# UK Tenders: Contracts Finder + Find a Tender (`mmm_mita/uk-public-tenders-unified`) Actor

UK government tenders and contract awards from Contracts Finder and Find a Tender in one de-duplicated feed, via the official OCDS APIs. Filter by stage, keyword, CPV, value and deadline. Includes buyer, suppliers, award value and SME flag. Monitor mode returns only new notices.

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

## Pricing

$3.00 / 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

### What does UK Tenders: Contracts Finder + Find a Tender do?

This actor gives you **UK public sector tenders and contract awards** from the two official portals, **Contracts Finder** and **Find a Tender (FTS)**, in **one feed**. It reads the portals' **official OCDS APIs**, classifies each release as **planning, tender or award**, marks cancellations, and **removes duplicates** when the same notice appears on both portals.

Filter by **stage, keyword, CPV code, minimum value and deadline**. Turn on **monitor mode** and schedule it to receive only new notices.

Export as JSON, CSV or Excel, or use the Apify API, schedules and integrations.

### How to use it

1. Choose **sources** (both by default).
2. Choose **stages**: `tender` (open opportunities), `award` (who won), `planning` (early market engagement).
3. Set **Published in the last N days** and optional **keywords**, **CPV prefixes** and **minimum value**.
4. Run it. For bid alerts, turn on **monitor mode** and schedule it daily.

### Data fields

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| source | `contracts-finder` or `find-a-tender` |
| stage | `planning`, `tender` or `award` (from the OCDS release tag) |
| ocid | OCDS contracting process ID |
| releaseId | OCDS release ID |
| tag | Raw OCDS release tags |
| publishedDate | Tender publication date |
| title, description | Notice title and description |
| buyerName | Contracting authority |
| status | Tender status; `cancelled` when the release is a cancellation |
| procurementCategory | e.g. `services`, `goods`, `works` |
| procurementMethod | Procedure, e.g. "Call-off from a framework agreement" |
| cpvMain | First CPV code |
| cpvCodes | All CPV codes with descriptions |
| valueAmount, valueCurrency | Tender value (or minimum value / first lot value) |
| deadline | Tender submission deadline |
| contractStart | Contract start date |
| suitableForSme | SME suitability flag, when given |
| postcode | Delivery postcode, when given |
| awards | List of awards: suppliers, value, currency, date |
| url | Notice page on the portal |
| scrapedAt | Time the row was created (UTC) |

### Use cases

- **Bid alerts** for suppliers and SMEs by CPV code or keyword.
- **Award intelligence**: which suppliers win which contracts and for how much.
- Public spend analysis and market sizing.

### Input example

```json
{
  "stages": ["tender"],
  "daysBack": 3,
  "keywords": ["software", "cyber"],
  "cpvPrefixes": ["72"],
  "onlyOpenDeadline": true,
  "monitorMode": true
}
```

#### All input options

| Option | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| sources | both | `contracts-finder`, `find-a-tender` |
| stages | `["tender"]` | `planning`, `tender`, `award` |
| daysBack | 3 | 1–365 |
| keywords | `[]` | Case-insensitive match in title or description (any keyword) |
| cpvPrefixes | `[]` | Matches main and additional CPV codes |
| minValueGbp | – | Notices without a value are kept |
| onlyOpenDeadline | false | Drops notices whose deadline has passed or is missing |
| dedupeAcrossSources | true | Keep one copy of a notice that is on both portals (matched on title, buyer and deadline across portals only). Within a portal, notices are identified by OCID, so different notices with the same title and buyer are never merged |
| maxItems | 1000 | 1–50,000 |
| monitorMode | false | Only notices not returned before |
| monitorStoreName | `uk-tenders-monitor` | One name per saved search |

### Output example

```json
{
  "source": "contracts-finder",
  "stage": "award",
  "ocid": "ocds-b5fd17-06291f8e-82ec-405e-87c2-1451a9f0aa93",
  "releaseId": "06cd6297-36c5-4c01-9c48-fa382c25b725-918214",
  "tag": ["award"],
  "publishedDate": "2026-10-18T12:54:08+01:00",
  "title": "Observability-Tooling",
  "description": "Observability-Tooling",
  "buyerName": "DSIT",
  "status": "complete",
  "procurementCategory": "services",
  "procurementMethod": "Call-off from a framework agreement",
  "cpvMain": "48200000",
  "cpvCodes": [{ "code": "48200000", "description": "Networking, Internet and intranet software package" }],
  "valueAmount": 249480,
  "valueCurrency": "GBP",
  "deadline": "2026-09-18T12:00:00+01:00",
  "contractStart": "2026-09-26T00:00:00+01:00",
  "suitableForSme": true,
  "postcode": "E1 8QS",
  "awards": [{ "suppliers": ["Dynatrace Limited"], "value": 249480, "currency": "GBP", "date": "2026-09-17T00:00:00+01:00" }],
  "url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/06291f8e-82ec-405e-87c2-1451a9f0aa93",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-18T17:09:46.163Z"
}
```

### How much does it cost to scrape UK tenders?

You pay per notice delivered: **$3.00 per 1,000 notices**, no start fee. Duplicates removed across portals are not charged, and with monitor mode notices from earlier runs are skipped. Set a maximum cost per run in Apify; the actor stops when it is reached. The $5 monthly credit on the Apify free plan covers about 1,650 notices.

