT LIMITED"
    ],
    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093579-2026",
    "changeType": "new",
    "changes": {}
  }
]
```

### Integrations and API

- **Apify API**: start a run and get the results in one HTTP request:

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/compass_lab~uk-tenders-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"maxItems": 400}'
```

- **Python** (`pip install apify-client`):

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run = client.actor("compass_lab/uk-tenders-scraper").call(run_input={"maxItems": 400})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)
```

- **JavaScript** (`npm install apify-client`):

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>' });
const run = await client.actor('compass_lab/uk-tenders-scraper').call({"maxItems": 400});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
```

- **Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, webhooks**: use the Apify integrations (Integrations tab) to send each
  run's results where you need them, or to start a run from your workflow.
- **Schedules**: run it hourly, daily or weekly from Apify Console (Schedules) and always have fresh results.

### Tips and advanced options

- Keep **Max items** and **Max pages** as low as you need: fewer pages means a faster, cheaper run.
- Raise **Delay between requests** if the site responds slowly; keep **Max concurrency** low to stay polite.
- Missing values are `null`. Fields that often come back empty are listed in the run log as data-quality warnings.
- **Watch for changes**: every record has `changeType` (`new`, `changed` or `unchanged` compared with the last run
  with the same input) and `changes` (`{"field": {"from": ..., "to": ...}}`). Schedule the Actor with **Only changes
  since the last run** on to get, and pay for, only what moved. `new` means new to this input: not returned by an
  earlier run with the same filters. The last snapshot is kept in a named key-value store called
  `<actor-name>-watch-<id>` (the run log prints its name); delete it, or change the input, to start over.

### FAQ, disclaimers and support

#### Is it legal to scrape find-tender.service.gov.uk?

D91 (Mouad, 2026-10-04) confirmed the public tenders line, covering the missing robots.txt on both UK hosts. Find a Tender: 'Notice data is available under the Open Government Licence'; the OCDS search on both services needs no key. One request at a time, 6 s apart by default (Find a Tender's reported limit is 12 per minute), User-Agent with contact email.

The data is published under the **Open Government Licence v3.0: free reuse, including commercial, with attribution to the source (Find a Tender / Contracts Finder, Crown copyright)**: you may reuse it, including commercially, provided you credit the source as the licence requires.

Our Actors are ethical and do not extract any private user data, such as email addresses, gender, or location.
They only extract what the user has chosen to share publicly. We therefore believe that our Actors, when used
for ethical purposes by Apify users, are safe. However, you should be aware that your results could contain
personal data. Personal data is protected by the GDPR in the European Union and by other regulations around the
world. You should not scrape personal data unless you have a legitimate reason to do so. If you're unsure whether
your reason is legitimate, consult your lawyers.

#### How many results can I get?

Up to `maxItems` per run (0 means no limit), as many as the source lists. Each result is one dataset item, and
you are only charged for items that are saved.

#### Can I run it on a schedule or from my own code?

Yes. Schedule it in Apify Console (Schedules), or call it with the `run-sync-get-dataset-items` endpoint or the
Python/JavaScript clients shown in **Integrations and API** above.

#### What are the limitations?

- None identified so far.

#### Where can I get help?

Report problems or ideas on the Issues tab. To call this Actor from your own code, see the API tab.

### Related actors

the same clean, typed output across sources, so you can combine them in one dataset.

