What is a Contract Award Notice? A Complete Guide
A Contract Award Notice is an official public announcement issued by a contracting authority that declares the winner of a public sector contract. It marks the formal conclusion of a procurement process, creating a transparent record of how taxpayer money is being spent.
For suppliers selling to the public sector, these notices are more than administrative paperwork. They reveal who is winning work, at what value, and with which buyers, giving you the intelligence to build pipeline, track competitors, and engage earlier on future opportunities.
What is a Contract Award Notice
A Contract Award Notice is a formal, public announcement issued by a government or public body stating that they have selected a specific supplier for a contract. It marks the official end of a procurement process, creates transparency around public spending, and triggers any applicable standstill period where unsuccessful bidders can challenge the decision.
Put simply, it is the public sector's way of saying "we've picked a winner, and here's who it is."
Every notice includes key details: the winning supplier's name, the contract value, the duration of the agreement, and the selection criteria. For contracts above certain value thresholds, publishing this notice is a legal requirement under UK procurement regulations.
Why Contract Award Notices matter for suppliers
If you sell to the public sector, award notices are one of the richest sources of market intelligence you can access. They tell you exactly who is winning work, at what price, and with which buyers.
Here is what you can learn from them:
- Competitive insight: See which suppliers are winning in your sector and understand their positioning.
- Pipeline building: Contract end dates reveal when existing agreements will expire and likely return to market.
- Buyer research: Historical awards show what specific organisations are purchasing, so you can tailor your approach.
The suppliers who consistently win public sector work tend to treat award data as a strategic asset. They track it, analyse it, and use it to get ahead of the competition.
What information does a notice of award include
Award notices follow a standardised structure, though the exact format varies slightly between portals. Here is what you will typically find in each section.
Buyer and contracting authority details
This section identifies the public body that awarded the contract. You will see their name, contact information, and the type of authority they represent, whether that is central government, a local council, an NHS trust, or another public organisation.
Contract title and description
The notice describes what goods, services, or works were procured. Most notices include Common Procurement Vocabulary codes, often called CPV codes. CPV codes are standardised classification numbers that categorise the type of procurement, making it easier to search for similar opportunities.
Winning supplier information
This is the name and registered address of the successful bidder. For larger contracts divided into lots, you might see multiple suppliers listed.
Contract value and duration
You will find the total or estimated value of the contract, along with its length and any extension options. Some notices show exact figures while others provide value ranges.
Award date and criteria used
This states when the decision was made and how the winner was selected. The most common approach is "most economically advantageous tender," often shortened to MEAT, which balances price against quality factors.
Notice of award sample and format
While the core information stays consistent, the presentation varies depending on where the notice is published. Contracts Finder uses one template, Find a Tender uses another, and framework-specific portals often have their own formats.
Across all formats, you will typically see standard form fields for buyer and supplier details, a free-text description of the contract scope, links to the original contract notice, and the procurement procedure type used.
If you are reviewing a notice of award sample for the first time, focus on three things: contract value, duration, and winning supplier. Those three data points give you the clearest picture of what happened.
Tip: Platforms like Stotles aggregate notices from over 1,000 sources into a single, standardised format. This saves you from learning the quirks of each individual portal.
Where to find Contract Award Notices in the UK
The UK's procurement landscape is spread across multiple portals. Knowing where to look saves time.
Find a Tender Service
This is the UK's central platform for above-threshold public contracts. It replaced the EU's OJEU portal after Brexit and covers high-value opportunities across all sectors.
Contracts Finder
This portal handles lower-value opportunities and below-threshold awards for public bodies in England. It is often the first place smaller suppliers look.
Devolved administration portals
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each maintain their own systems. Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales, and eTendersNI cover regional procurement activity.
Aggregated procurement platforms
Rather than checking each portal individually, you can use tools that pull award notices into a single searchable feed. Stotles, for example, aggregates data from over 1,000 UK portals, so you can search once instead of searching everywhere.
