# UK Public Tenders Scraper – Contracts Finder & Find a Tender (`devteamdrew/uk-public-tenders`) Actor

Get every new UK public sector tender, contract opportunity and award from Contracts Finder and Find a Tender (FTS) in one clean feed. Filter by keyword, CPV code, value, region, deadline and SME suitability. Official open APIs, no login. Pay per result.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/devteamdrew/uk-public-tenders.md
- **Developed by:** [Andrew Moffat](https://apify.com/devteamdrew) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Business
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

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

## UK Public Tenders Scraper – Contracts Finder & Find a Tender

Get every new UK public sector tender, contract opportunity and award from Contracts Finder and Find a Tender (FTS) in one clean feed. Filter by keyword, CPV code, value, region, deadline and SME suitability. Official open APIs, no login. Pay per result.

**UK Public Tenders Scraper** by Moxie: fast, reliable and polite, built on official/public data sources.

### What can it do?

- Bid teams: a daily feed of new UK government tenders in your sector (schedule with incremental mode)
- Lead generation for suppliers: buyer names and contact emails for relevant contracts
- Competitor intelligence: who won which public contracts and for how much (award stage)
- Market research on public sector spend by CPV code and region
- Feeding tender notices into an LLM for bid/no-bid triage

### Data source

The official Contracts Finder OCDS search API (`contractsfinder.service.gov.uk`) and the Find a Tender service OCDS API (`find-tender.service.gov.uk`), both published by the UK Government under the Open Government Licence v3.0. No login, no key.

### Features

- **Pay only for results** (pay-per-event pricing, no monthly rental)
- **Incremental mode**: scheduled runs return only items you haven't received before
- **LLM-ready output**: optional compact Markdown per item for RAG / AI agents
- **Polite rate limiting** with automatic retries and backoff
- Clean, flat JSON you can export as CSV, Excel, JSON or via API

### Input example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "software",
    "IT services",
    "digital"
  ],
  "lastDays": 7,
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

### Output example

```json
{
  "id": "contractsFinder:612ec727-9bb1-4e65-99f4-1c68f8c05873-919870",
  "source": "contractsFinder",
  "noticeId": "612ec727-9bb1-4e65-99f4-1c68f8c05873-919870",
  "ocid": "ocds-b5fd17-0f6c3841-68b9-4063-849d-9112d3ee3f2a",
  "url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/612ec727-9bb1-4e65-99f4-1c68f8c05873",
  "title": "Embedded product team to develop the Alpha and Beta of the EEF's Digital Public Service and support the incubation of an agile product culture",
  "description": "Our ambition is to build a Digital Public Service to support teachers and leaders to combine research with professional judgement to make decisions that improve outcomes in their settings, particularly for socio-economically disadvantaged children and young people.\r\n\r\nThis commission is much more than a technology refresh. It is the first critical step in a wider transformation of our technology, engagement model and ways of working. It should deliver two things:\r\n\r\nA working, user-centered digital product that helps educators find, understand and apply evidence when they need it.\r\n\r\nThe capabilities and product culture to deliver an effective service that the EEF can own, sustain and improve.\r\n\r\nAdditional information: Embedded product team to develop the Alpha and Beta of the EEF's Digital Public Service and support the incubation of an agile product culture",
  "stage": "tender",
  "status": "active",
  "buyerName": "THE EDUCATION ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION",
  "buyerContactName": "Adil Morris",
  "buyerContactEmail": "procurement@eefoundation.org.uk",
  "buyerPostcode": "SW1P4QP",
  "publishedDate": "2026-10-30T15:11:59Z",
  "deadline": "2026-11-30T17:00:00Z",
  "valueAmount": 730000,
  "currency": "GBP",
  "cpvCode": "72200000",
  "cpvDescription": "Software programming and consultancy services",
  "category": "services",
  "regions": [],
  "procurementMethod": "Open procedure (above threshold)",
  "contractStart": "2027-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "contractEnd": "2027-11-01T23:59:59Z",
  "suitableForSme": true,
  "suppliers": [],
  "awardValue": null
}
```

### Pricing

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Tender notice (`result`) | $0.003 |
| Actor start | $0.003 per run |

**Example:** 1,000 results ≈ $3.00 + $0.003 start fee. Apify platform usage is included in the price.

Benchmark: ciel_labs/uk-government-tenders-contracts-finder (21 users) covers Contracts Finder only; neuton/uk-find-tender-notices-scraper covers Find a Tender only (Apify Store, 1 Nov 2026).

