The Find a Tender Service (FTS) is the UK portal for high-value public contracts, and it is where large cleaning and facilities contracts are advertised — usually above £139,688 including VAT. It replaced the EU's OJEU/TED system after Brexit, and above the threshold FTS advertising is required. Here is how to use it for cleaning work.
What is the Find a Tender Service?
The Find a Tender Service is the UK's post-Brexit replacement for the EU's OJEU (published via TED), used to search for and apply to high-value public and utilities contracts. Where a public cleaning or facilities contract exceeds the high-value threshold, the buyer is required to advertise it on FTS, making it the definitive source for large public opportunities.
The high-value threshold
FTS is for high-value work: as a guide, contracts usually above £139,688 including VAT (the central-government goods and services threshold) must be advertised there. Above this level, FTS advertising is required; below it, lower-value opportunities appear on Contracts Finder instead. Thresholds are periodically reviewed, so always check the current figure for the buyer type.
How to search FTS for cleaning
You can search FTS by keyword, CPV classification code, location and value, and set up alerts for new notices. For cleaning, search terms such as 'cleaning services', 'facilities management' and the relevant CPV codes surface the right notices. Many high-value contracts are for multi-site estates — exactly the work a national contract cleaning provider is built to deliver.
What a high-value cleaning bid requires
High-value tenders demand a fully evidenced response: audited accounts and financial standing, Employers' Liability (£5 million minimum) and Public Liability (commonly £5 million, sometimes £10 million), ISO and SSIP accreditations, a detailed mobilisation and TUPE plan, and a transparent price built from the wage floor (real Living Wage £13.45, £14.80 in London, is frequently mandated). Our guide to writing a tender response shows how to structure it, and a fixed monthly quote benchmarks your price.
Contracts Finder vs Find a Tender for cleaning
| Feature | Contracts Finder | Find a Tender Service |
|---|---|---|
| Value focus | Lower / mid-value | High-value (usually above £139,688 inc VAT) |
| Replaces | — | OJEU / TED (post-Brexit) |
| Central-gov trigger | £12,000 and above | Above the high-value threshold |
| Council / NHS trigger | £30,000 and above | Above the high-value threshold |