October 2026 Observatory Figures counted October 15, 2026, 04:41 UTC
Public procurement statistics: United Kingdom
32,527 Notices, last 12 complete months
- 11,905 Awards
- €14.7B Awarded value
- 76% Awards that state a value
- July 2026 Fully covered since
Twelve months
September 2026 was the busiest month: 11,739 notices
The last twelve months as three small charts, each on its own scale
Notices
Awards
Awarded value
October 2026 is still being counted.
Hatched months before July 2026 are partial coverage: not every source was in the register yet.
Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. See the data
Cite this figure
"September 2026 was the busiest month: 11,739 notices". Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. https://aperlena.com/en/stats/gb#chart-months
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
Embed
Paste this code where the chart should appear. It follows the figures as they are recounted and links back to this page.
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
The months of 2026
| Month | Notices | Awards | Buyers | Awarded value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 still counting | 6,366 | 592 | 1,573 | €244.5M (58% carry a value) |
| September 2026 | 11,707 | 2,386 | 2,071 | €1.7B (63% carry a value) |
| August 2026 | 10,355 | 2,859 | 1,883 | €2.2B (70% carry a value) |
| July 2026 | 7,208 | 2,589 | 1,571 | €3.8B (71% carry a value) |
| June 2026 partial | 533 | 1,078 | 147 | €1.6B (87% carry a value) |
| May 2026 partial | 453 | 635 | 144 | €2.0B (92% carry a value) |
| April 2026 partial | 604 | 515 | 137 | €631.9M (94% carry a value) |
| March 2026 partial | 612 | 709 | 136 | €924.7M (94% carry a value) |
| February 2026 partial | 460 | 436 | 126 | €281.8M (94% carry a value) |
| January 2026 partial | 495 | 386 | 141 | €525.7M (95% carry a value) |
Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026.
Sectors by month
September 2026: the busiest month for 11 of the 12 largest sectors
Notices published by sector over the last 12 complete months. Each row is shaded against its own busiest month.
| Sector | October 2025, partial coverage | November 2025, partial coverage | December 2025, partial coverage | January 2026, partial coverage | February 2026, partial coverage | March 2026, partial coverage | April 2026, partial coverage | May 2026, partial coverage | June 2026, partial coverage | July 2026 | August 2026 | September 2026 | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction work | 8 | 84 | 72 | 80 | 87 | 70 | 78 | 534 | 715 | 718 | 2,446 | ||
| Business services | 79 | 56 | 81 | 79 | 58 | 60 | 488 | 519 | 944 | 2,364 | |||
| IT services | 2 | 51 | 52 | 60 | 68 | 53 | 41 | 248 | 386 | 413 | 1,374 | ||
| Transport services | 7 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 49 | 252 | 551 | 455 | 1,350 | |||
| Software & IT systems | 32 | 24 | 43 | 56 | 31 | 27 | 253 | 379 | 445 | 1,290 | |||
| Architecture & engineering services | 36 | 38 | 40 | 45 | 25 | 41 | 269 | 365 | 406 | 1,265 | |||
| Health & social work | 12 | 8 | 15 | 24 | 12 | 23 | 274 | 357 | 475 | 1,200 | |||
| Education & training | 3 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 123 | 234 | 246 | 673 | |||
| Repair & maintenance services | 24 | 22 | 34 | 19 | 12 | 26 | 140 | 193 | 199 | 669 | |||
| Transport equipment & vehicles | 16 | 27 | 27 | 36 | 29 | 31 | 100 | 157 | 185 | 608 | |||
| Environment, sewage & cleaning | 2 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 18 | 22 | 106 | 146 | 160 | 523 | ||
| Medical equipment & pharmaceuticals | 1 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 25 | 5 | 78 | 126 | 183 | 458 |
Hatched months before July 2026 are partial coverage: not every source was in the register yet.
Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. See the data
Cite this figure
"September 2026: the busiest month for 11 of the 12 largest sectors". Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. https://aperlena.com/en/stats/gb#chart-heat
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
Embed
Paste this code where the chart should appear. It follows the figures as they are recounted and links back to this page.
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
Time to bid
Median 29 days to bid; 10% of calls give under 15
Calls for tenders published from July 2026 to September 2026 that state a deadline (3,225), by calendar days from publication to deadline
- Under 15 days 10%
- 15 to 29 days 43%
- 30 to 44 days 39%
- 45 to 59 days 5%
- 60 days or more 4%
Table
| Days to bid | Notices | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 15 days | 318 | 10% |
| 15 to 29 days | 1,375 | 43% |
| 30 to 44 days | 1,248 | 39% |
| 45 to 59 days | 162 | 5% |
| 60 days or more | 122 | 4% |
Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. See the data
Cite this figure
"Median 29 days to bid; 10% of calls give under 15". Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. https://aperlena.com/en/stats/gb#chart-days
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
Embed
Paste this code where the chart should appear. It follows the figures as they are recounted and links back to this page.
