OPEN (OPEN-UK) logoOPEN-UK: Login, Guide & Open Tenders

Operated by NEPO (North East Procurement Organisation)Public-sector e-sourcing portalLogin required to see documents

Official portalopen-uk.org ↗

How to bid on OPEN-UK

Portal facts checked against the live portal in November 2026 · the notice always names the exact portal instance to use

OPEN is an e-procurement platform built by NEPO in partnership with the twelve North East local authorities and wider public sector organisations, and opened to buyers across the UK. Cloud-based registration serves both buyers and suppliers, and its tender volumes have grown quickly since launch.

Suppliers register once on OPEN and express interest in opportunities; bids and documents are managed in the cloud platform with no software to install.

Registration
Free registration; built by NEPO in partnership with the twelve North East local authorities
Access
Login required to see documents
Primary sectors
Local Authorities (North East-led) · Education · Housing · Emergency Services
Portal domains seen
open-uk.org · open-uk.org).search
Time to respond
The middle value is 29 days from notice to final deadline on 168 tender notices. Multi-stage procedures can close initial participation earlier than the final tender date; register before the notice you want, not after.

Who buys through OPEN-UK
i

All notices naming this portal · official UK_CA_TYPE where published (NHS bodies are central government authorities for threshold purposes), else derived from the authority name

Buyer type
i
  • Local authorities94%(462 notices)
    462 of 489 notices are Local authorities (94%).
  • Other public bodies4%(21 notices)
    21 of 489 notices are Other public bodies (4%).
  • Education & universities0%(1 notice)
    1 of 489 notices is Education & universities (0%).
  • Not classified1%(5 notices)
    5 of 489 notices are Not classified (1%).
Contracting authorityTypeNoticesLast 12 monthsOpen now
Newcastle City CouncilLocal authorities111523
Northumberland County CouncilLocal authorities59323
North Tyneside CouncilLocal authorities42193
The Association of North East Councils LimitedLocal authorities3451
Sunderland City CouncilLocal authorities3263
Durham County CouncilLocal authorities30111
South Tyneside CouncilLocal authorities29180
Gateshead CouncilLocal authorities27101
Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive T/A NexusOther public bodies19101
North East Combined AuthorityLocal authorities19160

28 distinct authorities in total · the ten most active shown.

Portal instances named in notices

2 distinct hosts in submission addresses · addresses identify response routes, not a measured number of accounts

open-uk.org487 notices · 100% · 24 open
open-uk.org).search2 notices · <1%

What is procured on OPEN-UK
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CPV divisions on the notices naming this portal · a notice with several divisions counts in each · commercial tool and route as published, not a legal-regime claim

Commercial tool
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  • Contract69%(338 notices)
    338 of 489 notices are Contract (69%).
  • Framework30%(148 notices)
    148 of 489 notices are Framework (30%).
  • Dynamic purchasing system1%(3 notices)
    3 of 489 notices are Dynamic purchasing system (1%).
Procedure route
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  • Open94%(459 notices)
    459 of 489 notices are Open (94%).
  • Selective6%(29 notices)
    29 of 489 notices are Selective (6%).
  • Limited / restricted0%(1 notice)
    1 of 489 notices is Limited / restricted (0%).
Threshold
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  • Above threshold57%(219 notices)
    219 of 381 notices are Above threshold (57%).
  • Below threshold43%(162 notices)
    162 of 381 notices are Below threshold (43%).

Where the work is delivered
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Delivery regions (ITL1) published on 461 of 489 notices · a notice covering several regions counts in each

North East England435 notices · 94%
East of England45 notices · 10%
North West England23 notices · 5%
Yorkshire and the Humber21 notices · 5%
South West England20 notices · 4%
East Midlands20 notices · 4%
West Midlands20 notices · 4%
South East England20 notices · 4%
Greater London19 notices · 4%
Wales (Cymru)2 notices · <1%

Competition and winners on OPEN-UK
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Bid counts as published per lot on contested contract notices of the last 36 months · winners ranked by distinct procedures won, award records shown alongside, single-supplier active awards with a canonical supplier · SME scale as declared on the award

Typical bids per lot
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Based on 252 lots from 126 competitions on this portal, last 36 months.

4robust · n=252middle half 3–5 · mean 4.6 · 252 lots on 126 contested contracts
Single-bid lots
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34 of 252 lots, last 36 months.

13%robust · n=252
Bids from SMEs
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757 SME bids out of 1,101, where the buyer published the split.

69%robust · n=1,101
Awards won by SMEs
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417 of 639 awards with a classified supplier size (award declarations and Companies House records); 43 group/subsidiary awards sit outside the binary.

65%robust · n=639of 639 classified single-supplier awards; 43 group/subsidiary awards outside the binary
Net estimate (excl. VAT)
i

Based on 243 notices with a VAT-exclusive estimate.

£400,000robust · n=243net estimates only
Gross estimate (inc. VAT)
i

Based on 66 notices publishing only a VAT-inclusive estimate.

