Contract award notice
The contract award notice names the winner of a UK public contract and starts the standstill period. What it contains and how to use it for competitor research.
Updated on September 5, 2026
The contract award notice is the notice a UK contracting authority publishes when it has decided who will win a contract but before it signs. Under the Procurement Act 2023 it is notice type UK6, and it is followed after signature by a contract details notice, UK7. Together they close the cycle opened by the tender notice.
How it works
For an above-threshold contract the authority must publish a contract award notice on the central digital platform, Find a Tender, before entering into the contract. Publication starts the standstill period of eight working days, beginning with the day the notice is published, during which the authority may not sign (verified 2026-09-05, gov.uk contract award notices and standstill guidance). At the same time each tenderer receives an assessment summary setting out how its own tender scored against the award criteria and how the winning tender scored.
Once signed, the contract details notice records the contract as concluded, with the supplier's identity, the value and the key dates. Larger contracts also attract continuing publication during their life: contract performance notices reporting against key performance indicators, contract change notices when the contract is modified, and contract termination notices at the end. Below-threshold contracts that were advertised attract a contract details notice too. Ireland publishes contract award notices on eTenders and, above the EU thresholds, on TED through the EU publication route.
What it means for a bidder
Award notices are the richest free source of market intelligence available to a small supplier. They tell you who wins in your sector, at what value, against how many bidders, and for how long. Read across several and you can see the going rate, identify the authorities that actually contract with SMEs, and above all note the incumbents whose contracts will come back to the market on a known date.
If you bid and lost, the assessment summary is your feedback: it is issued as of right, not on request, and it is the single best tool for improving the next submission. The standstill period exists so that you can act on it. Concerns must be raised inside that window if you want the automatic suspension that follows the issue of proceedings, and time limits for a claim are short.
Example
A combined authority publishes a contract award notice for its waste collection contract, awarded after an open procedure at £4.1 million including VAT over five years, with four tenders received and a national operator named as the winner. A regional collection SME that did not bid records the contract end date in its pipeline and starts preparing for the next competition three years out.
Frequently asked questions
Is a contract award notice always required?
For above-threshold contracts, yes. Below threshold, an authority that advertised the contract must publish a contract details notice once it is signed.
Is the published value the real price?
It is the value awarded, or for a framework the estimated maximum. The final figure moves with the quantities actually ordered and with any contract changes, which are themselves published.
Can I see the evaluation of the winner?
You receive an assessment summary covering your tender and the successful one as a matter of course. Fuller documents can be sought under freedom of information, subject to commercial confidentiality.
Scoutee tracks award notices in your sector so you can see who is winning and when contracts expire.