Your business development team is debating whether to focus on London or the Midlands. One region has three times more tender opportunities than the other. But you don’t know which. This is the regional intelligence gap, and it’s costing suppliers millions in misallocated resources and missed opportunities.
Comparing tender volumes between regions should be straightforward: find the data, analyse it, make a decision. In reality, it’s a nightmare. Tender opportunities are scattered across Contracts Finder, the Find a Tender Service (FTS), council websites, and dozens of sector-specific portals. Manually collating this data to compare regional volumes is practically impossible, time-consuming, and prone to inaccuracies. Most suppliers either give up or make strategic decisions based on incomplete information.
This guide reveals how to access regional tender data, understand what it means, and use it to make strategic business development decisions. By the end, you’ll know exactly which regions have the highest tender volumes for your services—and how to allocate resources to capture them. You’ll move from guesswork to data-driven tendering.
Why Comparing Regional Tender Volumes Is a Business Superpower
Understanding which regions have the highest tender volumes isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a competitive necessity. The market is expanding rapidly, making regional intelligence more critical than ever.
According to Tracker December 2025 market analysis, contract notices increased 8.3% year-on-year, while awards rose 11%, demonstrating that the tender landscape is expanding—making regional intelligence even more critical for competitive positioning. This growth underscores why understanding where opportunities are concentrated geographically has become essential for suppliers seeking to maximise their market share.
Strategic resource allocation is the foundation. Knowing which regions have the most tender opportunities allows you to deploy business development resources where they’ll have the greatest impact. Instead of spreading your team thin across all regions, you focus on high-opportunity markets. A region with 150 annual tenders in your sector is worth a dedicated business development manager. A region with 10 tenders is not.
Growth opportunity identification comes next. Regional tender volume data reveals where your services are in high demand. The public sector marketplace provides opportunities for businesses of all sizes, including SMEs, to access and win contracts. Understanding regional tender volumes helps businesses grow by identifying where to expand and scale operations. A region with consistently high tender volumes in facilities management signals a strong market for a facilities management supplier. A region with declining volumes signals either market saturation or reduced public sector spending—both reasons to deprioritise.
Competitive advantage flows from understanding regional patterns. Suppliers who know which regions are high-opportunity can position themselves strategically. Market intelligence platforms are helping businesses, especially SMEs, to identify and win more tenders by providing tailored insights and support. They know where competitors are active, where opportunities are underserved, and where to invest in pre-tender engagement. This intelligence compounds over time: early engagement leads to stronger relationships, which leads to better bids, which leads to more wins.
Framework strategy becomes data-driven rather than reactive. Understanding regional tender volumes helps you decide which frameworks to pursue in which regions. A region with high tender volume in your sector is a priority for framework applications. A region with low volume isn’t worth the effort.
Real-world impact is measurable. A social care supplier discovers the North West has three times more tender opportunities than the South East. They shift their business development focus to the North West, hire a regional manager, and plan pre-tender engagement with key councils. Within 12 months, their tender pipeline increases by 40%, and they win three new contracts worth £5M.
Without this regional intelligence, you’re competing blind.
The Challenge of Manually Tracking Tender Opportunities Across UK Portals
Here’s the reality: tender opportunities are fragmented across hundreds of different portals. Manually comparing regional volumes is practically impossible, and businesses must search across multiple platforms to find relevant tenders.
Portal fragmentation is the core problem. Tenders are advertised on:
- Contracts Finder: The UK government’s central tender portal; all tenders above £10,000 must be advertised here (rising to £30,000 under the Procurement Act 2023)
- FTS (Find a Tender Service): Hosts framework tenders and some high-value contracts
- Council websites: Each council has its own tender page, with varying formats and update frequencies
- Local authority procurement hubs: Regional platforms like YORtender (Yorkshire councils) and Chest
- Sector-specific portals: Health tenders (NHS Supply Chain), defence tenders (Defence and Security Accelerator), education portals
- Procurement platforms: ProContract, Bravo, Jaggr, and dozens of others
The result? A supplier must log into 50+ different systems to search for and find all relevant tenders in a region. That’s not strategic business development—that’s portal navigation.
