London council tenders aren’t all in one place. Boroughs such as Bromley and Waltham Forest explain on their own pages how they use ProContract, but some active buyers publish elsewhere. Central government bodies based in London often advertise UK-wide rather than London-only. New opportunities under the Procurement Act 2023 are also advertised on Find a Tender, which is where our live list comes from. In the week to 10 Oct 2026, 40 live notices named a London delivery location (as of 10 Oct 2026).
Where London’s public buyers publish tenders
London Tenders Portal. We have not assessed the London Tenders Portal itself, so check its own pages for registration, alerts and which boroughs use it. There is also a ProContract view of the portal, which we have not assessed either.
Thresholds vary by borough, so read each borough’s own page. Bromley and Waltham Forest both have pages explaining how they use ProContract.
Check each borough. Not every London buyer publishes only on the portal, and a borough you can’t find there may still publish elsewhere. Newham had 5 live notices in the week to 10 Oct 2026, among the most active UK buyers in our data, and Haringey had 4 (as of 10 Oct 2026). The notice always says where to bid.
Find a Tender. Since 24 February 2025 no new procurements can start under the old rules (the Public Contracts Regulations 2015), and new below-threshold opportunities must be advertised on Find a Tender (PPN 019, para 8).
Contracts Finder. Contracts Finder still carries notices for procurements that started under the old rules (PPN 019, para 7). We list Find a Tender and Contracts Finder only, so quotes run solely on a borough’s own portal won’t appear here. For a wider comparison, see every UK tender portal, listed.
Who buys in London
Boroughs are the most visible buyers, with NHS trusts, housing associations, universities and the Greater London Authority family alongside them. Many London-based central government bodies advertise UK-wide, so a notice from a London address may not name a London delivery location. About a third of UK notices are tagged only “UK” or have no region (as of 10 Oct 2026), so also look at the full UK list.
Size varies a lot. Across the UK, 366 live notices stated a value in the week to 10 Oct 2026: 85 under £100,000, 157 between £100,000 and £1 million, and 124 over £1 million (as of 10 Oct 2026). That’s UK-wide, not London-only, but it shows there is work at every scale. The live list on this page shows each London notice’s value, or “Value not stated”.
Local support for small suppliers
The Business Support Service gives free advice to businesses in England on 0800 998 1098, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm (gov.uk). The page points to local growth hubs, which you can find through the growth hub finder. We haven’t verified which hub covers which borough, so use the finder.
Winning public and council contracts in London
Register with every relevant category. Hackney’s tenders page tells suppliers to register on the portal and select all relevant categories. It also says queries go only through ProContract messaging. Send questions there, not to the buyer directly.
Start with lower-value work. A below-threshold contract is “notifiable” at £12,000 or more for central government bodies (NHS trusts included) and £30,000 or more for other authorities, including VAT, and the buyer must then publish a below-threshold tender notice (section 87), unless it invites only a closed group (gov.uk guidance). Boroughs set their own advertising limits, so check each borough’s page. Central government bodies can also reserve some below-threshold competitions to suppliers in a single London borough (PPN 005); councils aren’t in scope but may apply its principles.
Know when Cyber Essentials matters. PPN 014 covers central government departments, their agencies, non-departmental public bodies and NHS bodies. For contracts that handle citizens’ personal data, the personal data of government staff, ministers or special advisers, or OFFICIAL-level ICT, it says requiring Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus is the quickest and most effective way to manage the risk; suppliers without it must show equivalent controls (paras 12 to 15). It also warns against applying the scheme to every contract as a matter of course.
Read the award notices. After signing a notifiable below-threshold contract (£12,000 or more for central government, £30,000 or more for others, including VAT), the buyer must publish a contract details notice (section 87), usually within 30 days for central government bodies and 90 days for others (gov.uk guidance). Searching for Newham or Haringey shows what those boroughs have bought, which tells you how they package work.
Check the pack for the rest. Only 29 of the 470 UK live notices in the week to 10 Oct 2026 (about 6%) stated insurance requirements in the notice itself (as of 10 Oct 2026). Look at public liability cover, Cyber Essentials and SSIP accreditation in the pack before you commit bid time. Our tender eligibility checker is coming soon. Until then, tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon.
Questions
Where do London councils publish tenders?
Boroughs such as Bromley and Waltham Forest have pages explaining how they use ProContract, and Hackney's tenders page says queries go through ProContract messaging. We have not assessed the London Tenders Portal itself, so check its own pages. Others use their own systems, and new opportunities under the Procurement Act 2023 are also advertised on Find a Tender. Each notice says where to bid.
Which boroughs use the London Tenders Portal?
Check the portal's own pages on the day you register; we have not assessed which boroughs use it. A borough you can't find there may still publish elsewhere. Each notice says where to bid.
Do I need to register separately with each borough?
We have not assessed whether one registration covers several boroughs, so check the portal's own pages. A borough that publishes on a different system will need its own registration there.
Does TenderWorthy include borough portal quotes?
No. We list notices from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. A quote run only on a borough's own portal will not appear in our list.