Is it free to register on the tender portals?

Yes. Registering as a supplier on eTenders.gov.ie and eTendersNI is free. The cost is your time — building your profile, setting up alerts and keeping documents ready.

Getting Started · Ireland & Northern Ireland

Where to find public tenders in Ireland & Northern Ireland

Q: Where are public tenders published in the Republic of Ireland?

On eTenders.gov.ie, the national public procurement portal. You register free as an economic operator, build a supplier profile and set up email alerts for your sector. Higher-value contracts above EU thresholds also appear on TED, the EU's tenders database.

Q: Where are public tenders published in Northern Ireland?

Mainly on eTendersNI, used by NI government departments, councils, the Education Authority and Health and Social Care trusts. Higher-value contracts also appear on the UK-wide Find a Tender service, and some buyers publish on their own websites.

You can't bid for work you never see. The good news: nearly every public contract has to be advertised openly. Here's exactly where they're published on both sides of the border — and how to get the right ones sent straight to your inbox.

Run the free tender checker See the portals

The short answer

In the Republic of Ireland, tenders are published on eTenders.gov.ie. In Northern Ireland, they're on eTendersNI. Higher-value contracts also appear on the UK-wide Find a Tender service and the EU's TED database. Register free on the portals that cover you, switch on alerts, and the work comes to you.

The portals, one by one

Where each type of contract gets advertised.

Republic of Ireland

eTenders.gov.ie

etenders.gov.ie

The national procurement portal for the Republic. Government departments, local authorities, the HSE, universities and state bodies all publish here. Register free as an "economic operator", build your supplier profile once, and set up alerts by category. This is the first place an Irish SME should be registered.

Northern Ireland

eTendersNI

etendersni.gov.uk

The main portal for Northern Ireland public-sector contracts. Used by NI government departments, the eleven councils, the Education Authority (EA), Health and Social Care (HSC) trusts and more. Register, set your category codes and region, and you'll see opportunities from the buyers most likely to suit a local business.

Higher value · UK-wide

Find a Tender

find-tender.service.gov.uk

Where higher-value UK public contracts (above set thresholds) are advertised, including many from Northern Ireland buyers. Worth a saved search if you bid for larger contracts or want visibility of bigger frameworks coming up.

Higher value · EU

TED (Tenders Electronic Daily)

ted.europa.eu

The EU's tenders database. Above-threshold Irish contracts are published here too. Most SMEs won't start here, but it's useful if you're chasing larger contracts or watching cross-border opportunities in the Republic.

Don't forget

Buyer & council websites

individual buyers

Some buyers also list opportunities — and lower-value "quick quotes" — on their own websites. If there are two or three public bodies you'd love to work with, it's worth checking their procurement pages directly as well as the portals.

How to get the right ones — not all of them

Registering is step one. These four moves turn the portals into a steady feed of relevant work.

Register before you need toThe best opportunities often have tight deadlines. Don't lose two of them to a portal sign-up. Get registered on eTenders.gov.ie and/or eTendersNI now, while there's no clock running.

Set alerts by category code, not keywordsEach portal uses standard classification codes (CPV codes) for the type of work. Pick the codes that match what you do and you'll catch tenders even when buyers word them oddly. Add your region so you're not drowning in irrelevant national contracts.

Watch the early heads-ups (PINs)A Prior Information Notice is a buyer signalling a tender is coming. Spot one in your sector and you can get your documents ready before the real notice drops — a big head start on slower competitors.

Keep your profile and documents currentInsurance certs, accounts, references and policies expire or go stale. Keep a "bid folder" up to date so that when the right tender lands, you're applying — not scrambling to find paperwork.

If you trade near the border

Plenty of businesses around the border can legitimately bid on both sides. If that's you, register on both eTenders.gov.ie and eTendersNI — you'll roughly double the opportunities you see. Just remember that a contract in the other jurisdiction can carry different currency, VAT, insurance and travel costs, so price that in before you decide it's worth pursuing.

Get the "where to find tenders" checklist

A one-page summary of every portal above, the alerts to switch on, and the documents to have ready — emailed to you. Plus the occasional tender tip for Irish and NI small businesses.

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Found one? Check it before you commit

Once a tender lands in your alerts, the next question is whether it's actually worth bidding for. Paste or upload it into the free Tender Audit checker and you'll get a bid/no-bid verdict, the key dates and thresholds, the documents you'll need and the main risks — in under a minute.

Run the free tender checker Should I bid for this tender?

Common questions

Where are public tenders published in the Republic of Ireland?

On eTenders.gov.ie, the national procurement portal. Register free as an economic operator, build a supplier profile and set up email alerts for your sector. Higher-value contracts above EU thresholds also appear on TED.

Where are public tenders published in Northern Ireland?

Mainly on eTendersNI, used by NI departments, councils, the Education Authority and Health and Social Care trusts. Higher-value UK-wide contracts also appear on Find a Tender, and some buyers publish on their own websites.

Is it free to register on the portals?

Yes. Registering as a supplier on eTenders.gov.ie and eTendersNI is free. The only cost is your time — building your profile, setting alerts and keeping documents ready.

How do I get tenders sent to me automatically?

Set up email alerts on each portal, filtered by the category (CPV) codes and regions that match your business. Register before you need to — the best opportunities often have short deadlines.