This page sets out how TenderWorthy gets and checks its data, so that you can judge how far to rely on it. The short version: we check what a notice states, we say plainly when it is vague or points to the tender documents, we cannot check what it does not mention, and we link to the official notice every time.
Where our data comes from
We collect notices from two public services through their data feeds:
- Find a Tender, the central digital platform where notices under the Procurement Act 2023 are published.
- Contracts Finder. Since 24 February 2025 the Procurement Act hasn’t required any notice to go on Contracts Finder: new procurements, above or below threshold, only need notices on Find a Tender. Contracts Finder still carries notices for procurements started under the old rules (PPN 019 guidance).
The collection runs every night. The same opportunity can appear on both services, so we match notices by title, buyer and closing date and keep one copy.
What we do not collect yet: Sell2Wales, Public Contracts Scotland, eSourcing NI and eTendersNI, and the e-tendering portals that individual buyers run. Opportunities that appear only there will not reach you. Our guide to how to find tenders covers searching and alerts on the free government services.
What we check
Insurance levels
Where a notice states a level for public liability, employers’ liability or professional indemnity, we compare it with the level in your profile. If the notice asks for cover but gives no figure, or your profile has no level recorded for an insurance cover the notice asks for, the result is confirm in the tender pack. See public liability insurance for tenders.
Timing matters here. On above-threshold contracts a buyer cannot require insurance relating to performance of the contract to be in place before award (s.22(3)(b)), except cover you must hold by law anyway, such as employers’ liability (conditions of participation guidance, para 20). Below threshold, s.85 bars a separate suitability stage before tenders (except below-threshold works contracts worth £135,018 or more for central government, or £207,720 or more for others, s.85(3)), but suitability can still be assessed at award.
When your insurance is below a mandatory level the notice states, the result is does not fit and the notice is left out of your morning digest, unless the notice says the cover can be in place by award. Because of the rule above, on above-threshold contracts you may only need the cover by award, so this can leave out a notice you could still bid for if you arranged the cover in time. If you could raise your cover, search Find a Tender for your trade as well.
Certifications
Where a notice names a certification such as ISO 9001 or Cyber Essentials, we compare it with the certifications in your profile. Where a notice says you can obtain one later, for example before award, we say that instead of calling it a fail.
Location and reach
We compare your postcode and travel radius with the delivery region or postcode the notice gives. Roughly a third of notices are tagged only “UK” or carry no region (week to 10 Oct 2026), so for those we cannot judge distance: check the delivery location in the notice yourself.
Turnover and contract size
Where a notice states a minimum turnover, as a figure or as a multiple of the contract or lot value, the model reads the figure and our code compares it with the turnover in your profile. If the notice states no figure, or states a multiple but no contract or lot value, or your profile has no turnover recorded, the point is marked confirm in the tender pack. A shortfall against a mandatory minimum is shown as a flag in the digest. By itself it does not leave the notice out or cap its score, so check it against the notice wording. Many notices state no turnover test. See financial standing and turnover tests.
Lots
Where a notice is split into lots, we assess each lot separately and show the best-fitting one.
Who decides: fixed rules, and where the model’s reading stands
A language model reads the notice text. It extracts what the notice states, quotes the wording it relied on, and judges how closely the work matches what you do.
Fixed rules in our code compare stated insurance levels, the certifications we map (such as ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials and SSIP schemes), distance and any stated minimum turnover with your profile, apply the thresholds, and produce the result. A required registration or licence, any certification we do not map, and a location requirement where we cannot work out the distance (for example a notice tagged only “UK” or with no region) are read from the notice by the model and are not compared by a fixed rule. A mandatory registration, licence, unmapped certification or location requirement of this kind that the model reads as clearly not met still leaves the notice (or, for a notice in lots, that lot) out of your digest, so check it against the notice wording; a turnover shortfall is only flagged. Where we can work out the distance, or your travel radius is UK-wide, our distance check replaces the model’s reading of location, so check any other location condition, such as a local office, in the notice yourself. A requirement the model returns without a quoted passage is dropped before scoring.
Three outcomes
- Fits. The notice states a requirement and your profile clearly meets it.
- Does not fit. The notice states a mandatory requirement and your profile clearly does not meet it. For insurance, certifications, registrations or licences, and location, the notice (or, for a notice in lots, that lot) is then left out of your morning digest; a turnover shortfall, or any other unmet point such as security clearance, is flagged instead. Where the notice says you can obtain it later, for example before award, we say so instead. For insurance, on above-threshold contracts a buyer cannot require performance-related insurance to be in place before award (s.22(3)(b)), except cover you must hold by law, such as employers’ liability, so check whether you could arrange the cover by award.
- Confirm in the tender pack. The notice is vague about a requirement or defers to documents. If your profile has no level recorded for an insurance cover the notice asks for, or no turnover when the notice states a minimum, this is also the result.
“Not recorded” for an insurance level or your turnover in your profile, and a requirement the notice leaves vague or defers to the documents, are shown as confirm in the tender pack. They are never shown as met. A requirement a notice does not mention at all is not extracted, so nothing is shown for it.
What we can’t see
- The tender pack. Under the Procurement Act 2023 the notice and the tender documents work together: section 21 covers tender notices and associated tender documents, and section 22 covers the conditions of participation buyers set. The detailed requirements are often only in the documents, and we do not read them.
- Most requirements. In the week to 10 Oct 2026, about 6% of live notices (29 of 470) stated insurance requirements in the notice itself, and about 6% (29) stated named certifications.
- Frameworks and dynamic markets. A notice for a framework or a dynamic market may not carry the call-off requirements.
- Notices with no region. About a third are tagged only “UK” or have no region.
Always read the official notice and the tender documents before you decide to bid.
How our public numbers are made
Numbers on this site come from our nightly collection, and every one carries an “as of” date. Median values are shown only where enough notices state a value. In the week to 10 Oct 2026, 366 of 470 live notices stated a value. Where fewer than 20 notices in a window state one, we show the count and say there are too few stated values.
If a live feed is not connected to a page, we show a dated, static figure and say so. We never fill gaps with invented numbers.
Notice data is public-sector information. We link to the official source on every notice.
Corrections
If you spot an error, report it via our contact page or email hello@tenderworthy.co.uk with the link to the notice and what looks wrong. See how it works for the step-by-step version, and the glossary for procurement terms.
Questions
Do you read the tender documents?
No. We read the notice. The tender documents usually hold the detailed requirements. Where a notice is vague or points to the documents we flag it to confirm in the tender pack, and anything a notice does not mention is not checked.
Can the AI get it wrong?
A language model can misread text. That is why it only extracts what the notice states and quotes the wording, why fixed rules do the comparison for insurance levels, common certifications, minimum turnover and distance where we can work it out, why uncertain points are flagged, and why every alert links to the official notice so you can check.
Why do some tenders show confirm in the tender pack?
Because the notice is vague about a requirement or defers to documents we do not read, or because your profile has no level recorded for an insurance cover it asks for. It is never shown as met.
How often is the data updated?
We collect new and updated notices every night. Public pages are rebuilt daily, and every number on them carries an as-of date.
Which portals do you not cover yet?
Sell2Wales, Public Contracts Scotland, eSourcing NI and eTendersNI, and buyers' own e-tendering portals. We collect from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder only.