Tender for public sector contracts in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland public sector spends more than £3 billion each year buying goods, services and construction work. Local businesses in Northern Ireland can compete to become government suppliers.

Public sector bodies need to buy goods, services and expertise in the same way as any organisation does. Successful public sector tendering means that you will have a long-standing, stable customer who must pay their bills within the agreed credit period.

Some of the areas that public sector organisations spend the most money on each year include:

• construction work
• maintenance of government properties
• medical equipment and supplies
• energy (eg electricity, gas, oil)
• facilities management
• IT hardware, software and services
• office furniture and equipment

Individual government departments and public sector bodies also buy specific skills and services relevant to their function. For example healthcare equipment and professional services will be purchased by the Department of Health.

Understanding your potential customers

It's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the nine Northern Ireland government departments and what they do, particularly if you offer specialist goods or services.

The government also has a number of executive agencies linked to departments.

Across Northern Ireland district councils also use tender competitions to buy products and services.

There are also a number of non-departmental and cross-border public sector bodies that offer contracts to buy goods and services from local firms.

Public sector organisations make their buying decisions based on strict rules and procedures.

Public sector contracts range from small local contracts (under £30k) to multi-million-pound projects. The public sector is made up of organisations such as departments, their executive agencies and district councils.

When the public sector needs something, they advertise a tender and then award a contract to the winning supplier.

The central government purchasing body for supplies and services in Northern Ireland the Construction & Procurement Delivery (CPD)

Northern Ireland government contracts under £30,000 in value

Public sector bodies in Northern Ireland often need to buy a product, service or work that is under £30,000 in value. The usual process is to seek quotes from several suppliers. Then, compare them to get the best value for money.

Information on below threshold contracts over £12,000 including VAT (or £30,000 outside central government) is available from eSourcing NI and eTendersNI.

Some organisations also use Constructionline to find suppliers. They will contact them for quotes, based on their chosen categories. Other organisations, particularly local councils, may have 'select lists' of contractors they use regularly. Contact your local council if you wish to be added to a list.

Alternatively, if a low-value product is needed, the organisation may search online for a supplier or visit a local retailer. If you wish to do business with the public sector for low-value contracts, be prepared to offer a competitive written quotation.

Northern Ireland government contracts over £30,000 in value

Public sector contracts worth over £30,000 are advertised online. Suppliers can submit tenders to compete for them.

eTendersNI is the central website for advertising and responding to public sector tenders in Northern Ireland. With eTendersNI, you can personalise your supplier profile and select categories of goods, services, or works your organisation can provide. Then, eTendersNI will email you when a relevant tender is published.

Various other websites exist for public sector tenders outside Northern Ireland and for sub-contractors.

In addition to the CPD, there are seven other Centres of Procurement Expertise that focus on specific sectors of central government procurement: education, health supplies, housing, roads, transport and water.

Local government tenders

Each local council handles its own procurements at the local government level. Find your local council in Northern Ireland.

Local councils use eTendersNI to advertise their tenders and award contracts above £30,000. For a below threshold contract, check their websites:

• Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
• Ards and North Down Borough Council
• Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
• Belfast City Council
• Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
• Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
• Derry City and Strabane District Council
• Lisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council
• Newry Mourne and Down District Council
• Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
• Mid Ulster District Council

Procurement pipelines - Northern Ireland

Early visibility of government projects is helpful for suppliers interested in selling to the government. Before opportunities are posted on eTendersNI, public sector organisations are already preparing to deliver large projects and services. This can be done months or even years in advance.

Procurement pipeline information is available to help suppliers prepare for major tenders.
You can view procurement pipeline information for:

• CPD supplies and services
• Investment Strategy Northern Ireland construction projects
• BSO PaLS (health supplies and services)
• NI Education Authority
• NI Water
• Translink
• Transport NI

Organisations offering access to procurement opportunities

Some organisations charge a small fee to access a wide range of public sector tendering portals and search for contracts on your behalf.

Invest Northern Ireland's Tender Alert Service offers businesses access to thousands of public sector tender opportunities, with contract values starting from £30,000, for a subscription fee.

Local and specialist press

Tenders are mostly advertised online, but it is worth keeping an eye on local newspapers, trade magazines and websites. Sometimes contractors working on large public sector contracts use these to advertise sub-contracting opportunities.

