📜 UK Contracts Finder Incumbent Suppliers Scraper

Scrape UK Contracts Finder repeat awards to incumbent suppliers: buyer, supplier, value and dates. Run it once and you get the current records as a dataset — that is the default. Turn on watch mode and a scheduled run returns only what changed since the last run (see Optional: run it on a schedule).

Repeat wins by the suppliers you name. A post-award record — not an opportunity feed.

Output is one cf_award_record row per result; billing is pay-per-event, the value event being one contract award delta (a $0.02 start fee per run, then $0.30 per contract award delta plus one $0.10 source check per run that reads the source). Source: www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk.

Who buys this

Buyers usually search for UK incumbent suppliers or Contracts Finder suppliers.

• Bid teams and suppliers following UK incumbent suppliers in their category.
• Procurement-intelligence vendors and consultancies tracking Contracts Finder suppliers and incumbents.
• Analysts researching who buys what from whom in the public sector.

📊 Sample Output

Real rows from run NkpveO6E7bATNPife on build 0.1.19 (2026-09-28), the same input as the Quick start below — every value is as the source published it (emails masked, long text shortened):

award_id	ocid	release_id	title	buyer_name	buyer_id
ocds-b5fd17-324c6637-5afb-49f3-82e2-eaf71ab46234-1	ocds-b5fd17-324c6637-5afb-49f3-82e2-eaf71ab46234	ff3a41e3-dc0c-49ca-bcce-48933e882f3d-908296	SEN19025-SEN- W/C TAXI-Ashfield Academy	Leicestershire County Council	GB-CFS-58010
ocds-b5fd17-56a42037-6ff8-4927-868a-65b602fa8a0b-1	ocds-b5fd17-56a42037-6ff8-4927-868a-65b602fa8a0b	95c08572-99ae-4fd2-a60b-d4ffab83fcb6-908295	SEN19021-SEN-TAXI-BIRKETT HOUSE SENIORS-COUNTESTHORPE COLLEGE	Leicestershire County Council	GB-CFS-58010
ocds-b5fd17-b16ecab5-3a70-46f3-b7ea-63838d624681-1	ocds-b5fd17-b16ecab5-3a70-46f3-b7ea-63838d624681	4781bb8e-e8b9-4335-afa2-525d08189d5a-908294	SEN19019 -SEN-TAXI-Foxfields Academy	Leicestershire County Council	GB-CFS-58010
ocds-b5fd17-7b568a9a-eba6-42d9-ab8e-88d12d3c173a-1	ocds-b5fd17-7b568a9a-eba6-42d9-ab8e-88d12d3c173a	2554d4de-a8e1-4d66-bdb0-2b1156c07e5b-908293	SEN19011-SEN-TAXI-Foxfields Academy	Leicestershire County Council	GB-CFS-58010
ocds-b5fd17-219eade6-be5b-4aca-9bc6-72ece4a33beb-1	ocds-b5fd17-219eade6-be5b-4aca-9bc6-72ece4a33beb	3680fdca-d650-4cc2-be75-5775a44fdf48-908292	SEN18822-SEN-TAXI-DOROTHY GOODMAN UPPER BARWELL	Leicestershire County Council	GB-CFS-58010
ocds-b5fd17-9adfd174-486b-4827-9032-675dbade6b23-1	ocds-b5fd17-9adfd174-486b-4827-9032-675dbade6b23	cd7214de-ddf6-41c7-90aa-adb2e02a14d1-908291	SEN18762-SEN-TAXI - Birkett House School	Leicestershire County Council	GB-CFS-58010
ocds-b5fd17-925e9307-0afd-4897-808e-9525e829ceff-1	ocds-b5fd17-925e9307-0afd-4897-808e-9525e829ceff	c6bd9f0a-ebfa-4d06-81e4-8aac7efef241-908290	SEN18819-SEN-TAXI-DOROTHY GOODMAN UPPER BARWELL LANE	Leicestershire County Council	GB-CFS-58010
ocds-b5fd17-81bba70b-4c24-48ae-bf0f-8c7fb02c3f8f-1	ocds-b5fd17-81bba70b-4c24-48ae-bf0f-8c7fb02c3f8f	79a57008-b576-4d26-8dcd-da6031469336-908289	Provision of an ESN Wide Area Network (ESN WAN)	Home Office	GB-CFS-323145

