Recruitment services: UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition

CPV 79600000Services · classin Business Services & Consultancy

Open now17open for bids now · see them in the search
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Tenders you can still bid for.

Notices at tender stage whose deadline has not passed, counted the way the search counts them: a notice shows under every code and region it names.

Notices, last 12 months537277 contracting authorities · 1,257 in the catalogue
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Notices published in the last 12 months.

Counted per tender, not per lot, against the 12 months before where shown.

Typical bids per lot710% single-bid · 50 procedures, 36 months
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How many companies usually bid for a lot here.

The middle value of the bid counts that award notices publish, one per lot. Only real competitions count: direct awards and framework places are left out.

Based on 68 lots from 50 competitions run by 44 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 51 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 6) and 17 from older notices (bids received, middle 11).

Last 36 months.

Typical contract value£60,000middle value of 611 contract awards, net · not frameworks
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What a contract here is usually worth.

Middle value of published award values, VAT excluded. Framework ceilings are left out because they are not real contract values.

Based on 611 awards with a usable value, last 36 months.

Published values, not actual spend.

Last 36 months.

Deadline to award64 daysmiddle value · 37 awarded procedures
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How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.

Based on 37 decided competitions, last 36 months.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Newest open tenders

3 of 17 open for bids now · newest first

NoticeAuthorityDeadlineDays leftPublished value
Permanent Recruitment ServicesFramework4 lotsCADENT GAS LIMITED23 Nov 202618d—
Education Recruitment Advertising and Resourcing Services5 lotsUniversity of Reading19 Feb 2027106d£80,000,000
Executive Recruitment FrameworkFrameworkStoke on Trent City Council10 Nov 20265d£168,000 ceiling

See all 17 open tenders →

Codes and neighbouring classes

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

Who buys
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Which buyers publish the most notices here.

Buyers ranked by the number of notices, duplicate names merged.

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
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What kinds of public bodies buy here.

Notices by the buyer’s type as published, otherwise by its name.

  • Local authorities27%(327 notices)
    327 of 1,220 notices are Local authorities (27%).
  • Other public bodies24%(294 notices)
    294 of 1,220 notices are Other public bodies (24%).
  • Central government24%(292 notices)
    292 of 1,220 notices are Central government (24%).
  • Education & universities14%(172 notices)
    172 of 1,220 notices are Education & universities (14%).
  • Police, fire & emergency3%(34 notices)
    34 of 1,220 notices are Police, fire & emergency (3%).
  • Not classified8%(101 notices)
    101 of 1,220 notices are Not classified (8%).
Contracting authorityTypeNoticesLast 12 monthsOpen now
Transport for Greater ManchesterOther public bodies66230
Sheffield City CouncilLocal authorities34180
Oxford City CouncilLocal authorities31170
University of the West of EnglandEducation & universities2520
Anchor Hanover GroupOther public bodies1460
Ministry of DefenceCentral government1410
ST CLARE CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUSTOther public bodies13130
Driver and Vehicle Standards AgencyCentral government1270
Government Commercial AgencyCentral government1210
Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)Other public bodies1140

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

Where the work is delivered
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Where the work on these notices is delivered.

Delivery regions published on the notices. A notice with several regions counts in each.

Where the work is, not where the buyer is based.

Delivery regions (ITL1) published on 813 of 1,257 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 England217 · 27%635%17%
South East England203 · 25%556%18%
South West England180 · 22%760%6%
Greater London176 · 22%542%45%
East Midlands176 · 22%550%8%
East of England162 · 20%557%11%
West Midlands155 · 19%1049%10%
Yorkshire and the Humber147 · 18%555%15%
North East England138 · 17%544%9%
Scotland56 · 7%———
Wales (Cymru)35 · 4%——13%
Northern Ireland32 · 4%———

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

How it is bought
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How work here is packaged.

Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.

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

Commercial tool
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How work here is packaged.

Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.

  • Contract83%(1,049 notices)
    1,049 of 1,257 notices are Contract (83%).
  • Framework14%(181 notices)
    181 of 1,257 notices are Framework (14%).
  • Dynamic purchasing system2%(27 notices)
    27 of 1,257 notices are Dynamic purchasing system (2%).
Procedure route
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Which procedures buyers here use.

