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Free tools›Glossary

30 terms · plain English

UK Public Procurement Glossary

Plain-English definitions of every UK public procurement term you need to know. Updated for the Procurement Act 2023. Free, no signup, citable.

Documents · 10 terms

Contracts Finder

The UK Government's portal for below-threshold tenders (England).

Northern Ireland's official tender portal.

Find a Tender Service (FTS)

The UK's official portal for above-threshold public sector tenders.

ITT — Invitation to Tender

The buyer-issued document that asks suppliers to submit a formal bid.

OCDS — Open Contracting Data Standard

The open data standard the UK uses to publish procurement data.

PCS — Public Contracts Scotland

Scotland's official tender portal.

Pipeline Notice

PA23-mandated 18-month-ahead view of a buyer's upcoming procurements.

PQQ — Pre-Qualification Questionnaire

Legacy term for the Selection Questionnaire — same document, older name.

Wales's official tender portal.

SQ — Selection Questionnaire

The pre-qualification questionnaire replacing the old PQQ.

Process · 10 terms

Bid / No-Bid Decision

The structured decision to commit (or not) to writing a tender response.

Evaluation Criteria

The published rules a buyer will use to score bids.

Free Bid/No-Bid Calculator

WinAContract's free decision tool — scores a tender against 7 weighted criteria.

The supplier currently delivering the contract being re-tendered.

A subdivision of a tender into separately awardable parts.

MAT — Most Advantageous Tender

The default UK public sector evaluation method since PA23 — formerly MEAT.

MEAT — Most Economically Advantageous Tender

Pre-PA23 evaluation framework. Replaced by MAT in 2024.

Mini-competition

A further competition between framework suppliers for a specific call-off.

Mandatory bid evaluation criterion worth typically 10-30% of MAT scores.

TOMS — Themes, Outcomes, Measures

The UK's standard framework for quantifying Social Value contributions.

Legislation · 2 terms

Central Debarment List

PA23-introduced list of suppliers banned from UK public contracts.

PA23 — Procurement Act 2023

The UK legislation replacing PCR 2015 — in force from 24 Feb 2025.

Commercial · 7 terms

An individual contract awarded under an existing framework or DPS.

DOS — Digital Outcomes & Specialists

CCS framework for digital services and specialist contractors.

DPS — Dynamic Purchasing System

A digital framework with rolling supplier admission throughout its term.

Framework Agreement

A pre-qualified supplier panel buyers can call off from without re-tendering.

CCS framework for cloud-based digital services.

SME Lot / Reserved Lot

A tender lot reserved for SMEs and small charities, introduced by PA23.

Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) — staff transfer rules on contract change.

Buyer side · 1 terms

CCS — Crown Commercial Service

The UK Government's central buying agency.

From definition to draft in 15 minutes

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More free tools from WinAContract

Bid / No-Bid Calculator

Score a tender on 7 weighted criteria in 90 seconds.

Tender ROI Calculator

Is this bid worth bidding? Five inputs, expected return.

MAT Scoring Template

Build the buyer's rubric. See where marks leak.

Framework Finder

Match your SIC code to UK public sector frameworks.

Bid Word Count Tool

Count words per section, flag over-limit responses.