The run finished with the status message: PARTIAL: emitted 10 item(s); WINDOW NOT EXHAUSTED: stopped after 1 page(s) / 100 release(s) without reaching the end of 2026-07-22..2026-07-26. Raise max_items or narrow the window; the unread releases are not in the bas

✅ What you get

Each row is flat JSON with these fields (from the dataset schema and the sample run; a field the source does not publish for a given row is null):

• record_key (string/null) — e.g. cfa:ocds-b5fd17-324c6637-5afb-49f3-82e2-eaf71ab46234-1
• award_id — e.g. ocds-b5fd17-324c6637-5afb-49f3-82e2-eaf71ab46234-1
• ocid — e.g. ocds-b5fd17-324c6637-5afb-49f3-82e2-eaf71ab46234
• release_id — e.g. ff3a41e3-dc0c-49ca-bcce-48933e882f3d-908296
• stage — e.g. award
• title — e.g. SEN19025-SEN- W/C TAXI-Ashfield Academy
• buyer_name — e.g. Leicestershire County Council
• buyer_id — e.g. GB-CFS-58010
• award_status — e.g. active
• award_date — e.g. 2026-07-25
• published — e.g. 2026-07-25T14:39:23+01:00
• value_amount — e.g. 38714
• value_currency — e.g. GBP
• supplier_names — e.g. ["Cityrides Leicester Ltd"]
• supplier_ids — e.g. ["GB-CFS-336914"]
• category — e.g. services
• notice_url — e.g. https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ff3a41e3-dc0c-49ca-bcce-48933e
• record_type (string) — e.g. cf_award_record
• delta_type (string/null) — null in every sample row
• delta_kinds (array/null) — null in every sample row

✅ What you get

✅ What you get

⚙️ Sample inputs

1. Quick start — the Store example (this is what the sample above came from)

{
  "supplier_contains": [],
  "min_value_gbp": 0,
  "published_from": "2026-07-22",
  "published_to": "2026-07-26",
  "buyer_contains": [],
  "max_items": 10,
  "watch_mode": false,
  "baseline_id": "default"
}

The sample run charged exactly: 1 × $0.02 apify-actor-start + 1 × $0.10 source-check + 0 × $0.30 cf-award-delta = $0.12 on the Free tier — snapshot preview rows are delivered unbilled; only the source check and the start fee were charged.

2. A smaller, narrowed run

{
  "supplier_contains": [],
  "min_value_gbp": 0,
  "published_from": "2026-07-22",
  "published_to": "2026-07-26",
  "buyer_contains": [],
  "max_items": 5,
  "watch_mode": false,
  "baseline_id": "default"
}

Caps the run at 5 rows; same billing shape as the sample run above. published_from narrows what the source is asked for.

3. Optional watch mode (changes only, for a schedule)

{
  "supplier_contains": [],
  "min_value_gbp": 0,
  "published_from": "2026-07-22",
  "published_to": "2026-07-26",
  "buyer_contains": [],
  "max_items": 10,
  "watch_mode": true,
  "baseline_id": "default"
}

The first run seeds a private baseline and emits zero deltas; every later run emits one row per change, billed at $0.30 each plus the $0.10 source check; billed deltas are capped at 500 per run.

🧾 JSON sample record

One real record from run NkpveO6E7bATNPife, exactly as it lands in the dataset (emails masked, long text shortened):

{
  "record_key": "cfa:ocds-b5fd17-324c6637-5afb-49f3-82e2-eaf71ab46234-1",
  "award_id": "ocds-b5fd17-324c6637-5afb-49f3-82e2-eaf71ab46234-1",
  "ocid": "ocds-b5fd17-324c6637-5afb-49f3-82e2-eaf71ab46234",
  "release_id": "ff3a41e3-dc0c-49ca-bcce-48933e882f3d-908296",
  "stage": "award",
  "title": "SEN19025-SEN- W/C TAXI-Ashfield Academy",
  "buyer_name": "Leicestershire County Council",
  "buyer_id": "GB-CFS-58010",
  "award_status": "active",
  "award_date": "2026-07-25",
  "published": "2026-07-25T14:39:23+01:00",
  "value_amount": 38714,
  "value_currency": "GBP",
  "supplier_names": [
    "Cityrides Leicester Ltd"
  ],
  "supplier_ids": [
    "GB-CFS-336914"
  ],
  "category": "services",
  "notice_url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ff3a41e3-dc0c-49ca-bcce-48933e882f3d-908296",
  "record_type": "cf_award_record",
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "output_mode": "preview",
  "preview_cap": 25,
  "preview_truncated": 0
}

🔧 How it works

Source. The actor reads www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk — endpoints: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Published/Notices/OCDS/Search. Public pages and feeds only; nothing behind a login.

