Tender for public sector contracts in Northern Ireland

Public sector contracts range from small local contracts (under £30k) to multi-million-pound projects advertised across the EU.

Northern Ireland government contracts under £30,000 in value

Public sector bodies in Northern Ireland often need to buy a product, service or work that is under £30,000 in value. The usual process is to seek quotes from several suppliers. Then, compare them to get the best value for money.

Some organisations will use Constructionline, or eTendersNI to find suppliers. They will contact them for quotes, based on their chosen categories. Other organisations, particularly local councils, may have 'select lists' of contractors they use regularly. Contact your local council if you wish to be added to a list.

Alternatively, if a low-value product is needed, the organisation may search online for a supplier or visit a local retailer. If you wish to do business with the public sector for low-value contracts, be prepared to offer a competitive written quotation.

Northern Ireland government contracts over £30,000 in value

Public sector contracts worth over £30,000 are advertised online. Suppliers can submit tenders to compete for them.

In Northern Ireland, the Construction & Procurement Delivery (CPD) carries out procurements of over £30,000 for government departments, agencies and arms-length bodies.

In addition, six other Centres of Procurement Expertise focus on specific sectors of central government procurement: education, health supplies, housing, roads, transport and water.

Local government tenders 

Each local council handles its own procurements at the local government level. Find your local council in Northern Ireland.

Most local councils use the eTendersNI portal to advertise their tenders and award contracts. For councils not using eTendersNI, check their websites for tender opportunities:

• Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
• Derry City and Strabane District Council
• Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
• Newry Mourne and Down District Council

eSourcing NI is an electronic tendering site the highlighting opportunities from the Northern Ireland public sector and regulated contracting authorities

With eTendersNI, you can personalise your supplier profile. Select categories of goods, services, or works your organization can provide. Then, eTendersNI will email you when a relevant tender is published.

Procurement pipelines - Northern Ireland

Early visibility of government projects is helpful for suppliers interested in selling to government. Before opportunities are posted on eTendersNI, public sector organisations are already preparing to deliver large projects and services. This can be done months or even years in advance.

Procurement pipeline information is available to help suppliers prepare for major tenders.

You can view procurement pipeline information for:

• CPD supplies and services
• Investment Strategy Northern Ireland construction projects
• BSO PaLS (health supplies and services)
• NI Education Authority
• NI Water
• Translink
• Transport NI

Tenders advertised across the EU

Public sector tendering in every EU member state is subject to procurement directives. They aim to ensure the free movement of goods, services, and works.

EU member states have agreed on procurement thresholds.  Any NI public sector opportunities above these thresholds must be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) in addition to eTendersNI.

This means you may compete with suppliers from other European countries for a Northern Ireland public sector tender. However, over two-thirds of contracts go to suppliers in Northern Ireland.

Local and specialist press

Tenders are mostly advertised online, but it is worth keeping an eye on local newspapers, trade magazines and websites. Sometimes contractors working on large public sector contracts use these to advertise sub-contracting opportunities. Some councils advertise in local newspapers.