When a Contract Award Notice is published
Contracting authorities have legal obligations around timing. For most above-threshold contracts, the notice is published within 30 days of the contract being signed.
The requirement to publish kicks in when contracts exceed specific value thresholds set by procurement regulations. Below those thresholds, publication may still happen, but it is not always mandatory.
Understanding these timelines helps you anticipate when new award data will become available for contracts you have been tracking.
Contract Notice vs Contract Award Notice
These two documents bookend the procurement process. Confusing them is a common mistake for newcomers, so let's clear it up.
A Contract Notice appears at the start. It announces an upcoming opportunity and invites suppliers to bid. A Contract Award Notice appears at the end. It announces who won.
Both are valuable, but they serve different purposes in your sales workflow.
The standstill period and your rights after an award
The time between the award decision and contract signature is governed by specific rules. These rules exist to protect unsuccessful bidders.
What is the standstill period
After notifying bidders of the award decision, contracting authorities typically wait ten calendar days before signing the contract. This pause gives unsuccessful bidders time to request feedback or, if necessary, challenge the decision.
The standstill period exists to ensure fairness. Without it, contracts could be signed before anyone had a chance to raise legitimate concerns about the process.
How to challenge a Contract Award decision
If you were unsuccessful, you can request a debrief from the contracting authority. They will explain how your bid scored against the criteria and why the winning bid was selected.
If you believe there was a serious error or breach of procurement law, you can pursue a legal challenge. However, time limits are strict. Acting quickly is essential if you want to preserve your options.
How to use Contract Award Notices to build sales pipeline
Award data becomes genuinely powerful when you integrate it into your sales workflow. Here is how that looks in practice, following a simple four-stage approach: create strategy, build pipeline, track tenders, win bids.
Identify expiring contracts for early engagement
Every award notice includes contract duration. By tracking end dates, you can build a forward-looking pipeline of opportunities that will return to market. This lets you engage buyers months, sometimes years, before the formal procurement begins.
Getting in early matters. Suppliers who build relationships before a tender is published have a significant advantage over those who only react once the opportunity goes live.
Track competitor and partner wins
Monitoring which suppliers are winning in your market reveals the competitive landscape. You might spot a competitor losing ground in a particular region. Or you might identify a potential partner who complements your offering.
Either way, you are making decisions based on real data rather than guesswork.
Research buyer spending patterns
Historical awards show you what a buyer has purchased, from whom, and at what value. This context helps you tailor your approach and understand whether an organisation is a realistic target for your business.
Find decision-maker contacts
Award data often points you toward the procurement managers and budget holders responsible for specific categories. Platforms like Stotles provide verified contact details alongside award records, making outreach straightforward.
Stop searching portals and start winning contracts
Manually tracking award notices across hundreds of portals is time-consuming. A single missed notice could mean a missed opportunity.
With an aggregated platform, you get:
- Centralised feed: All award notices from 1,000+ portals in one place
- Tailored alerts: Automatic notifications when relevant contracts are awarded
- Pipeline tools: Turn award data into qualified opportunities for your team
FAQs about Contract Award Notices
Is a notice of award the same as a signed contract?
No. The notice announces the intention to award. The contract only becomes legally binding after the standstill period ends and both parties sign the official documents.
How long after a contract is awarded is the notice published?
For above-threshold contracts, publication typically happens within 30 days of the contract being signed.
Can suppliers request more information about a published award?
Yes. Unsuccessful bidders can request a debrief to understand why their tender was not selected and how the winning bid scored against the criteria.
What if you believe an award decision was unfair?
You can raise concerns with the contracting authority during the standstill period. For serious breaches of procurement law, legal challenge is possible, though time limits are very strict.
How do framework call-offs relate to Contract Award Notices?
Call-offs from framework agreements may not always require a separate public notice, depending on the value and the framework's specific terms. Checking the individual framework rules is important.
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