| Actor | What it scrapes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| [Breezy HR Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/breezy-jobs-scraper) | Job listings from Breezy HR | $1.00 / 1,000 |
| [Open Canada Dataset Catalogue Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/canada-general-scraper) | Dataset records from Open Canada | $1.00 / 1,000 |
| [Canada Job Bank Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/canada-jobbank-scraper) | Job listings from Canada Job Bank | $1.00 / 1,000 |
| [data.gouv.fr Dataset Catalogue Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/data-gouv-datasets-scraper) | Dataset records from data.gouv.fr | $1.00 / 1,000 |
| [Django Weblog Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/django-weblog-scraper) | Posts from Django Weblog | $1.00 / 1,000 |
| [Greenhouse Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/greenhouse-jobs-scraper) | Job listings from Greenhouse | $1.60 / 1,000 |
| [Lever Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/lever-jobs-scraper) | Job listings from Lever | $1.60 / 1,000 |
| [Pinpoint Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/pinpointhq-jobs-scraper) | Job listings from Pinpoint | $1.00 / 1,000 |
| [Python Jobs Scraper (python.org)](https://apify.com/compass_lab/python-job-board-scraper) | Job listings from Python Jobs Scraper (python.org) | $2.00 / 1,000 |
| [Recruitee Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/recruitee-jobs-scraper) | Job listings from Recruitee | $1.00 / 1,000 |
| [We Work Remotely Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/weworkremotely-jobs-scraper) | Job listings from We Work Remotely | $2.50 / 1,000 |
| [Working Nomads Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/compass_lab/workingnomads-jobs-scraper) | Job listings from Working Nomads | $2.50 / 1,000 |

# Actor input Schema

## `sources` (type: `array`):

Find a Tender (above-threshold) and/or Contracts Finder (lower-value).

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Keep notices whose title or description contains any of these words.

## `cpvCodes` (type: `array`):

Keep notices with a CPV code starting with any of these, e.g. 72 (IT services) or 79410000.

## `buyer` (type: `string`):

Words in the buyer's name, e.g. 'NHS' or 'council'.

## `minValue` (type: `number`):

Keep notices whose value is at least this (GBP).

## `publishedAfter` (type: `string`):

YYYY-MM-DD. Default: the last 3 days.

## `deadlineAfter` (type: `string`):

YYYY-MM-DD: keep tenders still open to bids after this date.

## `onlyChanges` (type: `boolean`):

For scheduled runs: return (and pay for) only new and changed records, compared with the last run with the same input. The snapshot is kept in a named key-value store; delete it to start over.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of items to return (0 = unlimited). You pay per result, so this also caps the cost.

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Optional: OCDS API URLs of either service (replace the default searches).

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Maximum listing pages to follow per start URL (pagination).

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Maximum parallel requests (politeness; 1-10).

## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`):

Minimum delay between requests, in milliseconds (at least 250). Find a Tender allows about 12 requests per minute: keep at least 6000.

## `proxyType` (type: `string`):

none (direct connection), datacenter (Apify Proxy, cheapest) or residential (opt-in, billed per GB, fewer blocks). The actor never switches by itself.

## `proxyCountry` (type: `string`):

Two-letter country code for the proxy IP (optional).

## `defaultCurrency` (type: `string`):

ISO 4217 code (e.g. USD) used when the page shows an ambiguous symbol such as $ or kr. Leave empty to detect it from the site.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sources": [
    "Find a Tender",
    "Contracts Finder"
  ],
  "onlyChanges": false,
  "maxItems": 20,
  "maxPages": 2,
  "maxConcurrency": 1,
  "requestDelayMs": 6000,
  "proxyType": "none"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

All scraped items (overview view)

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 20,
    "maxPages": 2,
    "maxConcurrency": 1,
    "requestDelayMs": 6000,
    "proxyType": "none"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("compass_lab/uk-tenders-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "maxItems": 20,
    "maxPages": 2,
    "maxConcurrency": 1,
    "requestDelayMs": 6000,
    "proxyType": "none",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("compass_lab/uk-tenders-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 20,
  "maxPages": 2,
  "maxConcurrency": 1,
  "requestDelayMs": 6000,
  "proxyType": "none"
}' |
apify call compass_lab/uk-tenders-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,compass_lab/uk-tenders-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/5jAa46ZaeoqaXfTUx/builds/i5GhFOeaZpRfACiI6/openapi.json