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Supplying to the Public Sector

Unlock Supply Opportunities with Local Government and Public Services

Lincolnshire’s public sector organisations spend significant amounts each year on goods, services, and works — and are regularly looking for reliable, innovative suppliers to help deliver value to our communities.

Whether you're a small business, a growing enterprise, or an established provider, there are opportunities for you to work with councils, schools, emergency services, and other public bodies across the county.

Selling to the public sector can transform your business. Navigating public sector procurement can seem complicated but Business Lincolnshire is here to help.

How Goods and services are Purchased

Lincolnshire County Council will use a different process depending on the value and type of contract. In simple terms, for lower priced purchases, a contract can be awarded based on supplier quotations, but for higher value contracts a more formal tendering process has to be used whereby contract opportunities are advertised and suppliers are invited to respond. Details of the procurement thresholds can be found here:

Lincolnshire County Council – How we buy goods and services – Lincolnshire County Council

Various buying portals used to advertise contract opportunities depending on the value of the contract being procured. These portals manage the tendering process to make sure all potential suppliers follow the same fair process and have access to the same information. Tendering Portals include:

Note that tendering arrangements in North and North East Lincolnshire Councils may vary  – information from North East Lincolnshire is here  Contracts and tenders | NELC and for North Lincolnshire Council here Procurement – North Lincolnshire Council

National Government contract opportunities may also be of interest and information about how to access these opportunities can be found here.  Contracts Finder lets you search for information about contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT) with the government and its agencies. You can use Contracts Finder to:

  • search for contract opportunities in different sectors
  • find out what’s coming up in the future
  • look up details of previous tenders and contracts

You can create an account to get email updates and save your searches. You can still search and apply for contracts without an account.

To find and apply for high value contracts in the UK (usually above £139,688 including VAT) use the Find a Tender service instead.

How to Get Started

  1. Read the Guides
    There are a number of resources available on the Business Lincolnshire website which will help you to understand how to find out about tender opportunities, make sure your business has the right policies and procedures in place ant write compelling bids. Scroll down this page to access these.
  2. Register on ProContract
    Sign up to ProContract to receive alerts and bid for opportunities across Lincolnshire and beyond. It is free to register and you can set up alerts based on multiple parameters to be made aware of opportunities as they arise.
  3. Explore Contracts Finder and Find a Tender
    Contracts Finder and Find a Tender are where public sector buyers publish notices about procurements and contracts that suppliers can search and respond to. Both are free to access and offer alert options.
  4. Check the Lincolnshire County Council Procurement Pipeline
    View current and upcoming contracts here.
  5. Attend Supplier Events
    Join workshops and seminars hosted by Procurement Lincolnshire and Business Lincolnshire to learn how to tender successfully. Details of these will be added to the Business Lincolnshire events calendar as they are arranged. Sign up for the Business Lincolnshire newsletter by submitting your email at the bottom of the page to keep up to date with business events and support information.

Lincolnshire Council is committed to improving procurement processes to make them accessible to small local businesses. Why should you sell to the public sector?

  • Fair and Transparent Procurement: All contracts are awarded through open and competitive processes.
  • Prompt Payments: Suppliers are paid within 30 days of submitting a valid invoice.
  • Support for SMEs: We actively encourage small and medium-sized businesses to bid for contracts.
  • Transparent and fair procurement process
  • Diverse Opportunities: From IT and construction to catering and consultancy — there’s a wide range of needs across sectors.

Watch this video to learn how to register your business on the Find a Tender service.

You can visit this page for more information published by GOV.UK

Resources

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See All Factsheets

Explore opportunities available in the public sector

COMING SOON

Opportunities

Useful Links

Guides to help navigate the process of procurement with the public sector.

How we buy goods and services

This guide describe how Lincolnshire County Council buy goods and services.

Find tender opportunities

This page details where you can find tender opportunities.

Procurement partnership strategy

This page explains Lincolnshire County Council’s procurement partnership strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions – Selling to the Public Sector

Yes! SMEs are encouraged to bid. You can also:

  • Subcontract to larger suppliers.
  • Form consortia for bigger contracts.

To become a supplier, businesses should register on ProContract for local opportunities and on the new Central Digital Platform.

When evaluating bids, public sector buyers consider more than just price. They assess quality, value for money, and compliance with social value and sustainability requirements.

Need to speak to someone?

Monday to Friday, between 8:00am and 6:00pm

T. 01522 782067

E. businesslincolnshire@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Make an enquiry