Cambridge China Bridge

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT · OFFICIAL OPEN DATA

UK public-sector tenders for China-made goods: what is bought and how to supply it

Understand what public bodies buy before approaching a contract supplier or preparing a bid. These categories can be manufactured in China; the notices do not establish where the awarded goods were made.

Rolling award / contract-signature date window: 2024-10-20 – 2026-10-20
Data pulled:

What UK public bodies buy

Rolling award / contract-signature date window: 2024-10-20 – 2026-10-20
Goods categoryAwardsMedian GBPBuyersSuppliersAwards with GBP valuesBuyer types
PPE and protective clothing240£244,082.00140521223Other: 108 · Local authority: 48 · Central government: 38 · Education: 27 · NHS: 19
Uniforms and workwear120£239,545.9270168105Other: 72 · Local authority: 23 · Education: 10 · Central government: 10 · NHS: 5
Furniture936£136,782.974081,070884Other: 358 · Local authority: 213 · Central government: 151 · Education: 113 · NHS: 101
Lighting371£254,500.00200615338Local authority: 162 · Other: 90 · NHS: 77 · Education: 26 · Central government: 16
Signage125£99,391.7484162113Other: 49 · Local authority: 49 · Education: 14 · Central government: 8 · NHS: 5
School and office supplies508£240,000.00261637486Other: 181 · Local authority: 178 · Education: 65 · Central government: 47 · NHS: 37
Catering equipment79£108,253.455410975Local authority: 27 · NHS: 19 · Education: 15 · Other: 11 · Central government: 7
Cleaning products and equipment170£422,000.0098284155Other: 72 · Local authority: 54 · Education: 20 · NHS: 13 · Central government: 11
Bags36£60,000.00215935Other: 14 · NHS: 10 · Local authority: 8 · Central government: 3 · Education: 1
Sports equipment236£120,000.00140235221Local authority: 127 · Other: 59 · Education: 23 · Central government: 22 · NHS: 5
Electrical distribution and fittings141£90,729.0084194123Other: 57 · Central government: 34 · Local authority: 29 · NHS: 11 · Education: 10
Batteries38£73,965.99246829Other: 25 · NHS: 6 · Local authority: 3 · Education: 2 · Central government: 2
Battery chargers (including EV applications)67£102,676.002010966Other: 45 · Local authority: 11 · NHS: 8 · Central government: 2 · Education: 1
Medical consumables1,022£398,920.001701,1121,006NHS: 675 · Other: 258 · Central government: 49 · Education: 24 · Local authority: 16

Counts cover active awards with matching goods CPV codes and suppliers and a published award or linked contract-signature date in the window, from Contracts Finder and Find a Tender. Medians use published GBP values above zero; missing, zero and non-GBP values are excluded. Category totals are not shown, because framework ceilings and multi-category awards would overstate them. Award and framework values are published estimates or ceilings, not verified expenditure or individual supplier shares. Mixed contracts can include associated works or services; values do not isolate the goods component. Multi-category awards can appear in multiple rows. Distinct supplier counts use normalised published names, excluding missing names, not verified legal identities. This is a category-filtered dataset, not all UK procurement. The award date is used where published; otherwise the earliest published signature date of a contract explicitly linked to that award is used. Pending awards and records without either date are excluded. Where an award value is absent, the published values of explicitly linked contracts are totalled only when every linked value is available in GBP. Tender estimates are never substituted.

Revisions are reconciled by process and award ID. Shared notices and exact buyer/title/date/value/supplier matches are deduplicated across services; differently described duplicates may remain. Buyer types are inferred from published classifications and name keywords; unclassified bodies remain Other. No supplier names are published.

Scope and CPV 2008 codes

The most specific matching CPV root determines the category for each code. 31158100 means Battery chargers: it includes applications beyond EV charging and is not an EV-only market measure. School furniture is grouped with school/office supplies. Protective clothing and workwear overlap in the vocabulary.

