Researcher Tenders
See open user research tenders and awarded contracts for the UK public sector.
User research reaches the market two ways: as a standalone commission for research, usability testing or participant recruitment, and as a named workstream inside a larger digital delivery contract. Stotles tracks 4,691 notices on this topic, 1,959 of them awarded and 76 sitting at pre-tender.
Departments, councils, NHS bodies and public broadcasters all buy it, usually to meet the GDS service standard. Volume is thin: expect a couple of notices a week, so the awarded records are where the pattern shows.
4,672 results
- Awarded contract
Provision of IBM SPSS Licences and Support
- Awarded contract
Award of SPPD Provision of 1x User Researcher
- Closed tenderPublished 23 January 2025
User Research and User Interface Support for SW Website
- Expired contract
Project 18234 - HMICFRS Workforce survey design research
- Awarded contract
UKEB website redevelopment project (Phase 2 - Alpha, Beta, Live)
- Awarded contract
Award of Provision of Digital User Research for the Water Classification and Water Environment Hubs
- Expired contract
Project 18234 - HMICFRS Workforce survey design research
- Awarded contract
BT186 - RM1557.14 - User Research Tool
- Awarded contract
DDaT23599 - User Research Participants
- Expired contract
Project 18234 - HMICFRS Workforce survey design research
- Awarded contract
Award of 1 x Product Lead
- Closed tenderPublished 14 January 2025
IT3164C - RFT for the Provision of App Design, Development and Support for Trinity College Dublin
- Awarded contract
IT3164C - RFT for the Provision of App Design, Development and Support for Trinity College Dublin
- Closed tenderPublished 6 January 2025
RM1043.8-1-DCMS - 104321 STL Registration Scheme: Beta Phase
- Expired contract
Talk to FRANK Website Development
- Awarded contract
Civil Service Careers Development Partner
- Awarded contract
UKHO - User Experience Research 2025
- Awarded contract
Award of 1x Senior User Researcher
- Closed tenderPublished 16 December 2024
UKHO - User Experience Research 2025
- Awarded contract
CMA Market and Behavioural Research Suppliers Arrangement for Research Lot 6 (User Experience Research) only
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about user research, usability testing, design research, user insight, user experience research, ux research, research participant recruitment in the UK public sector.
How do I find user research contracts in the UK public sector?
Two routes. Watch the portals for live notices, or get in earlier by following the buyers who keep commissioning this work. Stotles pulls notices from 100+ portals into one feed, so a research brief published on a Welsh or Scottish portal sits next to a Find a Tender notice. Platform-wide, 2 notices were added in the last seven days and 2,145 are open across every topic.
What sort of user research work do public sector buyers tender for?
Four recognisable shapes in the recent sample: participant recruitment agencies, usability testing on a service being rebuilt, research and design people supplied into a multidisciplinary team, and licences for a user research platform. Recruitment is the most self-contained of them, and the one most often let as a contract of its own.
What CPV codes are used for user research tenders?
There is no dedicated code, which is why this page filters on keywords rather than classifications. The three that come up most alongside the filter are 73110000 (Research services) with 125 matching notices, 79315000 (Social research services) with 43, and 72000000 (IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support) with 257. That last one is the tell: plenty of this work is procured as digital delivery rather than as research.
How many user research tenders are open right now?
Six, against 4,691 notices on record and 1,959 already awarded. That is the honest shape of the topic: a small live pipeline and a long award history. Read the awarded notices anyway. They carry the buyer, the incumbent and the contract dates you would need to time a bid for the retender. Platform-wide, 2 award notices were published in the last seven days.
Is user research bought through frameworks?
Often. The recent sample includes call-offs under the Crown Commercial Service RM6126 Research & Insights agreement and briefs run through the Digital Outcomes route, alongside notices published straight to a portal. Stotles' 2026 Supplier Benchmark Report found 44% of suppliers treat frameworks as their main route to market, so check which agreements a buyer already holds before chasing an open notice.
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