Central Digital Platform (CDP)
Quick answer
The Central Digital Platform (CDP) is the UK government's mandatory digital system for Procurement Act 2023 notices and procurement records. Buyers publish to the CDP; suppliers discover opportunities through Find a Tender and Contracts Finder.
Last updated: 18 May 2026
What is the Central Digital Platform?
The Central Digital Platform is the infrastructure layer behind the UK's post-2025 transparency regime. Where OJEU and fragmented portals once split the market, the Act expects a single publication route for regulated notices, linked contract data, and (over time) richer supplier and performance information.
For suppliers, the practical question is not "how do I log into the CDP?" but where notices appear and what data you must keep accurate when buyers reference CDP records in tender documents.
How does the CDP work under the Procurement Act 2023?
Publication hub for notice types
Contracting authorities publish the Act's notice types to the CDP, including:
- Pipeline Notices and Planned Procurement Notices (forward visibility)
- Tender Notices (live competitions)
- Contract Award Notices, Contract Details Notices, and performance/change notices (transparency after award)
Each notice type has statutory content requirements. The CDP enforces structured fields so data can be searched, compared, and (in principle) analysed at scale.
Find a Tender and Contracts Finder as front doors
Most suppliers never visit a "CDP homepage". They use:
- Find a Tender (FTS) for above-threshold opportunities and many regulated notices
- Contracts Finder for sub-threshold and legacy publication routes, with increasing CDP alignment over time
Think of the CDP as the database and FTS/Contracts Finder as the search interfaces.
Supplier information and debarment
The Act links procurement integrity to central data: exclusion grounds, debarment, and conflicts of interest connect to how buyers assess conditions of participation. The debarment list and related checks are part of the wider CDP ecosystem described in government guidance.
Keep corporate details (registered address, Companies House data, certifications) consistent across bids. Mismatches between your accounts and official records create avoidable disqualification risk.
Key dates: go-live and below-threshold expansion
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 24 February 2025 | Procurement Act 2023 regime live; above-threshold notices on CDP/FTS |
| 1 April 2026 | Extended below-threshold notice obligations on the CDP (plan monitoring if you sell to local government and smaller buyers) |
If you only tracked FTS for central government IT tenders, expand monitoring in 2026. Below-threshold spend is large in aggregate and often less competitive.
CDP vs OJEU / old portals — what changed?
Before Brexit transition, high-value UK notices went to OJEU/TED. OJEU is legacy. UK above-threshold publication is now CDP-backed and surfaced on FTS.
Scotland remains separate: Public Contracts Scotland, not the CDP, for Scottish regulated procurements. Wales and Northern Ireland have their own portals for devolved buyers.
What does this mean for suppliers?
Discovery workflow
- Set alerts on FTS and Contracts Finder (or use TenderLedger to unify search, CPV filters, and buyer tracking).
- Read Pipeline and Planned notices for 6–12 month lead time.
- When a Tender Notice lands, download the full notice pack from the linked URL; do not bid from the summary alone.
Data hygiene
- Align company numbers, VAT, insurance, and certification dates with what you will submit under the PSQ.
- After award, expect contract details and KPI transparency on larger contracts (mandatory KPIs).
Commercial intelligence
Award and performance notices on the CDP feed competitor analysis: incumbents, re-tender timing, and spend patterns. Pair CDP monitoring with buyer intelligence on your target accounts.
Common questions about the CDP
Do I submit my tender on the CDP?
Usually no. The CDP publishes notices and records. Submission methods are set in the tender documents (buyer portal, email, third-party e-sourcing). Always follow the ITT instructions.
How is the CDP different from the Digital Marketplace?
The Digital Marketplace is a commercial route to call off from frameworks like G-Cloud. The CDP is the statutory notice store for regulated procurements under the Act.
Will below-threshold contracts appear on the CDP after April 2026?
More will, as buyers face new publication duties. Monitor Contracts Finder and FTS together, and track buyer-specific pipeline notices where published.
Where do I find CDP notices in practice?
Start at find-tender.service.gov.uk for above-threshold work, and contractsfinder.service.gov.uk for sub-threshold and awards. TenderLedger indexes both for search and alerts.