SME-friendly public buyers
Which UK public buyers award the biggest share of their contracts to small and medium-sized enterprises? 639 buyers have at least 10 published supplier awards with a declared supplier size; 359 of them award most to SMEs. Across these buyers, SMEs won 56% of awards. Built only from award notices on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder.
639 buyers.
| # | Buyer | Share to SMEs | Awards | Median value | Repeat-incumbent share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 441 | Department for EducationLondon · Schools, colleges & universities | 41%52 of 127 with size declared | 127 | £304k | 28% |
| 442 | Sheffield City CouncilYorkshire and the Humber · Councils & combined authorities | 41%27 of 66 with size declared | 66 | £366k | 18% |
| 443 | Erewash Borough CouncilEast Midlands · Councils & combined authorities | 41%9 of 22 with size declared | 22 | — | 27% |
| 444 | West Midlands Combined AuthorityWest Midlands · Councils & combined authorities | 41%33 of 81 with size declared | 81 | £73k | 37% |
| 445 | Defence Equipment and SupportSouth West · Central government & agencies | 40%22 of 55 with size declared | 55 | £6.9m | 4% |
| 446 | ASTER GROUP LIMITEDSouth West · Other public bodies | 40%12 of 30 with size declared | 30 | £1.6m | 7% |
| 447 | BRITISH BUSINESS BANK PLCYorkshire and the Humber · Other public bodies | 40%12 of 30 with size declared | 30 | £75k | 20% |
| 448 | Department for Business and TradeLondon · Central government & agencies | 40%10 of 25 with size declared | 25 | £804k | 8% |
| 449 | Swansea Bay University Health BoardWales · NHS & health | 40%10 of 25 with size declared | 25 | £22k | 8% |
| 450 | ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH AGENCYLondon · NHS & health | 40%8 of 20 with size declared | 22 | £29k | 0% |
| 451 | THE UNIVERSITY OF CUMBRIANorth West · Schools, colleges & universities | 40%8 of 20 with size declared | 20 | £220k | 10% |
| 452 | Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS TrustSouth East · NHS & health | 40%6 of 15 with size declared | 15 | £294k | 13% |
| 453 | Pension Protection FundLondon · Other public bodies | 40%6 of 15 with size declared | 15 | £467k | 0% |
| 454 | Buckinghamshire CouncilSouth East · Councils & combined authorities | 40%4 of 10 with size declared | 10 | £25.2m | 0% |
| 455 | FCDO ServicesSouth East · Other public bodies | 40%4 of 10 with size declared | 10 | £120k | 0% |
| 456 | London Borough of CroydonLondon · Councils & combined authorities | 40%4 of 10 with size declared | 10 | £66k | 0% |
| 457 | Swansea UniversityWales · Schools, colleges & universities | 40%4 of 10 with size declared | 10 | £405k | 20% |
| 458 | The Arts Council of EnglandNorth West · Councils & combined authorities | 40%4 of 10 with size declared | 10 | £42k | 40% |
| 459 | Watford Borough CouncilEast of England · Councils & combined authorities | 40%4 of 10 with size declared | 10 | £573k | 40% |
| 460 | Crown Commercial ServiceNorth West · Central government & agencies | 40%45 of 113 with size declared | 113 | — | 0% |
| 461 | Leicestershire County CouncilEast Midlands · Councils & combined authorities | 40%126 of 317 with size declared | 317 | £19k | 41% |
| 462 | Department for Business & TradeLondon · Central government & agencies | 39%24 of 61 with size declared | 61 | £6.1m | 11% |
| 463 | The Common Services Agency (more commonly known as NHS National Services Scotland) (NSS)Scotland · NHS & health | 39%11 of 28 with size declared | 28 | — | 0% |
| 464 | HULL UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTYorkshire and the Humber · NHS & health | 39%9 of 23 with size declared | 23 | £125k | 17% |
| 465 | London Borough of CamdenLondon · Councils & combined authorities | 39%9 of 23 with size declared | 23 | £2.1m | 43% |
| 466 | THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR LINCOLNSHIREEast Midlands · Police & fire | 39%9 of 23 with size declared | 23 | £92k | 17% |
| 467 | UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIAEast of England · Schools, colleges & universities | 39%14 of 36 with size declared | 36 | £235k | 6% |
| 468 | West Yorkshire Combined AuthorityYorkshire and the Humber · Councils & combined authorities | 39%14 of 36 with size declared | 36 | £205k | 25% |
| 469 | CARDIFF UNIVERSITYWales · Schools, colleges & universities | 39%7 of 18 with size declared | 18 | £714k | 0% |
| 470 | Northumbria Healthcare Facilities ManagementNorth East · NHS & health | 39%7 of 18 with size declared | 18 | £234k | 22% |
| 471 | University of WorcesterWest Midlands · Schools, colleges & universities | 38%10 of 26 with size declared | 31 | £94k | 26% |
| 472 | Blackburn With Darwen Borough CouncilNorth West · Councils & combined authorities | 38%5 of 13 with size declared | 13 | £320k | 23% |
| 473 | Dudley Metropolitan Borough CouncilWest Midlands · Councils & combined authorities | 38%5 of 13 with size declared | 13 | — | 0% |
| 474 | UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY LIMITEDNorth West · Other public bodies | 38%5 of 13 with size declared | 13 | £647k | 15% |
| 475 | Ministry of DefenceSouth West · Central government & agencies | 38%74 of 194 with size declared | 197 | £761k | 19% |
| 476 | LIVERPOOL HEART AND CHEST HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTNorth West · NHS & health | 38%8 of 21 with size declared | 21 | — | 24% |
| 477 | Department for Work and PensionsYorkshire and the Humber · Central government & agencies | 38%11 of 29 with size declared | 32 | £593k | 16% |
| 478 | Department for Work & PensionsLondon · Central government & agencies | 38%18 of 48 with size declared | 48 | £13m | 13% |
| 479 | Gateshead Borough CouncilNorth East · Councils & combined authorities | 38%9 of 24 with size declared | 24 | £1.7m | 0% |
| 480 | University of StrathclydeScotland · Schools, colleges & universities | 38%9 of 24 with size declared | 24 | £2.1m | 46% |
Methodology
- Source: award notices published on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder that name at least one supplier. Each named supplier on a notice counts as one award (frameworks with many suppliers count once per supplier). No spending or invoice data is used.
- SME: the supplier declared itself a small or medium-sized enterprise on that award notice; if the notice is silent, the size it declared on its most recent notice. Awards with no declared size are left out of the share.
- Sample size: buyers appear only with at least 10 linked awards and 10 with a declared supplier size. Smaller buyers still have an award panel on their own page, but no scorecard.
- Median value: median awarded value over single-supplier awards that state a value. Repeat-incumbent share: share of the buyer's awards won by suppliers that won from it at least twice.
- Buyer type is a rough grouping from the buyer's name and region comes from the buyer's address on its notices. Buyer names are grouped by spelling, so a few organisations may appear under two names.
- Many contracts are awarded without a published award notice, so treat these as indicators, not a full record of a buyer's spending. Always read the notices.
About this data
Tenders come from the UK government's Find a Tender and Contracts Finder services (OCDS feeds), refreshed twice a day. A tender counts as open until its stated deadline. Values are as stated by the buyer and are often estimates. Always check the official notice before bidding.
See also award benchmarks, direct awards and free tender alerts.