Notices by the procedure they declare: open, selective, limited or direct. Open and selective are competitions; limited and direct are not.

  • Direct award27%(337 notices)
    337 of 1,257 notices are Direct award (27%).
  • Open22%(278 notices)
    278 of 1,257 notices are Open (22%).
  • Limited / restricted20%(257 notices)
    257 of 1,257 notices are Limited / restricted (20%).
  • Route not published19%(241 notices)
    241 of 1,257 notices are Route not published (19%).
  • Selective11%(144 notices)
    144 of 1,257 notices are Selective (11%).
Threshold
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How much of this market is above the legal threshold.

Notices by whether the buyer marked them above or below the threshold that triggers the full rules.

  • Above threshold79%(107 notices)
    107 of 136 notices are Above threshold (79%).
  • Below threshold21%(29 notices)
    29 of 136 notices are Below threshold (21%).
Typical tender window
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How long bidders get to respond.

Middle value in days from the tender notice to its deadline.

All notices we hold, not just recent ones.

31 daysrobust · n=137middle value, notice to deadline

Competition

Contracts published in the last 36 months (854) · bid counts per lot from award notices · values are net contract awards, framework and DPS ceilings excluded · SME and local status as declared

Bids per lot · n=68
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How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

  • 1 bid10%(7)
    7 of 68 lots fall in 1 bid (10%).
  • 2–315%(10)
    10 of 68 lots fall in 2–3 (15%).
  • 4–621%(14)
    14 of 68 lots fall in 4–6 (21%).
  • 7 or more54%(37)
    37 of 68 lots fall in 7 or more (54%).
Contract value, net
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The usual range of contract values here.

The middle half of published award values, VAT excluded, with the middle value marked. Framework ceilings are left out.

Published values, not actual spend.

p25 £33,252middle value £60,000p75 £150,000
interquartile range of 611 awards · p90 £708,333
Typical bids per lot
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How many companies usually bid for a lot here.

The middle value of the bid counts that award notices publish, one per lot. Only real competitions count: direct awards and framework places are left out.

Based on 68 lots from 50 competitions run by 44 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 51 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 6) and 17 from older notices (bids received, middle 11).

Last 36 months.

7robust · n=50middle half 4–11
Competed
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How much of this market is actually put out to competition.

Notices run as an open or selective procedure, out of all notices that say which procedure was used. Direct awards count as not competed.

110 of 665 notices that state a procedure, last 36 months. 189 more are call-offs or give no procedure and are left out.

Last 36 months.

17%robust · n=665
Bids from SMEs
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What share of bids come from small and medium firms.

SME bids divided by all bids, on lots where the buyer published the split.

260 SME bids out of 420, on 60 lots where the buyer published the split.

Last 36 months.

62%robust · n=420
Awards won by SMEs
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What share of contracts go to small and medium firms.

Awards to a single supplier that declared its size. SME divided by all.

212 of 476 awards where the winner declared its size.

Last 36 months.

45%robust · n=476
Won locally
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How much work here goes to companies based in the region.

Contract awards where the winner’s registered address is in this region, out of awards where the address is known.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

38%robust · n=467winner registered in the delivery region
Winning award vs estimate
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Do winners come in above or below the buyer’s estimate.

For each lot we compare the published estimate with the award, like for like. Below means the winner was paid less than estimated, above means more.

Based on 44 lots with both an estimate and an award, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

Last 36 months.

at the estimaterobust · n=4412 below · 0 above
Abandoned
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How often a tender ends with no award.

Notices cancelled, withdrawn or marked unsuccessful, plus terminated ones that never got an award.

11 of 854 notices, last 36 months.

Only what buyers published. Tenders that quietly went nowhere are not counted.

Last 36 months.

1%robust · n=854
Frameworks & DPS: bidders per lot
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How many companies apply to get onto a framework or DPS here.

Middle value per lot, frameworks and dynamic markets only. Getting onto a panel is not the same as winning work, so it is kept separate.

Based on 156 lots from 32 framework and DPS notices, last 36 months.

Last 36 months.

15robust · n=3282 vehicle procedures · admission to a panel, not a contest

Who wins
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Which suppliers win the most here.