### Use via API or MCP

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/devteamdrew~uk-public-tenders/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"keywords": ["software", "IT services", "digital"], "lastDays": 7, "maxItems": 20}'
```

AI agents (Claude, Cursor, etc.) can call this actor through the Apify MCP server: add `https://mcp.apify.com/?actors=devteamdrew/uk-public-tenders` as an MCP server.

### FAQ

**What is the difference between Contracts Finder and Find a Tender?**\
Contracts Finder lists lower-value public contracts (mainly England, from about £12k/£30k). Find a Tender (FTS) carries higher-value notices across the UK under the Procurement Act 2023. This actor merges both.

**Do I need an account or API key?**\
No. Both are free, open government APIs.

**Can I get awarded contracts and suppliers?**\
Yes, set the notice stage to `award`; `suppliers` and `awardValue` are filled in.

**How do I only see live opportunities?**\
Keep the stage as `tender` and tick 'Only open'.

**Can I schedule it?**\
Yes. Use Apify Schedules together with incremental mode to receive only new items.

**Something broke?**\
Open an issue on the actor's Issues tab; we monitor nightly and usually fix within 24 hours.

### Related actors

- [Bluesky Scraper – Posts, Profiles & Search](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/bluesky-scraper)
- [UK Companies House Scraper – Companies & Directors](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/companies-house-scraper)
- [UK Planning Applications Scraper – 400+ Councils & Postcodes](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/uk-planning-applications)
- [Hacker News Scraper – Stories, Comments & Jobs](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/hacker-news-scraper)
- [npm Package Scraper – Downloads & Dependencies](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/npm-package-scraper)
- [GitHub Trending Scraper – Repos, Stars & Developers](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/github-trending-scraper)
- [Mastodon Scraper – Fediverse Hashtags, Accounts & Trends](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/mastodon-scraper)
- [Lemmy Scraper – Posts, Comments & Communities (Fediverse)](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/lemmy-scraper)
- [SEC EDGAR Scraper – 10-K, 10-Q & 8-K Filings](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/sec-edgar-scraper)
- [arXiv Scraper – Paper Search, Abstracts & Authors](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/arxiv-scraper)
- [CQC Care Homes & Providers Scraper – UK Care Directory Leads](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/uk-cqc-care-providers)

### Legal and GDPR

This actor only collects publicly available data from official or open APIs and respects their rate limits and terms of use.

Results may contain personal data (e.g. names, handles). You are responsible for having a lawful basis under GDPR/UK GDPR and similar laws to process it, and for using the data in line with the source platform's terms. Do not use it for spam or for profiling individuals.

***

See real sample rows, FAQs and ready-made feeds at [rowsift.co.uk](https://rowsift.co.uk/?utm_source=apify\&utm_medium=readme\&utm_campaign=uk-public-tenders\&utm_content=footer).

# Actor input Schema

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

Keep notices whose title, description, CPV description or buyer contains any of these words, e.g. `software`, `cleaning`, `solar`. Empty = all notices.

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

Contracts Finder (lower-value contracts in England) and/or Find a Tender (higher-value UK-wide notices).

## `stages` (type: `array`):

`tender` = open opportunities, `award` = contracts awarded (with suppliers), `planning` = early market engagement / pipeline notices.

## `lastDays` (type: `integer`):

Notices published or updated in the last N days (ignored when dates are set).

## `publishedFrom` (type: `string`):

YYYY-MM-DD (optional).

## `publishedTo` (type: `string`):

YYYY-MM-DD (optional).

## `minValue` (type: `integer`):

Only notices with an estimated value at or above this (0 = no minimum).

## `maxValue` (type: `integer`):

Only notices with an estimated value at or below this (0 = no maximum).

## `cpvPrefixes` (type: `array`):

Only notices whose main CPV code starts with one of these, e.g. `72` (IT services), `45` (construction), `90` (cleaning/environment).

## `regions` (type: `array`):

Delivery region contains, e.g. `London`, `North West`, `Scotland`, or NUTS code like `UKM`.

## `openOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Skip notices whose tender deadline has passed.

## `smeSuitableOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Only Contracts Finder notices flagged suitable for SMEs.

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

Maximum number of results to return (and pay for) per run.

## `incremental` (type: `boolean`):

Remember items delivered in previous runs with the same input and skip them. Great for scheduled monitoring runs: you only pay for new results.

## `outputFormat` (type: `string`):

`json` = structured fields; `llm` = id, url and a compact Markdown block ready for LLMs/RAG; `both` = structured fields plus Markdown.

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

Polite rate limit between API requests. Retries with backoff on 429/5xx are automatic.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "software",
    "digital"
  ],
  "sources": [
    "contractsFinder",
    "findATender"
  ],
  "stages": [
    "tender"
  ],
  "lastDays": 7,
  "minValue": 0,
  "maxValue": 0,
  "cpvPrefixes": [],
  "regions": [],
  "openOnly": false,
  "smeSuitableOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 100,
  "incremental": false,
  "outputFormat": "json",
  "requestDelayMs": 500
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All results in the default dataset (overview view).

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

Counts of pushed and skipped (already seen) items.

# 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 = {
    "keywords": [
        "software",
        "digital"
    ],
    "cpvPrefixes": [],
    "regions": []
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("devteamdrew/uk-public-tenders").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 = {
    "keywords": [
        "software",
        "digital",
    ],
    "cpvPrefixes": [],
    "regions": [],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("devteamdrew/uk-public-tenders").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 '{
  "keywords": [
    "software",
    "digital"
  ],
  "cpvPrefixes": [],
  "regions": []
}' |
apify call devteamdrew/uk-public-tenders --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/pXBaewcwkP9SV7Goo/builds/p85Yt0zeYxoW84Kc6/openapi.json