Time and resource cost is staggering. A procurement officer checking 50+ portals daily spends 2–3 hours per day on portal navigation. That’s 10–15 hours per week, or 500–750 hours per year. That’s time not spent on bid preparation, client engagement, or business development.
Data accuracy and completeness suffer. Manual tracking is error-prone. You miss tenders because you didn’t check all portals. You miss tender deadlines because you didn’t see the update. You have outdated information because portal data isn’t always current. Accessing all relevant details about each tender is crucial to ensure you don’t miss out on suitable opportunities or critical updates.
Comparing regional volumes becomes impossible. To accurately compare tender volumes between London and the Midlands, you’d need to track tenders across 50+ portals for each region, categorise them, and aggregate the data. Businesses are also challenged to find tenders that match their specific requirements, making the process even more complex. By the time you’ve finished this analysis, the data is outdated.
Real-world example: A supplier tries to compare tender volumes in two regions using only Contracts Finder. Region A has 30 high-value tenders; Region B has 20. They decide Region A is the better market. But when they check council websites, they discover Region B has 100 lower-value tenders. Region B actually has five times more total tender opportunities. The supplier made a strategic decision based on incomplete data.
The Procurement Act 2023 has increased transparency, meaning more tenders are now advertised publicly. This is good for competition, but it also means more portals and more fragmentation.
Understanding Key Concepts: What Is a Tender Opportunity?
Before diving into regional analysis, let’s establish shared vocabulary.
A tender is a formal invitation from a public sector organisation (council, NHS trust, government department) for businesses to submit bids for goods or services. The organisation is seeking competition; they want multiple suppliers to bid so they can select the best value option.
A tender opportunity is a specific tender that matches your business offering. If you’re a facilities management supplier, a facilities management tender is an opportunity for you. If you’re an IT services supplier, an IT tender is an opportunity.
During the tendering process, bids must meet all required criteria and answer all questions in the tender documents to be considered. Bids are judged purely on predefined criteria, and the most suitable contractors secure the work.
Types of tender opportunities vary:
- Open tenders: Any supplier can bid (most common)
- Restricted tenders: Only pre-qualified suppliers can bid (e.g., framework tenders)
- Negotiated tenders: The organisation negotiates with selected suppliers (less common)
- Framework tenders: Tenders for suppliers to join a pre-agreed framework (3–5 year contracts)
Why tender opportunities matter: Each tender is a potential revenue opportunity. A £500K facilities management contract is a £500K opportunity. A £2M social care framework is a £2M+ opportunity over three years.
Tender volume refers to the quantity of tender opportunities published by a specific body (like a council) or within a geographic area (a region) over a certain period (typically a year). For example: “The North West had 150 facilities management tenders in 2024. The South East had 50. The North West has three times higher tender volume.”
Higher tender volume equals more opportunities equals a better market for your services. This is the metric that informs strategic business development decisions.
Where Are Large Value Tenders Advertised, and How Does This Affect Regional Volume?
Understanding where tenders are advertised is critical to accurate regional comparison.
High-value tenders are advertised nationally. Contracts Finder and FTS are the primary channels. Any tender above £10,000 must be advertised on Contracts Finder (soon £30,000 under the Procurement Act 2023). This means high-value tenders are visible to all suppliers nationwide.
Lower-value tenders are advertised locally. Council websites, local authority procurement hubs, and sector-specific portals host these opportunities. They’re only visible if you check each council’s website or subscribe to local portals.
This fragmentation skews regional comparison. If you only check Contracts Finder, you’ll see high-value tenders but miss 50%+ of tender opportunities in a region (the lower-value ones). If you only check council websites, you’ll miss the high-value tenders. Accurate regional comparison requires checking both national and local portals.
Real-world example: A supplier compares tender volumes in two regions using only Contracts Finder. Region A has 30 high-value tenders; Region B has 20. They conclude Region A is the better market. But when they check council websites, they discover Region B has 100 lower-value tenders. Region B actually has five times more total tender opportunities. The supplier made a strategic decision based on incomplete data.