In monitor mode, the first run (empty memory) is a free **baseline**: it stores the notices that exist today and returns nothing, so it costs nothing. Later runs return and charge only new notices. Turn off "Monitor: first run is a free baseline" if you also want the existing notices.

### Limits

- Fields are only as complete as the portals publish them; value, deadline, postcode and SME flag can be `null`.
- Find a Tender's API filters on last update date; the actor then keeps only notices whose `publishedDate` falls inside your `daysBack` window, so old notices that were merely updated are not returned.
- Keyword filtering is done on title and description only.
- De-duplication matches on OCID and stage, and also on stage + title + buyer name.
- Up to 500 API pages (100 releases each) are scanned per source per run; maximum 50,000 output rows.
- Monitor mode remembers up to the last 100,000 notices per memory name.
- The value filter does not convert currencies.

### Legal and terms

Data comes from the official public OCDS APIs of Contracts Finder and Find a Tender. Both APIs publish the data under the [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Award data can contain names of sole-trader suppliers; you are responsible for your use under UK GDPR.

### FAQ

#### What is the difference between Contracts Finder and Find a Tender?

Contracts Finder lists lower-value contracts in England; Find a Tender lists UK-wide contracts above the procurement thresholds. Many notices appear on both, so this actor merges them.

#### How do I get only contract awards?

Set stages to `award`. The `awards` field lists suppliers, value and date.

#### How do I get daily bid alerts?

Turn on monitor mode, keep the same memory name, and schedule the actor daily.

#### Are cancelled tenders included?

Yes, if their stage matches your filter; they get `status: "cancelled"`.

#### Can I send results to Slack, Sheets or a CRM?

Yes, via Apify integrations, webhooks or the API.

### Other Data Pipe actors

- [EU Tenders Scraper (TED) & Tender Monitor](https://apify.com/mmm_mita/eu-ted-tenders-monitor)
- [France Company Register Scraper (SIRENE)](https://apify.com/mmm_mita/france-company-register)
- [SEC EDGAR Filings Search & Monitor](https://apify.com/mmm_mita/sec-edgar-filings-monitor)
- [LEI Lookup & Company Search (GLEIF)](https://apify.com/mmm_mita/gleif-lei-company-search)

# Actor input Schema

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

Contracts Finder (England, lower-value) and Find a Tender (UK-wide, above threshold).

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

tender = open opportunities, award = contract awards (who won), planning = early market engagement.

## `daysBack` (type: `integer`):

How far back to look.

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

Keep notices whose title/description contains any of these (case-insensitive). Empty = all.

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

e.g. 72 (IT), 45 (construction). Matches main and additional CPV codes.

## `minValueGbp` (type: `integer`):

Notices without a value are kept.

## `onlyOpenDeadline` (type: `boolean`):

Drop tenders whose deadline has passed.

## `dedupeAcrossSources` (type: `boolean`):

Many notices are published on both portals; keep one.

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

Upper bound on output rows.

## `monitorMode` (type: `boolean`):

Remember notices between runs; schedule for alerts.

## `monitorStoreName` (type: `string`):

Use one name per saved search.

## `monitorFirstRunBaseline` (type: `boolean`):

In monitor mode, the first run (empty memory) only stores what already exists, with no output and no charge. Later runs return only new records. Turn off to receive (and pay for) the existing records on the first run too.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sources": [
    "contracts-finder",
    "find-a-tender"
  ],
  "stages": [
    "tender"
  ],
  "daysBack": 3,
  "keywords": [],
  "cpvPrefixes": [],
  "onlyOpenDeadline": false,
  "dedupeAcrossSources": true,
  "maxItems": 100,
  "monitorMode": false,
  "monitorStoreName": "uk-tenders-monitor",
  "monitorFirstRunBaseline": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

All results in the default dataset (table view 'overview').

# 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": [],
    "cpvPrefixes": [],
    "maxItems": 100
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("mmm_mita/uk-public-tenders-unified").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": [],
    "cpvPrefixes": [],
    "maxItems": 100,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("mmm_mita/uk-public-tenders-unified").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": [],
  "cpvPrefixes": [],
  "maxItems": 100
}' |
apify call mmm_mita/uk-public-tenders-unified --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/JKDSGenykTQdYG8hK/builds/cSHkRyQpoW4t3BPPP/openapi.json