After seeing a Northern Ireland public sector tender, you may be interested in it. If so, read the tender information carefully. Then, follow the instructions on how to proceed.

Pre-qualification

You may need to pass through several pre-qualification stages before receiving an invitation to submit your tender. Information on your current financial position, previous experience and references will be sought. All responses are evaluated and will form the basis for deciding whether you will go through to the next stage.

Submitting the tender

The tender is your opportunity to show that you are the best supplier for the job. The public sector looks for best value for money — a combination of cost and the optimum ability to meet the contract's requirements. You should complete the tender documents carefully. Prove you can provide the 'best value' and show how you would do it.

You may also need to demonstrate that you meet quality assurance and social value standards.

Contractual arrangements

Most Northern Ireland government contracts are based on standard contract documents, covering one-off purchases to long-term agreements. 'Call off contracts' allow orders to be placed with you for a defined time. Organisations that have met the standards in a tendering process can be called upon without needing a new tendering process each time through 'framework arrangements'. Framework arrangements are typically in place for a specific period, usually three years. Contracts can be extended for a further two years.

For more information about the tendering process and advice on boosting your chances of success, read prepare your business to tender for contracts. The rules covering tenders can be complex. See Northern Ireland public sector contract rules.

Construction & Procurement Delivery

In Northern Ireland, CPD is responsible for the public procurement policy.

This policy ensures that all tendering processes are:

• accountable
• competitive
• consistent
• effective
• fair and free of discrimination
• legal
• transparent

In February 2025 new procurement rules came into effect. These regulations aim to make the procurement process simpler and more transparent. See the Procurement Act 2023 (Act).

Most of the provisions in the Act apply only for public contracts. A contract is considered a public contract when its estimated value meets or exceeds the threshold amounts - see Guidance on thresholds.

Public sector organisations are required to tender contracts for products or services that exceed the threshold amount for their respective category.

Set procedures

Contracts over the thresholds can only be awarded by using one of two set procedures.

Open procedure

In the case of the open procedure, the tender notice is the ‘invitation to tender’ as it invites all interested suppliers to submit a tender.

Public organisation will evaluated the tenders received against the award criteria and determine the most advantageous tender. Suppliers will be informed of the outcome.

Competitive Flexible Procedure

In contrast to an open procedure, a competitive flexible procedure will be multi-staged and therefore contracting authorities can limit the number of suppliers participating in a procurement or progressing to the next stage.

The competitive flexible procedure allows the contracting authority the freedom to design its own procedure.

The contracting authority may choose to incorporate numerous processes into the procedure, such as negotiation, dialogue or a demonstration stage before awarding a contract.

When you are bidding for a public sector procurement contract you need to demonstrate how you are delivering on social value initiatives related to the contract. The social value element makes up a minimum of 10% of the award criteria along with price and quality.

The public sector organisation will specify in the tender documentation what area of social value you need to demonstrate. There are four themed areas, including:

• increasing secure employment and skills
• building ethical and resilient supply chains
• delivering zero carbon
• promoting well-being

In addition to demonstrating one or more of these themes, you must also pay staff who are working on the contract at least the National Living Wage to meet all public sector tender requirements.

What is social value?

Social value maximises social, economic and environmental benefits throughout the public procurement process.

It promotes the well-being of individuals, communities and the environment and rewards companies that think socially and innovatively for the common good.

How to demonstrate social value in your tender submission

Demonstrating social value in your tender application will vary depending on the type of contract you are bidding for.

View more specific guidance for your business type for example IT, construction or services.

Tips for demonstrating social value

Before applying for a contract, you should:

• research the organisation that has advertised the tender opportunity to understand the social value requirements
• clearly outline what you will do, how you will do it and the organisations (if any) you will work with to achieve the criteria
• be specific and relevant to ensure you meet all requirements to get the most marks
• not submit general corporate social responsibility policies
• be realistic and only make commitments you can deliver on

What is a broker?

Brokers are organisations in Northern Ireland that already work with people and communities on social value themes.

There is an interactive database to help connect you to brokers to find solutions to deliver the social value requirements of the tender theme.

The initiatives should be proportionate to the value of the contract you are applying for and must be activities you would not have done without the contract.