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
Recruitment of User Research Participants
- Awarded contract
Tooling for UCD
- Awarded contract
Development of Digital Elections Services
- Closed tenderPublished 9 March 2026
Occupational maps-RM1043.8-1-Department For Education-closed
- Expired contract
ESC Design Code
- Stale Pre-tenderPublished 4 March 2026
Expression of Interest for a Macmillan Cancer Support Innovation project
- Closed tenderPublished 4 March 2026
Explore education statistics platform support
- Awarded contract
Provision of Gift Vouchers
- Awarded contract
Creative Economy Consultancy Services in the Western Balkan
- Expired contract
Travel for All User Research
- Awarded contract
Website Development - Genomics England Limited (GEL-TR-25068)
- Closed tenderPublished 17 February 2026
Website Development - Genomics England Limited (GEL-TR-25068)
- Closed tenderPublished 6 February 2026
UK_937- Web Accessibility Audit Services
- Expired contract
Digital Outcomes 6
- Awarded contract
Proof of Concept Development Services
- Expired contract
Centre of Expertise SharePoint UR Services
- Awarded contract
RDE1019 - Designing research exploring associations between tranquil spaces and
- Awarded contract
Discovery Phase: Service Design for Embedding Positive Cultures in Care Settings across Wales
- Awarded contract
Discovery Phase: User Research to Inform Multi-Disciplinary Support Offer for Local Authorities
- Stale Pre-tenderPublished 21 January 2026
Provision of Development and Delivery of Feasibility Test for Online Collection of Crime Statistics
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, 0 notices were added in the last seven days and 2,171 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, 0 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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