Suppliers ranked by the number of tenders won, not by money. A supplier on one big framework with many call-offs does not outrank one that won many separate competitions.

Ranked by distinct procedures won on notices carrying this code, then award records · 1,110 awards to 529 suppliers · the five most frequent winners hold 15% of contract awards in the last 36 months

Where to submit
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Where bids for this work are submitted.

Notices by the portal in their submission link, where one is published.

E-sourcing portals named in the submission address · 245 of 1,257 notices name one · each portal page explains registration

In-tend Electronic Procurement47 notices · 19% · 2 open
Proactis / ProContract32 notices · 13% · 1 open
Delta eSourcing30 notices · 12%
JAGGAER / BravoSolution28 notices · 11%
Public Contracts Scotland (PCS)28 notices · 11% · 1 open
EU-Supply Complete Tender Management20 notices · 8% · 1 open
eTendersNI14 notices · 6%

Open tenders in recruitment services

17 open for bids now · soonest deadline first

NoticeAuthorityDeadlineDays leftPublished value
Recruitment Services for Deliberative EngagementScottish Parliamentary Corporate Body9 Nov 20264d—
Executive Recruitment FrameworkFrameworkStoke on Trent City Council10 Nov 20265d£168,000 ceiling
HCC - 10/26 - The Provision of a Recruitment Agency FrameworkFramework7 lotsHertfordshire County Council20 Nov 202615d£46,000,000 ceiling
Permanent Recruitment ServicesFramework4 lotsCADENT GAS LIMITED23 Nov 202618d—
Education Recruitment Advertising and Resourcing Services5 lotsUniversity of Reading19 Feb 2027106d£80,000,000
Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) of Temporary Agency, Contractor and Interim Agencies for Preferred Supplier Listing (PSL) Status for Luton Borough Council - Y21001DPSLuton and Kent Commercial Services LLP30 Jan 2028451d£150,000,000 ceiling
CHIC Agency - Dynamic Purchasing System [DPS]DPS8 lotsCommunities and Housing Investment Consortium Limited ("CHIC")27 Oct 2028722d£80,000,000 ceiling
Staffing Solutions DPS (Dynamic purchasing system)DPS7 lotsIpswich Borough Council31 Dec 2028787d—
Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) of Temporary Agency, Contractor and Interim Agencies for Preferred Supplier Listing (PSL) Status for Hackney Borough Council – Y25013DPSHackney and Kent commercial Services (t/a Connect2Hackney)16 Jan 2029803d£180,000,000 ceiling
WCC - Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for Second Tier Agency Staffing RequirementsDPS18 lotsWarwickshire County Council23 Feb 2029841d£50,000,000 ceiling
Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) of Temporary Agency, Contractor and Interim Agencies for Preferred Supplier Listing — Y20010DPSKent County Council23 Feb 2029841d£500,000,000 ceiling
Temporary Worker Agencies and Interim Contractors/Consultants for Preferred Supplier Listing Status for Dorset Unitary Council Y24006DPSDorset & Kent Commercial Services LLP T/A Connect2Dorset2 Apr 2029879d£250,000,000 ceiling
Recruitment Agency ServicesDPS9 lotsProcurement Assist Limited c/o Integrated Facilities Management Bolton Ltd (iFM Bolton)31 May 2029938d£75,000,000 ceiling
Invitation to join a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) of Temporary Agency, Contractor and Interim Agencies for Preferred Supplier Listing (PSL) Status for Halton Borough Council – Y25002DPSHalton Borough Council and Commercials Services Kent Ltd t/a Connect2Halton30 Aug 20301,394d£100,000,000 ceiling
Recruitment servicesDPSBromford Flagship LiveWest Limited23 May 20311,660d£10,000,000 ceiling

All 17 open notices with CPV 7960… →

About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly. Contracts Finder contracts appear on the Retender Radar, not yet in these figures.
  • What counts here. Every notice with a CPV code starting 7960. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Notices from 2021 to 4 Nov 2026.
  • Competition. Bids and winners cover the last three years and count each lot as its own contest; frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems are shown apart from ordinary contracts.
  • Why no total spend. Notice estimates often repeat a framework’s ceiling, so adding them up would overstate the market. Typical contract values are shown instead.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.