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I am a buyer

Public Buyers

How Do I Find Which Suppliers Are Active in My Industry?

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Finding the right suppliers is one of the most important parts of public procurement - yet it’s also one of the hardest. Markets evolve, suppliers change their offerings, and new entrants emerge every year. 

For public buyers who must ensure competition, transparency, and value for money, understanding which suppliers are active in your industry is essential.

But relying on old supplier lists, outdated directories, or whoever responds to your tenders isn’t enough.

To run fair, competitive, and high-quality procurements, you need a clear, up-to-date view of:

  • Who is delivering similar contracts in your region

  • Which suppliers specialise in your category

  • New entrants or innovative SMEs

  • Framework suppliers you can call off

  • Suppliers active in DPSs or mini-competitions

  • Which companies show consistent performance

This guide shows you the most effective ways to identify active, capable suppliers - and how to build a stronger, more competitive supplier ecosystem for your organisation.

 

Use Tender and Contract Databases to See Who Is Winning Work

One of the best signals of whether a supplier is active is whether they are winning public contracts right now.

Tenders and contract award databases let you see:

  • Who recently won similar tenders

  • Typical contract values

  • Awarding authorities

  • Frequency of wins

  • Supplier specialties

Examples include:

Looking at recent awards gives you a real-world map of who is active in your sector - and avoids relying on outdated supplier assumptions.

Tip: Filter by CPV code, region, and contract type to get the most relevant insight.

Analyse Past Framework and DPS Participants

Framework agreements and Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPSs) are excellent visibility tools. Suppliers that join these structures are signaling:

  • They are currently active

  • They meet qualification criteria

  • They intend to deliver work in your market

  • They have the required capacity, policies, and certifications

For buyers, reviewing framework and DPS participant lists is a low-effort way to understand the supplier landscape.

You can identify:

  • Established suppliers

  • Fast-growing new entrants

  • Niche specialists

  • Regional vs. national players

Many buyers use this insight to shape market engagement, refine lots, or expand competition before launching a new tender.'

 

Conduct Market Engagement (Soft Market Testing)

Direct engagement with the market remains one of the strongest tools in procurement.


Before writing your specifications, run a soft market test to understand:

  • Who is active

  • What capabilities exist

  • Market innovations

  • Preferred delivery models

  • Barriers to entry for SMEs

 

Approaches include:

  • Prior Information Notices (PINs)

  • Request for Information (RFI)

  • Supplier market days

  • One-to-one informational meetings (fully documented)

  • Online questionnaires

Market engagement not only identifies active suppliers - it also improves specification quality and competition.

Tip: Use early engagement to test whether your requirements are too narrow and unintentionally excluding suppliers.

 

Explore Category-Specific Industry Associations

Most industries have associations or federations representing suppliers - especially in construction, IT, facilities management, healthcare, engineering, and consultancy.

These bodies can help you:

  • Identify qualified or certified suppliers

  • Understand market standards

  • Access supplier registries

  • Reach SMEs and specialist providers

This is especially useful in highly regulated sectors (e.g., healthcare equipment, energy systems, fire safety) where membership often signals competency.

 

Review Supplier Performance Data

Finding active suppliers is only half the task. 

Finding capable suppliers is what really matters.

Use performance and historical data to understand:

  • Delivery quality

  • Responsiveness

  • On-time performance

  • Dispute history

  • Past contract outcomes

This avoids relying solely on marketing claims or outdated internal lists.

Some countries provide public contract performance registers - but many buyers now use tools like Mercell to consolidate and track performance data across frameworks and call-offs.

 

Look at Who Attends Industry Events and Webinars

Suppliers who consistently show up in industry spaces are usually active and engaged.


Examples include:

  • Sector trade events

  • Procurement conferences

  • Digital transformation webinars

  • Market engagement sessions

  • Supplier days

  • Local business expos

 

Tracking attendance helps identify:

  • Up-and-coming SMEs

  • Innovators

  • Suppliers expanding into your region

  • New competitors in established sectors

Event participation often signals market confidence and investment.

 

Use Technology Platforms That Aggregate Supplier Activity

Supplier activity is no longer limited to tenders and contracts. Digital procurement platforms now show much richer signals, such as:

  • Who is bidding frequently

  • Who responds to market engagement

  • Who joins frameworks and DPSs

  • Which suppliers are compliant and up-to-date

  • Who delivers across multiple regions

 

Mercell, for example, consolidates supplier data across the Nordics and Europe, giving buyers deep insight into:

  • Active suppliers in each CPV category

  • Cross-border suppliers operating in multiple markets

  • Supplier engagement patterns

  • Performance across mini-competitions

  • Compliance readiness

 

This level of visibility helps buyers broaden competition and discover suppliers they may never have encountered through traditional methods.

 

Look Beyond Your Usual Supplier Pool

One of the biggest risks in public procurement is over-reliance on a narrow group of familiar suppliers.

To expand competition and support policy goals (like SME participation), buyers should intentionally look for:

  • New SMEs with relevant capability

  • Local suppliers in adjacent industries

  • Startups offering digital innovations

  • Suppliers from neighboring regions

  • Companies who won below-threshold contracts

 

Fresh entrants often bring:

  • Better pricing

  • Innovation

  • Flexibility

  • New delivery models

A broader supplier base means stronger competition - and better outcomes.

 

How Mercell Helps You Identify Active, Capable Suppliers

Mercell gives public buyers a complete view of supplier activity across countries, sectors, and contract types.

With Mercell, buyers can:

  • See which suppliers are actively bidding in your category

  • Track recent contract winners

  • View supplier participation in frameworks and DPSs

  • Filter by industry, region, and capability

  • Access updated compliance and qualification data

  • Discover new entrants and SMEs

  • Track supplier performance over time

Instead of manually searching multiple databases, buyers get a single, connected supplier insight platform - helping you build stronger competition and better procurement outcomes.

 

Final Thoughts

Finding the right suppliers shouldn’t depend on intuition, old contact lists, or whoever happens to respond to a tender.

With smarter tools, structured market engagement, and broader visibility into supplier activity, public buyers can build a healthier and more competitive ecosystem.

When you know who’s active - and who’s capable - you make better procurement decisions, support innovation, and deliver greater value to citizens.