Contract Finder lets users search for contracts with the UK Government and its agencies, in England, worth over £10,000.
To filter by Common Procurement Vocabularly (CPV), the user can add CPV codes by tapping “Add CPV Codes” in the search screen. One or more CPV codes can then be selected from the list. A single CPV code can be added by tapping; a tick will appear to show that the code is selected. Groups of CPV codes can be selected by long-pressing the group; the group and all its members will be added. CPV codes can be searched by tapping the “Search CPV” button in the search screen. The user can then enter a search term and select from the matching CPVs. The “Clear All” button will deselect all CPV’s.
Matched contracts can be ordered by name, and by date ascending and descending. The matched contracts can be further refined by searching for key words, by tapping the search icon (magnifying glass) to display the keyword search screen. Tapping a contract will display its details.
Searches can be refined by the to and from date, by stage, by type, and by Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV). Stages include planning, tender, award and implementation. Types include suitable for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) or Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCO). The user can search for specific CPV codes by selecting one or more CPV’s from the list (for example, searching for contracts for agricultural machinery, or medical instruments.) An onboarding message will be displayed when Contract Finder is first installed, or when a new release is installed. It can also be displayed at any time by long-pressing in the initial search screen.
Tapping a contract in the contract’s list will show the contract’s details. This includes the description, date, status etc. The user can also click the “GOV.UK” link to the contract on GOV.UK. The user can swipe left and right to view the next and previous contracts. Tapping the “Contract item” will display CPV code definition. The buyer’s details can be shown by tapping the “Buyer” button. The contract can be saved by tapping “Save” and its details emailed. (A default email can be set up in Settings.)
The buyer’s details can be displayed by tapping the “Buyer” button in the contract details screen. The buyer’s address and contact details as displayed (where available.) Optionally, the contact details can be added to the user’s contacts by tapping “Add Contact”. The user can also email or telephone the buyer from this screen by tapping the appropriate field. Tapping the buyer’s address will show the location map and this is dismissed by tapping anywhere.
Contracts can be saved by tapping the “Save” button in the contract details screen. This will add the contract to the list of saved contracts. The saved contracts are then displayed as a list. Saved contracts are retained until the user deletes them. If contracts have been saved, then these can be displayed by tapping the “Saved” button in the initial search screen. (If there are no saved contracts, then the “Saved” button is not displayed.) Saved contracts can be deleted from the saved contracts list simply by swiping left. All the csaved contracts can be rmoved by tapping the “Clear All” button. The contracts can be emailed using the “Email All” button. The user can cancel the emails by cancelling one; all subsequent emails will be discarded. (If email is not enabled on the device, then the button is disabled.)
The settings page is displayed by clicking the settings icon (cog) on the initial search screen. Here the user can specify if and when Contract Finder should remind the user to search. The user can also specify a default email address to which contracts can be emails.
Contract Finder can be downloaded from the App Store here:
Version 2.
This is a free version that allows the user five free daily searches. For more than five searches a day, please upgrade to the premium version. For existing paid users, the app should upgrade automatically, however, if it does not, then please contact us at enquiries@calandralark.com and we will assist.
Version 2 allows the user to determine if the app updates the “from” date to be the date of the last search, or whether this remains the same until the user resets it. See the configuration window for details.