Central Digital Platform registration: a supplier guide
If you want to bid for public contracts in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you need to register on the Central Digital Platform. It replaced the old habit of filling in the same company details in every tender: you enter your core information once, keep it up to date, and share it with each buyer using a share code. Registration is free. This guide explains what the platform is, what you need to register, and how the rules differ in Wales and Scotland.
Key points
- The Central Digital Platform is the enhanced Find a Tender service, launched on 24 February 2025 alongside the Procurement Act 2023.
- It is free to use. You should never pay to register or to view public sector opportunities.
- You register your organisation once, then complete your core supplier information: basic details, connected persons, qualifications, trade assurances, exclusions and financial information.
- You share that information with a buyer through a share code or a downloaded file, only when you choose to bid.
- Since 1 April 2026, suppliers awarded smaller "notifiable" below-threshold contracts must also be registered and give the buyer their unique identifier.
- Devolved Scottish public bodies are largely outside the Procurement Act 2023 and use Public Contracts Scotland instead.
What the Central Digital Platform is
The Central Digital Platform is the official online system set up under the Procurement Act 2023. It is accessed through Find a Tender, the government's free procurement website. Buyers use it to publish notices, from pipeline and tender notices through to contract award, changes and termination. Suppliers use it to register, store their core supplier information and share it with buyers.
The Cabinet Office factsheet makes two points worth knowing:
- if you were registered on the old Find a Tender service, you had to re-register and enter your organisation's information again when the new platform launched;
- Find a Tender does not verify what you enter. You declare that it is accurate, and buyers carry out their own checks.
Who needs to register
Under the Procurement Regulations 2024, when a supplier bids in an open procedure or a competitive flexible procedure under the Act, the buyer must confirm before the end of the tendering period that the supplier has:
- registered on the platform;
- submitted up-to-date core supplier information; and
- shared that information with the buyer through the platform.
For direct awards and call-offs from some frameworks, the buyer must get the same confirmation before the contract is awarded. If your information changes before award and you give the buyer updated details, you also need to update the platform and share it again.
Smaller contracts. Since 1 April 2026, buyers must publish the supplier's unique identifier in the contract details notice for a notifiable below-threshold contract. Notifiable means an estimated value including VAT of at least £12,000 for central government (including NHS bodies) or £30,000 for other public bodies. So if you win one of these, you need to be registered and give the buyer your identifier before it publishes that notice. For this step the GOV.UK guidance lists only basic registration details: name, address, email, Companies House or other registry number, and whether you are an SME or a voluntary, community or social enterprise. You only register once and can reuse your identifier.
The official guidance says there is no hurry to register until you want to bid. In practice, registering before you need it avoids a scramble on deadline day.
What you need before you start
Have these ready:
- a work email address for the person setting up the account;
- a mobile phone or authenticator app for security codes;
- your Companies House number, or an equivalent such as a Charity Commission number (if you have none, for example as a sole trader, the platform generates a unique identifier for you);
- your registered address;
- a shared organisation email that others in your team can access;
- your latest accounts, and details of anyone with significant control over the business.
How to register, step by step
The GOV.UK supplier guide sets out the process:
- Create a GOV.UK One Login with your individual work email, confirm the code sent to you, choose a password and set up how you receive security codes.
- Complete your Central Digital Platform registration by agreeing to the privacy policy and entering your name.
- Register your organisation. From "My account", choose "Register an organisation" and select Supplier. Enter your Companies House number (the name and address then fill in automatically), confirm your SME status if it applies, add a shared email and save.
- Find your unique identifier by viewing your organisation's details.
The person who registers the organisation becomes its administrator. They can add and approve other users, and they enter and amend the organisation's details. If you run more than one company, you can register each separately.
Core supplier information: what you enter
After registering, you complete your core supplier information. The GOV.UK guide lists these sections:
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Basic information | Name, address, registration number, VAT number if you have one, and whether you are an SME, a voluntary, community or social enterprise, or a public service mutual |
| Connected persons | People or organisations with influence or control over your business, such as persons with significant control |
| Qualifications | Relevant qualifications held by the organisation |
| Trade assurances | Relevant trade assurances, such as accreditations |
| Exclusions | Whether any of the mandatory or discretionary exclusion grounds in Schedules 6 and 7 of the Procurement Act 2023 apply to you or your connected persons |
| Financial information | Copies of your accounts for the most recent financial years |
Take care with the exclusions section. The grounds include certain criminal convictions, insolvency and serious breaches of a previous contract. If a ground applies, you can usually explain what has changed since (for example, steps taken so it cannot happen again). Giving inaccurate declarations is itself a problem, so answer accurately and get advice if you are unsure.