Framework tenders add another layer. FromTracker December 2025 market analysis, frameworks account for just 17.95% of all published notices, yet they represent a significant 74.3% of total contract value—a striking concentration of opportunity. This creates a critical supply chain barrier: while frameworks represent 74.3% of contract value in the UK public sector, only 31.7% of suppliers have access to them. For regional suppliers excluded from framework lists in their area, understanding which regions have the highest framework activity becomes essential for market entry strategy.
The disparity is significant: fewer than one in three suppliers can access nearly three-quarters of available contract value. This means framework access is a critical competitive differentiator, and regional framework intelligence is essential for growth planning. Framework tenders are typically advertised on FTS and council websites, not Contracts Finder.
The Procurement Act 2023 impact is significant. The Act increases transparency requirements, meaning more tenders must be advertised on Contracts Finder. This increases visibility of high-value tenders but doesn’t solve the lower-value tender fragmentation problem.
The lesson: Comparing regional tender volumes accurately requires access to data from both national portals (Contracts Finder, FTS) and local sources (council websites, local hubs). Manual access to all these sources is impractical.
The Solution: Using Market Intelligence to Compare Local Authority Tenders
So how do you overcome fragmentation and accurately compare regional tender volumes? The answer is market intelligence tools that aggregate data from all these sources.
What market intelligence platforms do:
- Aggregate tender data from thousands of sources globally, helping to create more opportunities for SMEs by making tenders more accessible
- Categorise tenders by region, sector, value, type, and framework
- Provide real-time updates (so you see new tenders immediately)
- Enable filtering and analysis (so you can compare regional volumes easily)
- Integrate with your CRM and bid management systems
How this solves the fragmentation problem: Instead of checking 50+ portals daily, you check one interface. Instead of manually categorising tenders, the system does it for you. Instead of spending 2–3 hours per day on portal navigation, you spend 20 minutes. Instead of incomplete data, you have comprehensive data.
Tracker Intelligence positioning: A market intelligence platform aggregates data from thousands of sources globally, providing real-time updates and enabling regional comparison with a few clicks. Instead of manually checking dozens of council websites and portals, suppliers can see regional tender patterns instantly, identify high-opportunity regions, and allocate resources strategically. By making it easier to find tenders that have been created specifically for SMEs—such as those resulting from splitting larger contracts into smaller lots—these platforms help increase tender volume and open up more accessible opportunities.
Real-world example: A supplier uses a market intelligence platform to compare tender volumes across regions. Instead of 20 hours of manual work, they get the analysis in 10 minutes. They discover the North West has three times more tender opportunities than they expected. They shift their business development focus. Within 12 months, they’ve increased their tender pipeline by 40%.
The ROI is clear. If a market intelligence platform saves your team 10 hours per week on portal navigation, that’s 520 hours per year. At £50 per hour (loaded cost), that’s £26,000 in annual time savings. Add the value of better strategic decisions (allocating resources to high-opportunity regions, winning more bids), and the ROI becomes substantial.
Check your ROI here: https://www.trackerintelligence.com/tracker-roi-calculator/
The competitive advantage is real. Suppliers using market intelligence platforms see tenders first, understand regional patterns, and make data-driven decisions. Suppliers manually checking portals are always behind.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Analysing Tender Volume with Market
Here’s how to perform regional tender volume analysis using a market intelligence platform.
Step 1: Define your parameters. What sector are you interested in? (e.g., facilities management, IT services, social care) What regions are you comparing? (e.g., London vs. Midlands, or all regions) What time period? (e.g., last 12 months, last quarter) What tender value? (e.g., all tenders, or only £100K+)
Step 2: Use filters to isolate regions and authorities. Log into Tracker. Use the “Region” filter to select your target regions. Use the “Authority” filter to select specific councils (if comparing individual councils). Use the “Sector” filter to select your industry. Use the “Value” filter to select tender value range. Result: You now see all tenders matching your criteria.
