Below-threshold procurement
Below-threshold contracts are the ones bought with light rules and quick quotes. UK and Irish limits, what must still be advertised, and why SMEs should start here.
Updated on September 5, 2026
Below-threshold procurement covers every public contract worth less than the amounts that trigger the full regime. The buyer designs its own process, proportionate to the value and the risk, and this is where most SMEs win their first public work. It is the closest UK equivalent of the French marché à procédure adaptée.
How it works
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Procurement Act 2023 applies its full rules above £135,018 including VAT for central government goods and services, £207,720 for local authorities and other sub-central bodies, and £5,193,000 for works (verified 2026-09-05). Below those figures, Part 6 of the Act imposes a lighter regime on what it calls notifiable below-threshold contracts: from £12,000 including VAT for central government, including NHS trusts, and £30,000 for everyone else, the buyer must publish a below-threshold tender notice on the central digital platform, which appears on Contracts Finder, and a contract details notice after award. Below those figures it can simply seek quotes, subject to its own standing orders and to the duty to have regard to the barriers SMEs face.
Scotland works differently: a regulated procurement under the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 starts at £50,000 for goods and services and £2,000,000 for works, and must be advertised on Public Contracts Scotland; below that, buyers commonly use the Quick Quote tool. In Ireland, contracts above €50,000 for supplies and services and €200,000 for works, excluding VAT, are advertised on eTenders, and between €5,000 and €50,000 buyers seek at least three quotes.
Within these limits the buyer sets the timetable, the documents and the criteria, and may negotiate if it says so up front. There is no mandatory standstill period and no notice on Find a Tender.
What it means for a bidder
Below-threshold work is plentiful, quick and often won by whoever responds well rather than by the biggest firm. Deadlines can be two or three weeks, sometimes less. Buyers use short questionnaires and accept a brief quality submission, and a good local track record counts.
For an SME the strategy is to answer fast and completely, price realistically from the outset and prepare arguments in case there is negotiation. Because these notices are scattered across Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales, eTendersNI, eTenders and dozens of council portals, monitoring has to cover the portals, not just the national site.
Example
Saint Aubin Town Council wants a new website with two years of hosting, budgeted at £45,000 including VAT. That is above the £30,000 notification level and far below the threshold, so the council publishes a below-threshold tender notice on the central digital platform, sends the brief to firms that respond, allows three weeks and interviews the top two. A four-person agency in the county wins.
Frequently asked questions
Can a below-threshold contract be negotiated?
Yes, if the buyer said so in its documents. Many simply take best and final offers from a shortlist.
How long do I get to respond?
There is no statutory minimum below the threshold. In practice expect two to four weeks, and less for small quotations.
Is a below-threshold contract published on Find a Tender?
Not usually. Notifiable below-threshold notices appear on Contracts Finder, and the national portals in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland carry their own.