  • PPE and protective clothing: 18143000 — Protective gear; 18100000 — Occupational clothing, special workwear and accessories; 35113400 — Protective and safety clothing
  • Uniforms and workwear: 18110000 — Occupational clothing; 18200000 — Outerwear
  • Furniture: 39100000 — Furniture
  • Lighting: 31500000 — Lighting equipment and electric lamps
  • Signage: 34928470 — Signage
  • School and office supplies: 30190000 — Various office equipment and supplies; 39160000 — School furniture
  • Catering equipment: 39310000 — Catering equipment
  • Cleaning products and equipment: 39830000 — Cleaning products; 39800000 — Cleaning and polishing products; 42995000 — Miscellaneous cleaning machines; 39713400 — Floor-maintenance machines
  • Bags: 18930000 — Sacks and bags
  • Sports equipment: 37400000 — Sports goods and equipment
  • Electrical distribution and fittings: 31200000 — Electricity distribution and control apparatus
  • Batteries: 31440000 — Batteries
  • Battery chargers (including EV applications): 31158100 — Battery chargers
  • Medical consumables: 33140000 — Medical consumables
Official CPV 2008 vocabulary
Awards by month
MonthPPE and protective clothingUniforms and workwearFurnitureLightingSignageSchool and office suppliesCatering equipmentCleaning products and equipmentBagsSports equipmentElectrical distribution and fittingsBatteriesBattery chargers (including EV applications)Medical consumables
2026-10341401401042004
2026-0942271049271542140
2026-081364425511291841142
2026-071712541110183911030132
2026-061152814723441612245
2026-0523839160181259510103
2026-044424173168411464125
2026-032376017144012831591355
2026-0252541182124112161043
2026-01463655201911444125
2025-1212349111117173661280
2025-116229147317925101236
2025-1020532214291841742233
2025-09884656418440821059
2025-08642510320420331043
2025-0713620134260340747146
2025-0651247216292442742037
2025-05149432221831018122039
2025-047046102135418101102
2025-03101562453864491814239
2025-02113431563641208121032
2025-0134378121440451212
2024-12614278100601031329
2024-111152975123411831111
2024-1011126010011100110

Open tenders now

Active notices with future submission deadlines when the data was pulled. Status, amendments, eligibility and deadlines can change: always check the official notice and tender documents before acting. Values shown are GBP where published.

Sourcing from China for a public contract

  1. Start with the specification

    Turn the tender into a written product and evidence checklist: materials, dimensions, performance standards, test reports, labelling, packaging, warranty and delivery acceptance. Confirm any proposed equivalent with the buyer through the tender's clarification process. A factory catalogue or a CPV match does not demonstrate compliance.

  2. Check the product's marking regime

    UKCA or CE requirements depend on the product and destination. Great Britain continues to recognise CE marking for a range of product regulations; Northern Ireland has different arrangements. Medical devices have separate MHRA rules. Confirm the applicable legislation, conformity assessment, technical documentation and importer responsibilities before ordering.

    GOV.UK: placing manufactured goods on the GB market

  3. Read the procurement rules and eligibility

    The Procurement Act 2023 regime commenced on 24 February 2025. Earlier procurements and frameworks can continue under previous rules; Scotland has a separate regime. Follow the notice's stated rules, supplier registration, exclusion checks, financial requirements and evaluation criteria. Sourcing in China does not guarantee eligibility or a contract award.

    GOV.UK: information and guidance for suppliers

  4. Make social-value commitments deliverable

    Use the tender's actual scoring criteria and evidence requirements. PPN 002 sets a Social Value Model for in-scope central government procurement; do not assume every public buyer uses the same model. Cost commitments into the bid and agree who will measure delivery.

    GOV.UK: PPN 002 social value

  5. Document modern-slavery risks

    Map the supply chain and check labour risks, subcontracting and traceability. The statutory annual statement duty applies to qualifying commercial organisations carrying on business in the UK with turnover of £36 million or more. Smaller bidders may still face tender-specific evidence requests. Do not substitute an unsupported factory declaration for due diligence.

    GOV.UK: modern slavery in government supply chains

  6. Approve samples, then control production

    Agree a signed reference sample, test plan, inspection criteria and remedies before production. Check that test reports identify the actual model and materials. Use pre-shipment inspection to check the agreed scope; it cannot guarantee every unit or replace required conformity assessment.

  7. Plan delivery and stock

    Work backwards from the contractual delivery date: samples, testing, production, inspection, freight, customs and UK distribution. Confirm Incoterms, duty and import VAT, storage, stock replenishment, spares and failure contingencies. Avoid bidding a delivery promise before the supply plan is evidenced.

GOV.UK: medical device rules

Sources and licence

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (Contracts Finder, Find a Tender)

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