The platform holds your general information only. Buyers still ask contract-specific questions, such as experience of similar contracts, in their own tender documents.
Share codes: how you send it to a buyer
When your information is complete, you read and accept a declaration, enter your name, job title, work email and postal address, and select "Confirm and get share code". You then either:
- paste the share code into the buyer's e-tendering portal against the opportunity; or
- download the file and send it as the buyer instructs.
The buyer decides which method it wants. Your information is only shared with buyers you choose to share it with.
If anything changes, such as a new director or new accounts, update your information and generate a new share code. An old share code reflects the information as it was when the code was created.
Wales: the Welsh digital platform
Devolved Welsh public bodies are covered by the Procurement Act 2023, supplemented by the Procurement (Wales) Regulations 2024. They publish notices on the Welsh digital platform, Sell2Wales, which forwards them to the Central Digital Platform.
For suppliers, the Welsh Government's guidance is clear that you still register on the Central Digital Platform to get a unique identifier and provide core supplier information when you tender for a Welsh public contract. Welsh buyers must confirm that you have shared it through the platform when required.
Two Welsh differences matter for smaller contracts. The notifiable below-threshold value for devolved Welsh bodies is £30,000 including VAT, and Welsh buyers may use a pre-qualification stage below threshold if they wish.
Northern Ireland
The Procurement Act 2023 applies in Northern Ireland, so the Central Digital Platform applies too. Many Northern Ireland public bodies run their competitions on eTendersNI. Note that the Act's below-threshold rules do not apply to most Northern Ireland public bodies (known as transferred Northern Ireland authorities).
Scotland: a different system
Devolved Scottish public bodies, such as Scottish councils, health boards, universities and colleges and the Scottish Government, continue to follow Scottish procurement law, mainly the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. They advertise on Public Contracts Scotland, and suppliers usually give their selection information through the Single Procurement Document (Scotland) on that portal.
There are exceptions. When a Scottish body calls off from a UK-wide framework or dynamic market set up under the Procurement Act 2023, the Act's procedures generally apply. UK-wide bodies operating in Scotland are also covered by the Act.
If you cannot access the platform
If the platform is unavailable or you cannot get in near a deadline, contact the buyer straight away. The Act and the Procurement Regulations 2024 allow contingency arrangements.
Frequently asked questions
Is Central Digital Platform registration free?
Yes. Find a Tender is free for suppliers and buyers. The official factsheet says there are no charges and you should not pay to view public sector opportunities.
Do I need to register just to look at tenders?
No. Anyone can view notices on Find a Tender without registering. You need to register and complete your core supplier information when you want to bid, and to be registered if you win a notifiable below-threshold contract.
I am a sole trader with no Companies House number. Can I register?
Yes. If you do not have a Companies House number or another listed registration number, the platform generates a unique identifier for your organisation.
What is a share code?
It is a code the platform generates when you declare your core supplier information is accurate. You give it to a buyer, usually by pasting it into their tender portal, so they can see your information. Generate a new one whenever your details change.
Do I need to register for Scottish tenders?
Not for most. Devolved Scottish public bodies use Public Contracts Scotland and the Single Procurement Document. The exception is where a Scottish body calls off from a framework or dynamic market set up under the Procurement Act 2023.
Once you are registered, put it to use: browse open contracts for your trade, read how to write a tender, or get a free weekly shortlist matched to your firm: get free alerts.
This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Central Digital Platform factsheet (checked 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: suppliers, how to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender (checked 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: how to register your organisation and find your unique identifier (checked 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: new legislative requirements under the Procurement Act 2023 (checked 19 October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Regulations 2024, regulation 6 (checked 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: guidance on below-threshold contracts (checked 19 October 2026)
- Welsh Government: Procurement Act 2023 guidance, Welsh Digital Platform (checked 19 October 2026)
- Welsh Government: Procurement Act 2023 guidance, below-threshold contracts (checked 19 October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: The Procurement (Wales) Regulations 2024 (checked 19 October 2026)
- Scottish Government: SPPN 5/2026, cross-border co-operation within the UK (checked 19 October 2026)
- Supplier Journey (Scottish Government): Single Procurement Document (checked 19 October 2026)