Free Guide: Trafford Spending & Supplier Profile
A free spending & supplier guide for Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council · Metropolitan district · North West
Data covering 2011 to 2026
Recorded Spend
£6.0bn
Transactions
2,409,587
Suppliers
5,151
Key Takeaways
- £5.95 billion in recorded spend across 2.4 million transactions from 2011 to 2026
- 5,178 matched suppliers spread across 22 sectors, with an unconcentrated HHI of 664
- 49 tenders worth £1.58 billion are published, but only 2 contracts appear in formal procurement records
£5.95 billion over 15 years: what does that tell you?
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of around 238,000 people sitting within Greater Manchester Combined Authority. And it spends like one. Our data covers £5.95 billion in recorded spend across roughly 2.4 million transactions, drawn from 160 source files spanning 2011 to 2026. That works out at close to £400 million a year on average, though annual figures will vary. On the formal procurement side, we've tracked 49 published tenders worth a combined £1.58 billion and 23 contracts valued at £1.24 million. That gap between tender value and contract value is worth noting. It suggests many of the large tenders either haven't converted to published contracts yet or are handled through framework agreements that don't always surface in the contract data. Trafford is a member of the Procure Plus Holdings consortium, which covers all public sector bodies. If you're already on that framework, you may see Trafford-related opportunities come through there too.
Admin services and two dominant suppliers shape the spending picture
Of the 5,178 suppliers we've matched to Trafford's spending, the top five account for 47.6% of recorded spend. That's a meaningful chunk, but with an HHI of 664, the overall market is unconcentrated. Manchester City College Limited leads with £456 million, followed by Amey LG Limited at £358 million. Both sit within the administrative and support services sector, which at 32.8% of recorded spend is the largest category by some margin. Professional and technical services take 20.8%, and health and social work follows at 16.8% with 863 identified suppliers, the highest supplier count of any sector. Two law firms, Hogan Lovells and Addleshaw Goddard, appear in the top five with a combined £136 million. Legal spend at that level is unusual for a council this size. Trafford Bruntwood LLP rounds out the top five at £52 million, pointing to a joint venture or property partnership arrangement.
Where are all the contracts?
Here's something that stands out. Trafford's formal procurement records show just 2 published contracts, both above threshold, both awarded through open tender. The median contract value across those two sits at £617,530. But there are 49 published tenders worth £1.58 billion in total. That's a big pipeline relative to the contract count we hold. It could mean Trafford relies heavily on frameworks and call-offs that bypass individual contract publication, or that contract award notices simply aren't making it into the public record as consistently. For bid managers, the tender feed is where the action is. Our data is sourced from both Find a Tender and Trafford's own website, so you're getting both national and local postings. With spending concentrated in admin services, professional services, and health, those three sectors account for over 70% of what we've tracked. Competition at the top looks moderate rather than locked down.
| # | Supplier | Spend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MANCHESTER CITY COLLEGE LIMITED | £455,985,339 |
| 2 | AMEY LG LIMITED | £357,939,926 |
| 3 | HOGAN LOVELLS INTERNATIONAL LLP | £70,202,500 |
| 4 | ADDLESHAW GODDARD LLP | £66,243,270 |
| 5 | TRAFFORD BRUNTWOOD LLP | £52,288,261 |
| 6 | CREATIVE LINK SUPPORT LTD | £42,004,814 |
| 7 | MARIA MALLABAND (6) LIMITED | £40,623,164 |
| 8 | THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND (1727) LIMITED | £39,940,184 |
| 9 | GREATER MANCHESTER SERVICES LTD | £35,188,598 |
| 10 | SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT SERVICES LIMITED | £31,219,428 |
About Us
CouncilLedger brings together spending records, contract awards, and tender notices from over 400 UK local authorities into one procurement intelligence platform. Our data covers 16 years of transactions, collected directly from council transparency publications and government procurement platforms. Search suppliers, track spending trends, discover tender opportunities, and monitor the contracts that matter to your business.
