Consultancy and research contracts, open now.

Public bodies buy research, evaluation and advice all year round: needs assessments, programme evaluations, resident and staff surveys, policy research, options appraisals and consultation work. Much of it is commissioned in pieces a small expert firm can deliver, often between £20,000 and £100,000, and most of it can be done from a desk anywhere in the UK, with a few days on site.

In the 90 days to 14 October 2026, about 94 notices a month in this field were plausible for a micro firm (a stated value up to £250,000, or a below-threshold notice with no value), more than any other desk-based field (Bidlark's count of Find a Tender, Contracts Finder and Public Contracts Scotland).

Bidlark sorts these into research and evaluation, management and policy consultancy, engagement and consultation, and economics and finance advice, so a freelance evaluator doesn't wade through strategy framework notices, and a policy consultant isn't sent survey fieldwork. Every notice below is shown with its official title, buyer, value and deadline, and links to the official notice.