Step 3: Visualise the data. Market intelligence platforms display results in multiple formats:
- Table view: See all tenders in a list; sort by region, value, date
- Chart view: See tender volume by region in a bar chart; instantly see which regions have the most opportunities
- Dashboard view: See key metrics (total tenders, average value, top regions, top authorities)
Step 4: Analyse the data. Which regions have the highest tender volume? Which sectors are most active in each region? What’s the average tender value in each region? Which councils are most active? When analyzing, make sure to review all details of tenders to make informed decisions and identify trends. You can find details of planned supplier engagement on the CCS website. Result: You now understand the regional tender landscape.
Example analysis: A facilities management supplier analyses tender volumes across three regions:
- North West: 150 tenders, average value £200K, top authority: Manchester City Council (20 tenders)
- South East: 50 tenders, average value £300K, top authority: Surrey County Council (8 tenders)
- Midlands: 100 tenders, average value £180K, top authority: Birmingham City Council (15 tenders)
Insight: The North West has the highest volume; the South East has the highest average value; the Midlands is a balanced opportunity.
See Contract Search in action:
See Tracker Intelligence in action by visiting our demo gallery here. https://www.trackerintelligence.com/demo-gallery/
Step 5: Make strategic decisions. Based on the data, decide where to focus your business development efforts. Allocate resources to high-opportunity regions. Plan pre-tender engagement in target regions. Identify underserved regions (where competitors are less active). Result: You make strategic decisions based on data, not guesswork.
Turning Data into Action: How to Tender for Council Work Strategically
Understanding regional tender volumes is only valuable if you translate it into business strategy.
Resource allocation is the first decision. Use regional tender volume data to decide where to allocate business development resources. A region with 150 annual tenders is worth a dedicated business development manager. A region with 10 tenders is not. This simple principle prevents wasted resources. For businesses, understanding tender volume enables accurate resource, inventory, and logistics planning, reducing risks of shortages or overcapacity. This level of planning helps businesses grow efficiently by ensuring they can scale operations in line with demand.
Market entry strategy follows. If you’re entering a new region, use tender volume data to assess market opportunity. High tender volume signals a good market; low volume signals a risky market. A region with declining tender volumes might indicate reduced public sector spending or market saturation.
Framework strategy becomes data-driven. Use regional data to decide which frameworks to pursue in which regions. A region with high tender volume in your sector is a priority for framework applications. A region with low volume isn’t worth the effort. This prevents wasted framework applications and focuses effort on high-return opportunities.
Competitive positioning relies on regional intelligence. Use regional data to understand where competitors are active. If a region has high tender volume but low competition, it’s an opportunity. If a region has low tender volume but high competition, it’s a crowded market. This intelligence informs your strategic focus. Beyond new wins, understanding regional volume trends also helps protect existing contracts, identifying where competitor activity is increasing and where you may face re-tendering pressure from new entrants.
Pre-tender engagement is planned strategically. If a region is a priority, allocate time and resources to engage with key decision-makers before tenders are advertised. Early engagement builds relationships, demonstrates capability, and increases bid success rates.
Real-world example: A social care supplier discovers the North West has three times more tender opportunities than the South East. They hire a regional business development manager for the North West. They plan pre-tender engagement with key councils. They apply for a major framework in the North West. Within 12 months, they’ve increased their tender pipeline by 40% and won three new contracts worth £5M.
This is how regional intelligence translates into business growth.
How to Find Tender Opportunities in High-Volume Areas
Once you’ve identified high-opportunity regions, the next step is finding and responding to tender opportunities as they’re advertised.
The challenge is staying current. Once you’ve identified a high-opportunity region, you need to see every relevant tender as it’s advertised. Missing a tender means missing a potential contract. Relying on manual checks of Contracts Finder and council websites means you see tenders days after publication—if you see them at all.
Manual monitoring is inefficient. Checking Contracts Finder, FTS, and council websites daily for new tenders in your target region is time-consuming and error-prone. You have to search for tenders using industry-specific keywords and requirements, which can be tedious. You miss tenders. You miss deadlines. You respond reactively instead of proactively.
Automated alerts are the solution. Set up customised alerts within your market intelligence platform. Specify your target region, sector, and tender value. The platform notifies you instantly when a tender that matches your criteria is advertised. You see tenders within minutes of publication, not days later.