Transport. Plain HTTPS from the Apify platform, no proxy. Every request carries an identified contact User-Agent.

Watch semantics. Snapshot mode (watch_mode: false) returns a preview capped at 25 records. Watch mode keys every record on a source-native id, stores a private baseline in a named key-value store, and on each later run emits one delta row per change (new / changed / removed). A blocked fetch is never diffed, so a source outage cannot show up as a mass removal.

Terminal states. A run ends NORMAL, CAPPED (your cap was reached), PARTIAL (something was withheld and the message says what), GENUINE_EMPTY (the source was read and truly had nothing in scope) or BLOCKED (the source refused or changed shape — the run FAILS loud and bills nothing). A zero-row run is never reported as a silent success.

Charging. Each contract award delta is charged at the moment it is pushed (cf-award-delta); a row that fails to charge is not delivered, so the dataset count always equals the charged count. One source-check is charged per run that actually read the source.

🔧 How it works

🔧 How it works

Source

UK Contracts Finder OCDS Search API, award stage (public, logged-out)

• https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Published/Notices/OCDS/Search?stages=award

Public, logged-out only — no API key, login, cookie or CAPTCHA. OCDS 1.1.

POST-AWARD ONLY

Every record this actor emits is a contract that has already been awarded. It does not list open opportunities and must not be used to find biddable work — for that, use the tender-stage actor instead. Each record carries stage: "award".

Delta types

Leave delta_types empty for both. Every delta carries delta_kinds.

value	fires when
contract-award	an award appears, or its status, value or supplier set changes
incumbent-win	an award goes to a supplier you named in supplier_contains

incumbent-win on its own with no supplier named is rejected: with nobody to watch the run would report nothing indefinitely while looking healthy.

How the window is read

The source's default order is not newest-first — an un-windowed request returned releases spanning ten days. So recency comes from published_from / published_to, walked to exhaustion through the OCDS links.next cursor. A run that cannot reach the end of its window reports a named PARTIAL rather than implying it read everything.

Snapshot mode is a PREVIEW

watch_mode: false returns at most 25 records, hard-capped in code.

Watch semantics

First watch run seeds and emits zero deltas. Billed deltas capped at 500 per run. A record leaving the publication window is the window moving, not a withdrawal, and is never reported as one.

Terminal states

NORMAL · SUCCEEDED-0: GENUINE_EMPTY · SUCCEEDED-0 (no change) · PARTIAL · BLOCKED.

One delta type per Actor

This Actor watches incumbent-win and nothing else. The other delta types in this family are separate Actors, each with its own price and its own baseline — so you pay for the feed you want and no other.

What is not done. No login, no cookie or CAPTCHA bypass, no private or personal-account data, no browser automation.

⏰ Optional: run it on a schedule

A single run returns the current records. If you also want to be told what changed over time, open the actor in Apify Console → Schedules → Create new, add this actor with the watch-mode input above (watch_mode: true) so each run returns only the changes, and pick a cadence:

• Daily — 0 7 * * * (07:00 UTC): catch changes within a day.
• Weekly — 0 7 * * 1: a Monday digest.

The baseline persists in a named key-value store between runs, so every scheduled run compares against the last one; use a different baseline_id for independent watches. Schedules can also POST results to a webhook (Console → Integrations).

💰 Pricing example

Event	Free	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Actor Start (apify-actor-start)	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02
Source check (source-check)	$0.10	$0.09	$0.08	$0.067
Contract Award Delta (cf-award-delta)	$0.30	$0.27	$0.24	$0.201

Worked at the live Free-tier price (watch mode, one delta per change):

• 8 contract award deltas: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 8 × $0.30 = $2.52
• 25 contract award deltas: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 25 × $0.30 = $7.62
• 800 contract award deltas: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 800 × $0.30 = $240.12

A run that delivers zero rows charges the $0.02 start fee plus the $0.10 source check (the source was read and reported empty). A BLOCKED run (source refused) fails loud and charges no value event. The start fee is charged once per GB of run memory; the default run memory is 1024 MB.

