Awarded 18 August 2026
GPR surveys at Stansfield Road and Wheldale Farm
Wakefield Council · Yorkshire and the Humber
Commercial archaeology tenders and contracts
UK public sector, covering 600+ buyer sites
51 contracts awarded in the 24 months to 12 October 2026
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Updated 12 October 2026 · compiled by BidSkim Limited · How we count
Commercial archaeology contracts ,
51 contracts across the UK, of any size
Recently awarded
The latest commercial archaeology contracts awarded
Awarded 14 August 2026
Archaeological investigation works
Bracknell Forest Council · South East
Awarded 14 August 2026
Flag Fen Western Causeway Archaeological Investigation
Peterborough City Council · East of England
Awarded 30 July 2026
Project K: Creating SHINE data for Low Sensitivity Areas in England - Hertfordshire
Forestry England · South West
Awarded 30 July 2026
Project K: Creating SHINE data for Low Sensitivity Areas in England - Gloucestershire
Forestry England · South West
Who wins · 24 months to October 2026
MSDS Marine won the most commercial archaeology contracts
Perfect Circle won the most by value. Each dot is one contract, coloured by who bought it.
CouncilsHousing associationsNHS and healthSchools and collegesOther public bodies
| Rank | Contractor | Contracts won, by buyer | Contracts | Value won | Buyers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MSDS Marine South West · SME · See every contract | 5 | £519k | 3 | ||
| 2 | COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGY LIMITED South West · See every contract | 4 | £299k | 3 | ||
| 3joint | Perfect Circle West Midlands · See every contract | 2 | £5m | 2 | ||
| 3joint | AOC Archaeology Yorkshire and the Humber · SME · See every contract | 2 | £438k | 2 | ||
| 3joint | University of Cambridge East of England · See every contract | 2 | £376k | 2 | ||
| 3joint | Stephen Sherlock Services Ltd South East · See every contract | 2 | £360k | 1 | ||
| 3joint | HCUK Group Ltd South East · See every contract | 2 | £303k | 2 | ||
| 3joint | Wessex Archaeology North East · See every contract | 2 | £44k | 2 | ||
| 3joint | Mott MacDonald London · See every contract | 2 | Not published | 2 | ||
| 10joint | Lincolnshire County Council East Midlands · See every contract | 1 | £733k | 1 |
26 more commercial archaeology contractors ranked. See the full ranking →
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Who buys
39 buyers awarded commercial archaeology contracts
Contracts with a published value in the last 24 months, from the type of buyer to the size of the contract.
5 buyers bought commercial archaeology more than once in the last 24 months
Each dot is a buyer, by how many commercial archaeology contracts it awarded in the last 24 months.
See who they are and when they usually buy →
Few and big, or many and small
Each dot is a buyer: how many commercial archaeology contracts it awarded against what they were worth. The busiest and biggest are named.
CouncilsHousing associationsNHS and healthSchools and collegesOther public bodies
Top buyers by contracts awarded
| Rank | Buyer | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Historic England | 8 | £420k |
| 2 | Forestry England | 3 | £124k |
| 3 | East West Rail | 2 | £360k |
| 4 | Historic Environment Scotland | 2 | £76k |
| 5 | West Midlands Combined Authority | 2 | £55k |
| 6 | Division | 1 | £5m |
| 7 | East Lindsey District Council | 1 | £733k |
| 8 | Peterborough City Council | 1 | £696k |
| 9 | Highways England | 1 | £497k |
| 10 | City of York Council | 1 | £400k |
Prices
Half of commercial archaeology contracts are worth less than £57k
Every contract with a published value, on a log scale, coloured by who bought it.
CouncilsHousing associationsNHS and healthSchools and collegesOther public bodies
The 10 biggest contracts hold 80% of the money
Coloured by who bought it.
- DivisionPerfect Circle · 9 Jul 2025
- East Lindsey District CouncilLincolnshire County Council · 16 Sep 2025
- Peterborough City CouncilCambridge Archaeological Unit, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge · 14 Aug 2026
- Highways EnglandArchaeological Management Solutions · 10 Nov 2025
- City of York CouncilAOC Archaeology · 28 Nov 2024
- The Crown EstateUniversity of Cambridge · 12 Aug 2025
- Bath & North East Somerset CouncilSouth West Heritage Trust · 22 Apr 2026
- Medway CouncilHCUK Group Ltd · 16 Dec 2024
- Historic EnglandMSDS Marine · 25 Feb 2025
- Archaeological Services in relation to Marine Protection 2025-2027 (NP225)MSDS Marine · 12 Mar 2025
Where and when
The South West awards the most commercial archaeology contracts. November and July are the busiest months.
Contracts by region and by month awarded. Click a region to filter the page.
FewerMore contracts
See the regions as a table
| Region | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|
| South West | 11 | £984k |
| South East | 6 | £751k |
| East of England | 5 | £941k |
| North East | 4 | £301k |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 3 | £492k |
| East Midlands | 3 | £784k |
| West Midlands | 3 | £5.1m |
| Scotland | 3 | £148k |
| North West | 1 | £81k |
| London | 1 | Not published |
| Wales | 1 | £33k |
| Northern Ireland | 0 | Not published |
Often bought with commercial archaeology
Related services
Deadlines
Half of commercial archaeology tenders close within 29 days of being published
Each dot is a commercial archaeology tender published across the UK in the last 24 months, by how many days it was open. 67% closed within a month. Spot one a week late and 24% of the time to respond has gone.
Hear about new commercial archaeology tenders the moment they're published →
Key findings
- 29 days
is how long the typical commercial archaeology tender is open, from publication to deadline.
Median of 30 UK commercial archaeology tenders published in the last 24 months. - 1
new commercial archaeology tenders are published across the UK in a typical month.
31 in the last 24 months. - 80%
of the money is in the 10 biggest commercial archaeology contracts.
Of 45 contracts with a published value. - 32%
of commercial archaeology contracts are won by SMEs.
As recorded by the buyer, on 44 award notices. - 29%
of commercial archaeology contracts are awarded in November and July.
15 of 51 contracts.
Questions
How many commercial archaeology contracts does the UK public sector award?
51 in the 24 months to 12 October 2026, from 39 public buyers.
How long are commercial archaeology tenders open for?
The median commercial archaeology tender is open for 29 days from publication to deadline.
How much is a typical public sector commercial archaeology contract worth?
The median is £57k, and 82% are worth less than £250k.
Who wins the most public sector commercial archaeology contracts?
MSDS Marine won the most (5). Perfect Circle won the most by value (£5m).
What is included
Archaeological assessment, walkover and measured survey, condition assessment, mitigation and advice, including work to discharge planning conditions.
- Archaeological walkover and measured surveys
- Condition assessments of scheduled monuments
- Assessment and mitigation for planning conditions
- Archaeology lots in consultancy frameworks
What is not included
- Heritage planning advice (csl.plan.heritage-consultancy)
- Ground investigation fieldwork (another industry: construction-trades)