Real-time advantage is significant. With real-time alerts, you have time to:
- Engage with the council before the tender closes
- Gather evidence and case studies
- Prepare a strong bid by ensuring you answer all questions in the tender documents thoroughly
- Respond to urgent opportunities
Alert configuration is simple. Region: North West. Sector: Facilities Management. Value: £100K+. Frequency: Real-time (or daily digest). Result: You’re notified instantly when a matching tender is advertised.
Real-world example: A facilities management supplier sets up alerts for the North West. They receive five alerts per week. They review each tender, assess fit, and prioritise high-value opportunities. They engage with councils before tenders close. They win three contracts per year from these alerts.
The competitive advantage is clear. Suppliers with real-time alerts see tenders first. They engage early. They prepare stronger bids. They win more contracts. Suppliers manually checking portals are always behind.
Register for free tender finder services to see what types of opportunities are available for your business.
Gain a Competitive Edge with Data-Driven Tendering
In public sector procurement, suppliers who understand the market win more bids. Suppliers who bid blind lose to better-informed competitors.
As of December 2025, competitive intensity has increased to 5.31 suppliers per buyer—up from 5.1 the previous cycle—meaning suppliers face 6.7% more competition for each opportunity. This underscores why understanding regional volumes and where competitors are less active has become a strategic necessity. The market is tightening, and regional intelligence is no longer optional—it’s essential for survival.
Data-driven advantages are substantial:
- You know which regions have the most opportunities and can focus on relevant contracts that match your business capabilities (resource allocation)
- You know which frameworks are worth pursuing (framework strategy)
- You see tenders first (real-time alerts)
- You understand the competitive landscape (competitive intelligence)
- You engage early (pre-tender engagement)
- You recognize that tender volume is critical for ensuring the best fit supplier is selected and directly influences competitiveness, cost, and risk management in procurement processes
- Result: You win more bids
Guesswork disadvantages are real:
- You don’t know which regions are worth pursuing (wasted resources)
- You miss tenders (lost opportunities)
- You bid reactively (weak bids)
- You don’t understand competition (lost deals)
- Result: You lose bids to better-informed competitors
The ROI is measurable. If data-driven tendering increases your win rate by 20%, and you bid on 50 tenders per year, you win 10 instead of 8. That’s two extra wins, potentially worth £1M+ in new revenue.
The Procurement Act 2023 context is important. The new Act increases transparency and competition. Suppliers with better market intelligence will have a significant advantage. Suppliers relying on manual portal checking will fall behind.
The competitive reality is stark. Your competitors are already using market intelligence tools. They’re seeing tenders first. They’re understanding regional patterns. They’re allocating resources strategically. If you’re still manually checking portals, you’re losing.
Data-driven tendering isn’t a luxury, it’s table-stakes. The suppliers winning public sector contracts aren’t smarter. They’re better informed.
Summarising Tender Volumes
Comparing tender volumes between regions should be straightforward: find the data, analyse it, make a decision. But in reality, it’s a challenge due to portal fragmentation and data scattered across 1,900+ sources.
The suppliers winning public sector contracts aren’t smarter—they’re better informed. They understand which regions have the most opportunities. They see tenders first. They engage early. They bid strategically.
Three key takeaways:
First, regional tender volume analysis is critical to strategic business development. It reveals where growth opportunities exist and where to focus resources.
Second, manual comparison is impractical due to portal fragmentation. You need a tool that aggregates data from thousands of global sources and enables instant analysis.
Third, data-driven tendering is a competitive advantage. Suppliers who understand regional tender patterns, see tenders first, and engage early win more bids.
If you’re currently comparing regional tender volumes manually, you’re wasting time and missing opportunities. A platform that aggregates tender data from all sources and enables regional analysis in minutes, not hours and gives you the edge to win more bids.
Explore how market intelligence platforms help suppliers understand regional tender patterns, identify growth opportunities, and allocate resources strategically. The first step toward data-driven tendering is accessing comprehensive regional tender data.
Ready to transform your tender strategy? Speak with our Tracker team today to discover how our platform can help you analyse regional tender volumes, identify high-growth markets, and win more bids. Our team will show you exactly how to stop wasting time on manual comparisons and start making data-driven decisions that deliver results. Contact us today.
