Before you bid for a contract, you want to know who you are bidding against. The strongest competitor is usually the supplier doing the work today, and the public record often tells you who that is.
What an award notice contains
When a public contract is awarded, the buyer publishes a notice naming the winning supplier. Depending on the notice and the service it was published on, you can also find the contract value, the start and end dates, and whether it was called off from a framework. Under the Procurement Act 2023, a contract award notice is followed by a contract details notice once the contract is signed.
How to find the current supplier
- Start from the buyer. Look through the buyer's past awards for a contract with the same scope. Titles change between procurements, so search on the service rather than the exact wording.
- Check the dates. A previous contract ending shortly before the new one starts is very likely the one being replaced.
- Look for changes. A contract modification or extension notice can mean the incumbent has been given more time, and a termination notice can mean something went wrong.
- Read the new specification against the old award. If the scope has changed significantly, the incumbent's advantage may be smaller than it looks.
The limits
- Values are often missing. On Find a Tender only a minority of award notices state a value. Contracts Finder awards more often do.
- Call-offs can be invisible. Work awarded under a framework may not have its own notice.
- Names are messy. The same company can appear under several spellings. Companies House numbers, where a notice carries them, are the reliable way to tell firms apart.
- An old award is not proof. The contract you found may have been terminated, extended, or replaced by one you did not find.
What to do with it
Knowing the incumbent helps you pitch your bid. Incumbents know the buyer, the sites and the problems, and scorers know them. Your answer has to show that you understand the service as well as they do and that changing supplier is low risk. It is never a reason to criticise the current supplier in your bid: the buyer chose them.
On Bidwire
Every buyer page lists what that buyer has awarded, when, and to which company. Supplier names are only shown where the notice carries a Companies House number, which keeps sole traders and individuals off the page. Notice pages include a possible incumbent where prior awards suggest one. It is labelled as inferred, because it is: check it against the awards before relying on it.