How long do MOD tenders stay open?
Last reviewed against official sources:
For an above-threshold contract tendered under the Procurement Act 2023, the minimum tendering period is normally 25 days, provided tenders can be submitted electronically and all the tender documents are available from the start. Different minimums apply in some cases, and below-threshold tenders have no fixed minimum.
In our data, open-procedure tenders of that kind from the MOD and its agencies (90 with deadlines that have passed) allowed a median of 32 days between the tender notice appearing on Find a Tender and the submission deadline. Half allowed between 28 and 41 days.
The legal minimum tendering periods
Section 54 of the Procurement Act 2023 sets minimum tendering periods for competitive tendering procedures above the thresholds. The period starts the day after the buyer invites tenders and ends on the day tenders must be submitted.
| Situation | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Electronic submission, all tender documents available from the start | 25 days |
| Electronic submission but documents not all available at the start, or documents all available but submission not electronic | 30 days |
| Neither electronic submission nor all documents available at the start | 35 days |
| After a qualifying planned procurement notice (UK3), in a state of urgency, or for a contract under a dynamic market | 10 days |
- Light-touch contracts have no minimum tendering period, and utilities and some non-central buyers have their own rules. Section 54
- Below-threshold tenders have no fixed minimum, but the buyer must allow a reasonable time that is the same for every supplier. Section 87, guidance
- Procurements started before 24 February 2025 follow the previous regulations’ time limits.
What our data shows
| Group | Tenders | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOD and its agencies | 90 | 32 days | 28–41 days |
| All comparable UK defence tenders in our dataset | 129 | 32 days | 28–46 days |
| Group | Tenders | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Defence (department, commands and units) | 67 | 32 days | 27–38 days |
| Other defence and security buyers | 39 | 34 days | 31–75 days |
| Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) | 10 | 44 days | 38–55 days |
“Middle half” is the range from the 25th to the 75th percentile. We only show a group with at least 10 tenders; 3 smaller buyer groups are not shown.
What these figures measure
- The time from the first publication of the tender notice on Find a Tender to the latest submission deadline published in the versions of that notice we hold. Extensions published on Find a Tender are included. Changes communicated only through the buyer’s e-tendering system, such as the Defence Sourcing Portal, are not. The period is measured in elapsed days, so it can differ by a day from the statutory count.
- Only tenders run under the Procurement Act 2023, above the threshold and by the open procedure, where the notice deadline is the deadline for tenders. Multi-stage procedures are left out because their first deadline is often for expressions of interest or requests to participate. Below-threshold procurements and those under the previous regulations are also left out, because different rules apply.
- UK defence procurements published on Find a Tender and classified as defence by DefenceLens (see our methodology), each counted once however many notices it produced. “MOD and its agencies” means buyers named Ministry of Defence plus DE&S, Dstl, DIO, AWE, the Submarine Delivery Agency and Defence Digital.
- Tender notices first published between 18 March 2025 and 21 September 2026: 129 included out of 1500 defence procurements with a tender stage. Not included: 1153 other procedures, below-threshold or pre-Act; 23 still open; 34 cancelled; 161 first published before our data begins; 0 with no published deadline; 0 with an implausible period.
- This describes past tenders in our dataset, not a forecast for any individual tender. Always use the deadline in the official notice.
Figures computed 25 October 2026 at 11:48 GMT. Find a Tender data last refreshed 25 October 2026 at 11:22 GMT.
What happens after the deadline
- The buyer evaluates tenders. Many tender notices give an expected award date, but it is a plan, not a commitment.
- Before entering into the contract, the buyer usually publishes a contract award notice (UK6), which starts an eight-working-day standstill period. There is no mandatory standstill for some awards, including call-offs under frameworks and dynamic markets and light-touch contracts, and call-offs under a defence and security framework do not need a contract award notice at all. Section 51, section 50
- After signing, a contract details notice (UK7) follows, within 30 days for above-threshold contracts. Find a Tender
How to use this when planning a bid
- Start before the tender. Pipeline (UK1), engagement (UK2) and planned procurement (UK3) notices give warning. A qualifying UK3 can cut the tender period to 10 days, so if you only notice the tender, you may have very little time.
- Check the deadline time, and recheck it. Deadlines can change after publication. See how to read a contract notice.
- Prepare the slow items early. Supplier registration, cyber certification and security clearance can take longer than the tender period itself. See how to bid for MOD contracts.
Sources
Official guidance changes. Check the source before relying on a rule for a live bid.
- Procurement Act 2023, section 54 (time limits) — in force 24 Feb 2025
- Procurement Act 2023, section 87 (below-threshold notices and time limits)
- Procurement Act 2023, sections 50 and 51 (award notices and standstill)
- Guidance: Time periods (GOV.UK) — updated 17 Aug 2026
- Guidance: Below-threshold contracts (GOV.UK) — updated 13 Jul 2026
- Notice types and sequences (Find a Tender) — checked 2 Oct 2026
- Find a Tender OCDS release API (source of the notice data)
DefenceLens is an independent commercial service. It is not part of, or endorsed by, the Ministry of Defence or any UK government body. This guide is general information about public procurement, not legal advice.