Can non-UK companies bid for UK government and public sector contracts?
Yes! There are exceptions – including which country the bidding company is registered in and the nature of the contract (including the sector and its value).
The UK’s approach is determined through relevant UK procurement law – including the Procurement Act 2023 – and it’s membership of the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) as well as some specific trade agreements between the UK and other countries.
In which countries are registered companies able to bid?
The more correct way to ask this question is: ‘which countries have the legal right to non-discriminatory and equal treatment access to UK public contracts?’.
Members of the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) as well as EU member states and EEA members via the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) have the right to bid on non-discriminatory terms.
Other agreements – including the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) – provide access to UK government procurement opportunities for member countries. In the case of the CPTPP, those opportunities are restricted to companies in countries who have ratified UK’s access to the CPTPP. Those countries are listed at the end of this blog post.
Some UK government contracts are open to companies who are registered in countries other than GPA members and other agreements. These are determined on a case-by-case basis and details can be found in the relevant procurement documentation.
Common to the agreements – including the GPA, UK-EU TCA and other agreements – are the threshold contract values which determine whether non-UK companies can bid for UK public sector opportunities. We’ll discuss those next.
GPA Thresholds
Contracts must be over specified thresholds in order for other countries to have the right to bid (on equal terms) as UK companies. These thresholds are expressed in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) which are Special Drawing Rights. I’ve included the pound sterling equivalent value below (and these are correct as of October 2025).
SDRs are an International Monetary Fund asset that holders can exchange for currency as needed.
Body | Type | Threshold SDR | Threshold GBP equivalent (as of October 2025) |
Central Government body (e.g. Ministry of Defence, Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service, Cabinet Office etc). | Goods and Services | 130,000 | £132,000 |
Central Government body (e.g. Ministry of Defence, Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service, Cabinet Office etc). | Construction services | 5,000,000 | £5,100,000 |
Sub-central government entities (e.g. local authorities, clinical commissioning groups, universities and colleges | Goods and Services | 200,000 | £203,000 |
Sub-central government entities (e.g. local authorities, clinical commissioning groups, universities and colleges | Construction services | 5,000,000 | £5,100,000 |
TCA thresholds
Body | Type | Threshold SDR | Threshold GBP equivalent (as of October 2025) |
All | Goods and services | 400,000 | £406,000 |
All | Construction services | 5,000,000 | £5,100,000 |
Note there are some exceptions to the TCA thresholds described above e.g. ‘public economic interest’ services.
Restrictions and exclusions
In addition to the thresholds (set out above) there are some other restrictions on non-UK companies bidding for UK public sector contracts including on the basis of protecting national security.
The accompanying procurement documentation will set out any limitations and restrictions specific to that procurement exercise.
A number of exclusionary grounds apply to both UK and non-UK companies which would result in submitted tenders being disregarded including where necessary for the protection of the public, public funds, and ensuring the reliability of delivery of public services.
Whilst it’s important to be mindful of these restrictions and exclusions, this should not put you off thinking about how UK public sector contracts can help boost your profitability and growth.
Have non-UK companies successfully bid for UK public sector contracts?
Non-UK companies have been, and continue to be, successful in securing UK public sector contracts across a range of sectors including facilities management, data, technology, healthcare and consultancy.
In 2023, 16% of government spending was with non-UK suppliers with France, Germany and US leading the charge.
Atos – based in France – won a £150m contract to provide helpdesk services to DEFRA – a UK Central Government body – in March 2025.
Sopra Steria – also based in France – won two UK public sector contracts worth £369m in 2023.
Smaller contracts, including those supporting UK government interests overseas, have also been won by non-UK providers. In 2025, EFS – headquartered in Dubai, UAE – won a contract to provide integrated facilities management services to the UK Embassies in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
It is clear that UK public procurement is accessible and winnable for overseas firms
Summary
The UK public sector is open for business to foreign, non-UK companies. At Tender Support UK, we want to support greater access to public sector contracting opportunities for UK and non-UK companies and enrich the quality and diversity of provision. We can help you take those next steps and secure UK public and government contracts.
Contact us here and find out how we can help you.
You can find out more about what we’ve discussed in the following section (‘Further information’).
Further information
Further information about the WTO GPA can be found here.
Full terms of the UK-EU TCA can be found here.
The UK Procurement Act 2023 can be found here.
Note that, as of October 2025, GPA members are: Armenia, Australia, Canada, the European Union (and its 27 member states), Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
CPTPP members who have ratified UK’s accession to the CPTPP (as of October 2025) include: Japan, Singapore, Chile, New Zealand, Vietnam, Peru, Malaysia, Brunei and Australia.
