TL;DR - KEY FINDINGS
- 2,228 government contracts worth GBP 16.09 billion analysed from Contracts Finder
- Median contract value: GBP 104,880 - accessible to SMEs
- Taxi services: the highest-volume category with 145 contracts
- Construction dominates by spend: GBP 10 billion across 98 contracts
- 15 suppliers with overdue Companies House filings won public contracts
KEY FIGURES
- 2,228 contract awards analysed
- GBP 16.09 billion total contract value
- GBP 104,880 median contract value
- 15 suppliers with overdue accounts
- 38 unique buyers in taxi and transport alone
The Scale of UK Public Procurement
The UK public sector awards hundreds of thousands of contracts each year. This analysis covers 2,228 awarded notices published on the government's Contracts Finder service, representing GBP 16.09 billion in contract value. The median contract value is GBP 104,880 - meaning half of all awarded contracts are worth less than GBP 105,000.
That figure matters. It means the majority of government contracts are accessible to small and medium-sized businesses, not just the large consultancies and construction firms that dominate headline figures.
Where the Money Goes
Construction accounts for the largest share of total spend. The 98 construction contracts in this dataset carry a combined value of GBP 10.06 billion - 62.5 percent of all contract spend analysed. By contract volume the picture is different: taxi and passenger transport services account for 145 contracts - more than any other category - awarded by 38 different buyers across England.
Suppliers with Overdue Accounts Still Winning Public Contracts
Cross-referencing awarded suppliers against Companies House filing records identifies 15 suppliers whose accounts were recorded as overdue at the time of contract award. Overdue accounts do not necessarily indicate financial distress - they can be overdue for administrative reasons - but contracting authorities are required to assess supplier financial standing under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
| Supplier | Contract Value | Buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Precise Media Monitoring Ltd | GBP 120,000 | Government Commercial Agency |
| Bytes | GBP 92,117 | Isle of Wight Council |
| Rais Private Hire Ltd | GBP 139,313 | Cheshire East Borough Council |
| Johnsons 1871 Limited | GBP 10,385 | Arts Council of England |
| Johnsons 1871 Ltd | GBP 40,000 | Lincolnshire County Council |
Source: Contracts Finder and Companies House.
The Opportunity for SMEs
Legal services, business consultancy, and education and training all feature average contract values accessible to specialist SMEs with the right accreditations. The Contracts Finder portal publishes all awards above GBP 10,000 for central government and GBP 25,000 for other public bodies. Registered suppliers can set up alerts by category and buyer type.
Methodology
Contract award data is sourced from Contracts Finder via the published OCDS API. Only awarded notices with a confirmed award value are included. Companies House data is matched to supplier names with an estimated accuracy of 86 percent based on validation of a random sample. Readers should verify individual supplier records directly at companieshouse.gov.uk and contractsfinder.service.gov.uk.
Data Sources
All figures in this article are derived from the official sources listed below. Readers should verify any data point directly with the relevant government body or regulator before relying on it.
Sources
- Contracts Finder: contractsfinder.service.gov.uk
- Companies House: companieshouse.gov.uk
- Procurement Act 2023: legislation.gov.uk
- Public Contracts Regulations 2015: legislation.gov.uk