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
Size of awards
Median award about €100,000; 33% are under €50,000
Awards decided from July 2026 to September 2026 whose notice states a value (5,228), by size
- Under €50,000 33%
- €50,000 to €200,000 34%
- €200,000 to €1.0M 22%
- €1.0M to €5.5M 8%
- Over €5.5M 3%
Table
| Award value | Awards | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under €50,000 | 1,719 | 33% |
| €50,000 to €200,000 | 1,767 | 34% |
| €200,000 to €1.0M | 1,157 | 22% |
| €1.0M to €5.5M | 423 | 8% |
| Over €5.5M | 162 | 3% |
Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. See the data
Cite this figure
"Median award about €100,000; 33% are under €50,000". Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. https://aperlena.com/en/stats/gb#chart-bands
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
Embed
Paste this code where the chart should appear. It follows the figures as they are recounted and links back to this page.
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
Procedures
Open procedure: 28% of the notices
Notices published from July 2026 to September 2026 (29,339), by procedure as the source states it, from the most open to the least
- Open procedure 28%
- Restricted 21%
- Negotiated 16%
- Direct award 16%
- Other or not stated 20%
Table
| Procedure | Notices | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Open procedure | 8,138 | 28% |
| Restricted | 6,202 | 21% |
| Negotiated | 4,564 | 16% |
| Direct award | 4,690 | 16% |
| Other or not stated | 5,745 | 20% |
Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. See the data
Cite this figure
"Open procedure: 28% of the notices". Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 15, 2026. https://aperlena.com/en/stats/gb#chart-procedures
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
Embed
Paste this code where the chart should appear. It follows the figures as they are recounted and links back to this page.
Free to reuse with attribution, "Aperlena (aperlena.com)" and a link, under CC BY 4.0.
Largest buyers by awarded value
The 10 largest buyers award 51% of the stated value
Awards decided in the last 12 months, ranked by the value their notices state.
- Transport for London €2.6B 19 awards
- H M REVENUE & CUSTOMS €1.7B 44 awards
- Ministry of Justice €987.6M 158 awards
- The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust €894.6M 6 awards
- DHSC €743.3M 10 awards
- SUPPLY CHAIN COORDINATION LIMITED €653.4M 12 awards
- Wandle Housing Association Limited €486.6M 9 awards
- Ministry of Defence €406.8M 97 awards
- NHS England €384.5M 50 awards
- Peterborough City Council €352.2M 13 awards
Companies by awarded value
Awards decided in the last 12 months, ranked by the value their notices state. Companies only: a winner is listed when its name says it is a legal entity. Natural persons are never ranked.
- LAING O'ROURKE DELIVERY LIMITED €894.4M 1 award
- Galliford Try Construction Ltd €582.6M 6 awards
- Cognizant Worldwide Limited €438.7M 2 awards
- KIER CONSTRUCTION LIMITED €423.8M 10 awards
- PHOENIX SOFTWARE LIMITED €373.3M 70 awards
- SPECIALIST COMPUTER CENTRES PLC €351.9M 22 awards
- UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON €318.6M 3 awards
- LGC Limited €310.9M 3 awards
- Capgemini UK Plc €286.8M 8 awards
- Mitie Security Ltd €279.6M 1 award
Procedure facts
- of awards were direct awards, as the sources label them
- 19%
- buyer and company pairs with three or more direct awards in two years
- 76
Tenders received and estimates over the last 3 years, direct awards over the last 2, from the awards in the register whose notices state them. Sources differ in what they publish and in how they label procedures: compare countries with care. Facts that procurement researchers and journalists track across public records. None of them is evidence of wrongdoing: each has ordinary explanations, such as a specialised market, an urgent need or a short list of qualified suppliers.
Compare
Nearby Ireland France Netherlands
Method: counts come from official procurement notices aggregated by Aperlena; a notice belongs to the month it was published and an award to the month it was decided. Value sums cover only awards whose official notice states a value - the coverage percentage says how many do. Nothing is estimated.
Amounts in rankings and totals: an award amount is printed as its source publishes it. From EUR 50 million up, an amount is left out of every sum, ranking and list of the largest when it is more than 20 times its own notice's estimate, when the same buyer has already stated the same amount on an earlier award (a contract restated by later notices, or a ceiling shared by several lots, is counted once, on the earliest), or when it is above EUR 500 million and more than 100 times the 99th percentile of three years of awards in the same country and sector. The award still counts as an award, and its own page shows the published amount.
Reuse: the aggregate statistics computed by Aperlena (figures, charts and the downloadable tables) may be reused with attribution under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: "Aperlena (aperlena.com)", with a link. The underlying notices remain subject to the terms of their official sources.
Coverage: a country or a sector is covered from the first month since which its monthly notices hold steady up to today. Walking back from the last complete month, a month counts while it holds at least a third of the median of the three months after it. Earlier months are drawn hatched and labelled partial. No change is printed across them, nor when a month is more than double or less than half the one before: in this register that is a source being loaded, not a market moving.
Days to bid, award sizes, procedures and thresholds are read only from fully covered months and only above 30 observations. The median award is read from a histogram and rounded to two figures.