Quarterly report, Q3 2026
UK public procurement, July to September 2026
UK public bodies published awards for 9,385 contracts on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder between 1 July 2026 and 30 September 2026, up 32% on the previous quarter and down 6% on the same quarter last year. The median published value was £150,000, against £122,451 in the previous quarter and £90,000 a year earlier. Awards naming several suppliers, mostly frameworks, more than tripled, to 786 from 226.
Where the buyer said, 45.2% of contracts went to small and medium-sized businesses and 2.1% to voluntary, community and social enterprises. Transport services was the busiest category, with 1,418 contracts.
Download the report as a PDF- Contracts awarded
- 9,385
- 7,091 in Q2 2026, 10,014 in Q3 2025
- Median published value
- £150,000
- £122,451 in Q2 2026, £90,000 in Q3 2025
- Share to SMEs
- 45.2%
- 42.9% and 44.3%; of 4,446 contracts where the buyer said
- Awarded to several suppliers
- 786
- 226 in Q2 2026, 354 in Q3 2025
Figures taken on 5 October 2026. Notices published late still arrive, so the final count for the quarter will be a little higher; this edition stays as published.
By category of work
The twelve busiest CPV divisions by number of contracts, with the median published value.
| Category | Contracts | Median value |
|---|---|---|
| Transport services | 1,418 | £48,947 |
| Business and professional services | 1,271 | £69,000 |
| Construction works | 1,021 | £296,765 |
| Health and social care | 640 | £630,000 |
| Architecture and engineering | 606 | £124,409 |
| IT services | 572 | £280,000 |
| Software and information systems | 544 | £166,838 |
| Education and training | 472 | £70,000 |
| Vehicles and transport equipment | 282 | £170,976 |
| Repair and maintenance | 274 | £192,386 |
| Research and development | 216 | £187,500 |
| Environmental and waste services | 215 | £400,000 |
By type of buyer
Buyers we can classify; many smaller bodies are not yet classified, so these do not add up to the total.
| Buyer | Contracts | Median value |
|---|---|---|
| Local authorities | 3,854 | £112,860 |
| Central government | 1,234 | £185,000 |
| NHS bodies | 807 | £140,609 |
| Universities and colleges | 410 | £170,000 |
| Police, fire and ambulance | 228 | £150,000 |
| Housing associations | 174 | £295,500 |
| Schools and academies | 135 | £555,021 |
By English region
Where the notice says the work is delivered, or where the buyer is when it does not say.
| Region | Contracts | Median value |
|---|---|---|
| London | 1,025 | £249,254 |
| East Midlands | 995 | £45,659 |
| East of England | 983 | £103,898 |
| South West | 911 | £37,194 |
| South East | 884 | £120,620 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 588 | £150,679 |
| North West | 583 | £277,108 |
| West Midlands | 484 | £120,445 |
| North East | 400 | £104,938 |
The busiest buyers
By number of contracts awarded in the quarter.
| Buyer | Contracts | Median value |
|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport | 532 | £82,650 |
| Leicester City Council | 287 | £25,623 |
| Innovate UK | 208 | £3,229 |
| Leicestershire County Council | 199 | £18,710 |
| National Highways Limited | 195 | £180,000 |
| East Sussex County Council | 170 | £132,240 |
| Hampshire County Council | 169 | £416,000 |
| UK Research and Innovation | 148 | £6,437 |
| Ministry Of Justice | 131 | £39,996 |
| Environment Agency | 109 | £143,070 |
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are left out of the regional table: our award records come from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, which carry only the larger contracts in the devolved nations, so their counts would be misleadingly low.
What comes next
Contracts ending after the quarter
Counted from the end dates in the original award notices, from the day after the quarter closed. Each is a likely re-tender with a date already attached.
- 6,952
- ending in the next quarter
- 16,799
- ending in the next six months
- 29,889
- ending in the next twelve months
- 40,132
- ending in the next eighteen months
Live figures, updated daily, are on research and figures.
The largest published values
As published by the buyer. Most are framework ceilings, the most that could be spent, not money spent, and some look like errors in the notice. They are listed so the quarter's headline value is not misread; we never add them together.
| Contract | Buyer | Published value |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Development Partner | Arts Council of England | £5bn |
| HEAT NETWORK DEVELOPMENT PARTNER | Plymouth City Council | £3.5bn |
| Procurement for St Thomas Energy Project - Energy as a Service (EaaS) Solution for GSTT | Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust | £2bn |
| Lot 2 Prepaid Cards | Government Commercial Agency | £2bn (5 suppliers) |
| HMRC Customer Relationship Management | HM Revenue & Customs | £2bn |
| Major Projects Framework | ANGLIAN WATER SERVICES LIMITED | £1.5bn (2 suppliers) |
| Major Projects Framework | ANGLIAN WATER SERVICES LIMITED | £1.5bn (2 suppliers) |
| Care Home Services (Older People). | Cornwall Council | £1.2bn (38 suppliers) |
| Lot 1 - Mobile Catalogue and Optional Services | Government Commercial Agency | £1.1bn (2 suppliers) |
| UKHSA Diagnostics and Research Open Framework - Lot 2 | Secretary of State for Health and Social Care acting as part of the Crown through UK Health Security Agency | £1.1bn (60 suppliers) |
Method
How these figures were counted
One contract per award notice (ocid and award id), dated by its award date. A framework naming several suppliers counts once. Values are as published by the buyer and are never added together; values above £5bn are treated as errors. SME and voluntary sector shares are of contracts where the buyer said. Sources: Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, Open Government Licence v3.0.
The full report as a PDF. Download the tables: sectors, buyer types, regions, top buyers, months (CSV). For anything else, write to paul@professor-ai.co.uk.
How to cite this data
Tender Radar (2026) UK public procurement report, July to September 2026 [Dataset]. Professor AI. Available at: https://tender-radar.co.uk/research/quarterly/2026-q3 (Accessed: 5 October 2026).