An independent comparison of price, coverage, and features — so you can choose the right service for your trade and size of business.
Last updated October 2026 · Independent review · No sponsored placements
Getting construction tenders by email is a straightforward idea, but the services on offer vary widely in price, geographic scope, and how well they filter out noise. We reviewed six options that UK contractors commonly consider — from free browsing tools to enterprise platforms — and assessed what each one actually delivers.
| Service | Price / month | Countries covered | Best for | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tender Hunters | £9/mo | UK, Canada, Australia, EU | Small–medium contractors working across multiple countries | Free browsing |
| Tenderbase | From £25/mo (Regional Plus £33) | UK only | Mid-size firms focused on a single UK region | No |
| BidStats | £29/mo (or £350/yr) | UK only | Bid writers and procurement teams who need historical data | No |
| BidWork | From £125/mo | UK only | Large contractors wanting managed tender pipelines | No |
| Invest NI Tenders Alert | ~£9/mo (£100+VAT/yr) | Northern Ireland only | NI-based contractors bidding on NI public contracts | No |
| The Construction Index | Free | UK | Casual browsing; no alert or filter capability | Entire service |
Tender Hunters pulls from official OCDS-compliant procurement feeds across the UK, Canada, Australia, and the EU. You can browse UK construction tenders without creating an account, which is useful for a quick sense check before committing. A paid subscription adds daily email alerts filtered by trade (e.g. groundworks, electrical, roofing) and location — so you only receive notices that are actually relevant to you. At £9/month it is currently the cheapest multi-country option available.
Tenderbase is a well-established UK-focused platform with clean filtering by CPV code, region, and contract value. The entry-level plan covers a single region; the Regional Plus plan at around £33/month extends to all UK regions. There is no free tier — you cannot browse live tenders without subscribing. For contractors who work exclusively in one part of England or Scotland, it is a solid choice, but at 3× the cost of Tender Hunters for UK-only coverage it is harder to justify for smaller businesses.
BidStats is more of an analytics and intelligence platform than a pure alert service. Its strength is historical data — you can look up which contractors have won similar contracts, estimate your chances, and benchmark your pricing. That is valuable for professional bid writers and procurement teams. For a sole trader or small subcontractor just wanting to know what is out there, it is more functionality than most need, at a higher price.
BidWork targets larger contractors and main contractors managing complex pipelines. It includes CRM-style tender tracking, team collaboration tools, and bid management workflows. The pricing reflects that scope — it is not aimed at small or micro businesses, and the entry price is more than 13× Tender Hunters. If you are managing tenders across a team of bid writers, it is worth a look. If you are a one- or two-person operation, it is overkill.
The Invest NI alert service is run by the Northern Ireland government's business development body and covers NI public procurement. At around £100+VAT per year it is well priced — but coverage is strictly Northern Ireland. If you work in NI and only NI, it is a reasonable option. If you work across the UK or have any interest in cross-border work, you will need a broader service alongside it.
The Construction Index lists UK tenders and is free to use. The catch: there are no email alerts, no filtering by trade, and no way to set saved searches. You have to visit the site and scroll through manually. For a contractor who checks in occasionally, it is fine. For anyone who wants to be the first to respond to a new notice, relying on manual browsing is a competitive disadvantage.
For most small and medium UK contractors, the choice comes down to what you actually need. If you want daily filtered alerts at the lowest cost — and any chance of cross-border work in Canada, Australia, or the EU — Tender Hunters at £9/month is hard to beat. Tenderbase and BidStats are legitimate services but charge three to four times more for UK-only coverage. BidWork is enterprise-grade and priced accordingly. The Construction Index is genuinely useful for casual browsing, but it is not an alert service. Invest NI is good value but geographically narrow.
None of the paid services listed here have a free trial. Tender Hunters is the only one that lets you browse live UK tenders before you pay anything.
Browse UK tenders without an account. Daily alerts from £9/month.