About this API
Contracts Finder is a public register run by the UK government where public-sector bodies publish procurement opportunities and details of the contracts they have awarded. The OCDS API exposes this data programmatically in the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS 1.1) — the same open format used by procurement registers in many countries, so data from different sources can be processed the same way. The search endpoint /Published/Notices/OCDS/Search returns an OCDS release package, optionally narrowed by publication date, with paginated results; individual notices and OCDS records are fetched through separate paths by identifier. The data is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0, allowing free reuse with attribution.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an API key?
No. The OCDS endpoint is open — a plain GET request works, with no key, registration or sign-in.
What data does this API return?
Public-sector procurement notices and awarded-contract details for the UK, returned as releases in the OCDS 1.1 standard. Results can be filtered by publication date, among other criteria, and are paginated.
Can this API be called directly from a browser?
No. The endpoint returns data but sends no CORS header (Access-Control-Allow-Origin), so a browser blocks cross-origin requests from front-end code. Call it from your server instead — that is why this entry has no live Try it button.
Who runs this API?
The UK government — the Contracts Finder service run by the Cabinet Office. The API documentation is at contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/apidocumentation.