Yield on the sample run: PARTIAL: emitted 10 item(s); WINDOW NOT EXHAUSTED: stopped after 1 page(s) / 100 release(s) without reaching the end of 2026-07-22..2026-07-26. Raise max_items or narrow the window; the unread release. max_items is a hard ceiling on what is delivered and billed, never a target. Snapshot output is capped at 25 records regardless of the cap you set; watch mode is the full feed.

⚖️ Legal & ToS

This actor reads public, logged-out pages and feeds published by www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk. It collects only what the source publishes to any visitor, identifies itself with a contact User-Agent, and does not access accounts, private data or anything behind authentication. Use the output in line with the source's terms and your local law; the intended use is B2B research and monitoring.

❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need an API key or a login?
A: No. The source (www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) is read logged-out; the input schema has no key field and the actor carries no secrets.

Q: Why did my run return 0 rows?
A: Read the run's status message. GENUINE_EMPTY means the source was read and had nothing in scope for your input (in watch mode the first run always seeds the baseline and returns zero deltas); BLOCKED means the source refused and the run failed without billing a value event — retry later or narrow the input. A zero-row run bills the start fee plus one source check.

Q: How many rows can one run return?
A: Up to max_items (default 800); snapshot previews stop at 25. Raise the cap for a bigger run; you pay per delivered row.

Q: What does watch mode remember between runs?
A: A private baseline of source-native record ids in a named key-value store (baseline_id names it, so several independent watches can coexist). Each later run diffs the live source against it and emits only changes.

Q: How fresh is the data?
A: Every run reads the source live at run time; nothing is cached between runs except the watch baseline. Put it on a schedule for a continuous feed.

Q: What formats can I export?
A: The dataset downloads as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or RSS from the run's Dataset tab or the Apify API, and any run can push to a webhook or integration.

Q: How is this different from the other public procurement scrapers actors?
A: Same output shape and billing model; this one covers www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk. The siblings under Related Actors cover the other sources or slices — run several on one schedule for a combined feed.

🆘 Troubleshooting

• Run FAILED with BLOCKED → the source refused the request or changed its page shape → nothing was billed beyond the start fee; retry after a while, and if it persists open an Issue with the run id.
• Status says CAPPED → your cap (max_items) was reached → raise it for a bigger run.
• Input validation error on start → a field is outside the schema's allowed values → start from the Quick start block and change one field at a time.
• Run TIMED-OUT → a very wide request on a slow day → raise the run timeout in Run options or narrow the input; what was delivered before the timeout is still in the dataset.
• First watch run shows no deltas → expected: it seeds the baseline; changes appear from the second run.

🔗 Related Actors

• UK Contracts Finder Contract Awards Scraper — Scrape UK Contracts Finder contract awards: buyer, supplier, value, dates and repeat-award incumbents. Every run returns the current records as a dat…
• UK Contracts Finder Awards Scraper — Scrape UK Contracts Finder contract award notices: buyer, supplier, value and award date. Every run returns the current records as a dataset. Optiona…
• UK Contracts Finder Tender Deadlines Scraper — Scrape UK Contracts Finder tender deadlines: notice, buyer, closing date and deadline changes. Every run returns the current records as a dataset. Op…
• UK Contracts Finder New Tenders Scraper — Scrape new UK Contracts Finder tender opportunities: buyer, title, value, CPV and closing date. Every run returns the current records as a dataset. O…
• UK Contracts Finder Tenders Scraper — Scrape UK Contracts Finder tender opportunities: buyer, title, value, closing date and deadline changes. Every run returns the current records as a d…
• UK Find a Tender Notices Scraper — Scrape UK Find a Tender Service notices: tenders, awards, buyer, supplier, value and incumbents. Every run returns the current records as a dataset.…
• 🏢 About NexGen Watch — NexGen Watch is a catalog of more than 300 public data actors built on official sources, pay-per-result. Browse the catalog at apify.com/nexgenwatch.

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