£200,000robust · n=66inc-VAT notices only · separate from net
Dated Procurement Act 2023 outcome profile by legal procedure type (14 Nov 2024 to 14 Nov 2026 study)
Published PA 2023 procedureLots (procedures)Single-bid vs peer-expectedReceived bids (median · 1 / 2–3 / 4–6 / 7+)Identified lot winners (SME % of classified · SME / Large / Group / Unk)
Open procedure—Insufficient samplemed 3 · 24% / 27% / 32% / 18%77.2% · 44 / 13 / 2 / 9
Below threshold - open competition—Insufficient sample—90.0% · 63 / 7 / 3 / 8
Competitive flexible procedure128 (12)0.8% vs 16.0% (0.05x)—59.1% · 91 / 63 / 24 / 2

793 single-supplier awards to 497 suppliers on notices naming this portal · the most frequent winners shown.

Open tenders on OPEN-UK

24 open now · soonest deadline first · every row links to the notice page with the portal reference and documents

NoticeAuthorityDeadlineDays leftPublished value
Procurement of a 'Local Authority' Legal Case Management SystemNorth Tyneside Council16 Nov 202613h£200,000
002468 - Contract for Fleet Equipment Maintenance and Potential RepairDurham County Council17 Nov 202637h£105,000
Tender for the Provision of Fluoride Varnish in Hartlepool SchoolsHartlepool Borough Council17 Nov 202639h£100,000
NCC2010 Fascia Replacement at Burnside Primary SchoolNorthumberland County Council18 Nov 20262d£75,000
Tender for the Contract for the Provision of a mild to moderate perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support serviceHartlepool Borough Council18 Nov 20262d£200,000
Infant Feeding Peer Support TenderHartlepool Borough Council18 Nov 20262d£168,750
Schools Microsoft Enterprise Licensing AgreementNewcastle City Council19 Nov 20263d—
REVISED CREDIT UNION INCENTIVE SERVICE IN HARTLEPOOLHartlepool Borough Council19 Nov 20263d£148,000
NCC1519 Provision of NCC1519 Extra Care Schemes at Various Sites across Northumberland4 lotsNorthumberland County Council20 Nov 20264d£30,000,000
Arboriculture Works to Urban and Rural Trees, RochfordRochford District Council24 Nov 20268d£420,000
NCC1730 Bulk Vehicle Fuel Management SystemNorthumberland County Council25 Nov 20269d—
Maintenance and Improvement Works for Public Rights of Way Network and Watercourses. 2027 - 2030North Tyneside Council25 Nov 20269d£720,000
BEST START FAMILY HUBS / CARER PANELHartlepool Borough Council27 Nov 202611d£120,000
Provision of Bedding Plants 2027 to 2031North Tyneside Council7 Dec 202621d£300,000
Integrated Advocacy ServiceNewcastle City Council7 Dec 202621d£833,230
NEPO407 - Food SupplyFramework11 lotsThe Association of North East Councils Limited7 Dec 202621d£200,000,000 ceiling
Framework for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Transformation PartnerFrameworkGateshead Council7 Dec 202621d£5,000,000 ceiling
Supply for 45 tonne Forklift TrucksSunderland City Council8 Dec 202622d£800,000
Repairs to Machinery at Sandhills DepotFrameworkNewcastle City Council8 Dec 202623d—
Ofsted Registered Supported Accommodation for 16-17 year olds - Re-opening of Lot 3 Pseudo-Framework of Supported Accommodation ProvidersFrameworkRedcar and Cleveland Borough Council31 Dec 202646d£36,990,000 ceiling
NEX26/29- Metro Go Technical Services ContractTyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive T/A Nexus29 Jan 202774d£8,000,000
Short Breaks for Children and Young People with Disabilities and their Families (Re-opening)Framework4 lotsRedcar and Cleveland Borough Council31 Mar 2028502d£3,600,000 ceiling
Dynamic Purchasing System for the Delivery of holiday activity food programmes and early help servicesDPS3 lotsSunderland City Council23 Feb 2029830d—
Dynamic Purchasing System for small vehicles, mini buses and coachesDPS4 lotsSunderland City Council23 Feb 2029830d—

Frequently asked questions

Supplier registration, domains and value transparency

Does one OPEN-UK account cover every buyer?

Notices in this catalogue name 2 hostnames for OPEN-UK. This does not tell us how many accounts you need: one account can cover multiple buyers and one domain can contain separate workspaces. Follow the exact notice and confirm account reuse in the portal's registration guidance.

Why are net and gross contract estimates separated here?

Under the Procurement Act 2023, many notices publish estimated values inclusive of VAT rather than net of VAT. Tenderline tracks net (243 notices) and gross-only (66 notices) values in separate figures so higher-tax or zero-rated contracts do not distort portal averages.

How does OPEN-UK compare with other UK procurement portals?

In the dated 24-month study, OPEN-UK carried 459 procedures from 28 buyers. Compare its primary sectors and named buyers with other channels before deciding where to focus. Read the UK tender portal market study →

About this data
  • What counts as OPEN-UK. A notice whose submission link points to this portal, including buyer-specific instances (2 addresses so far). Award notices rarely publish that link, so the awards side is undercounted. Notices from 14 Jul 2023 to 13 Nov 2026.
  • Portal facts. Registration and login notes were checked on the live portal in November 2026. Portals change their sign-up steps; the notice’s own instructions take precedence.
  • Independent. Portal and operator names belong to their owners and appear only to show where notices are published; Tenderline is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to any portal.
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender and Contracts Finder), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0, updated through the day and rebuilt nightly. Not every figure uses both feeds, and each one shows how many records it rests on: see the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.