Postcards: UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition

CPV 22310000Supplies · classin Printed matter and related products

Codes and neighbouring classes

The 8-digit CPV codes notices in this class actually use, and the other classes of the same division

Open tenders in postcards

2 live at the nightly build · soonest deadline first

Who buys

All notices carrying this code · official UK_CA_TYPE where published (NHS bodies are central government authorities), else derived from the authority name

Buyer type
  • Local authorities 35% (28 notices)
  • Other public bodies 22% (18 notices)
  • Central government 19% (15 notices)
  • Education & universities 6% (5 notices)
  • Housing associations 4% (3 notices)
  • Not classified 15% (12 notices)
Contracting authorityTypeNoticesLast 12 monthsOpen now
Sellafield LimitedOther public bodies910
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough CouncilLocal authorities410
Northern Trains LimitedCentral government331
Science Museum GroupCentral government330
Thurrock CouncilLocal authorities330
Home OfficeCentral government200
Ipswich Borough CouncilLocal authorities200
Mid Ulster District CouncilLocal authorities200
Milton Keynes City CouncilLocal authorities220
Norse Commercial Services LtdOther public bodies220

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

Where the work is delivered

Delivery regions (ITL1) published on 65 of 82 notices · a notice covering several regions counts in each · competition columns: contracts awarded in the last 36 months, lots delivered in the region

RegionNoticesBids / lotSME winsLocal wins
North West England21 · 32%
Scotland11 · 17%
South East England9 · 14%
Greater London9 · 14%
East of England8 · 12%
Yorkshire and the Humber7 · 11%
East Midlands6 · 9%
North East England5 · 8%
South West England4 · 6%
Wales (Cymru)4 · 6%
West Midlands3 · 5%
Northern Ireland3 · 5%

Local wins = the winner’s registered region is the delivery region. Dashes: fewer than ten observations.

How it is bought

Commercial tool, procedure route and threshold as published on the notice, not a legal-regime claim

Commercial tool
  • Contract 67% (55 notices)
  • Framework 29% (24 notices)
  • Dynamic purchasing system 4% (3 notices)
Procedure route
  • Open 56% (46 notices)
  • Route not published 32% (26 notices)
  • Selective 10% (8 notices)
  • Limited / restricted 2% (2 notices)
Threshold
  • Above threshold 38% (13 notices)
  • Below threshold 62% (21 notices)
Typical tender window28 daysrobust · n=22median, notice to deadline

Competition

Contracts published in the last 36 months (37) · bid counts per lot from award notices · values are net contract awards, framework and DPS ceilings excluded · SME and local status as declared

Contract value, net
p25 £137,500median £224,428p75 £350,296
interquartile range of 10 awards · p90 £627,321
Typical bids per lot8robust · n=7middle half 3–12
Competed95%robust · n=37open or selective route, no direct-award transparency notice
Bids from SMEs92%robust · n=66of bids on lots publishing an SME split
Awards won by SMEs82%robust · n=11single-supplier awards with a declared scale
Abandoned3%robust · n=37cancelled, unsuccessful or terminated without an award
Frameworks & DPS: bidders per lot4robust · n=717 vehicle procedures · admission to a panel, not a contest

Who wins

Single-supplier active awards with a canonical supplier on notices carrying this code · 37 awards to 34 suppliers

Where to submit

E-sourcing portals named in the submission address · 30 of 82 notices name one · each portal page explains registration

Public Contracts Scotland (PCS)5 notices · 17% · 1 open
Delta eSourcing4 notices · 13% · 1 open
Proactis / ProContract3 notices · 10%
SAP Ariba1 notices · 3%
eTendersNI1 notices · 3%

Method

What the numbers on this page are and are not

Which notices count?

Every Find a Tender notice that carries a CPV code starting 2231. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Earliest notice 2021; latest 16 Sept 2026.

Competition figures

From the 36-month lot-grain contest statistics: a lot counts where its own CPV codes (or, for single-class notices, the procedure’s) start 2231. Bids per lot come from the award notice’s bid statistics; “competed” means an open or selective route with no direct-award transparency notice; contract values are net, on single-supplier awards, with framework and DPS ceilings excluded. Frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems are reported separately because their “bids” are admissions to a panel.

Why no total value or month-by-month chart?

Sums of notice estimates repeat framework ceilings and mix net with gross. Monthly volumes per sector are not shown yet: the catalogue’s CPV coverage per notice changed in May 2026 (compiled records carry every lot’s codes), so a curve would show the catalogue, not the market.