The Cirrus Consortium Materials Supply Framework (CCMF7) is open for tenders, offering building merchants, construction materials suppliers and plant hire businesses an opportunity to secure places on a major public sector purchasing agreement.
The four-year framework has an estimated value of £1.2 billion including VAT and covers seven lots, ranging from general building supplies and heating materials to electrical products, highways materials and managed services.
With 80% of the evaluation allocated to quality, suppliers will need to demonstrate more than competitive pricing. The tender submission deadline is 9 November 2026 at midday, giving businesses a limited window to prepare their responses.
Cirrus Consortium Materials Supply Framework: key details
The framework is being established by Coastline Housing Limited on behalf of the Cirrus Consortium, with Cirrus Purchasing Ltd acting as managing agent. Consortium members include registered providers of social housing, local authorities, arm's-length management organisations (ALMOs) and NHS trusts. The framework will also be available to other eligible contracting authorities across England, Scotland and Wales.
The main procurement details are:
- Framework reference: CCMF7
- Contracting authority: Coastline Housing Limited, on behalf of Cirrus Consortium
- Estimated value: £1.2 billion including VAT
- Framework period: 11 January 2027 to 10 January 2031
- Number of lots: Seven
- Procedure: Open
- Enquiry deadline: 30 October 2026, 5pm
- Tender deadline: 9 November 2026, midday
- Estimated award decision: 7 December 2026
The framework is designed to give participating organisations access to materials and related services for repairs, maintenance, improvement works and other property or infrastructure requirements. Suppliers can review the official Cirrus Consortium Materials Supply Framework tender notice for the published procurement information.
What are the seven framework lots?
CCMF7 covers seven categories of materials and associated services. Businesses can assess which lots best match their product ranges, geographical coverage and operational capabilities.
Lot |
Category |
Main scope |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Managed Services |
Comprehensive materials supply, stockholding, inventory management and associated services |
2 |
General Building Materials |
Timber, insulation, roofing, doors, fixings and other construction supplies |
3 |
Plumbing and Heating Materials |
Plumbing products, boiler spares, heating controls and renewable heating |
4 |
Electrical Materials |
Electrical components, lighting, solar PV and battery storage |
5 |
Highways and Civil Materials |
Materials used for highways, infrastructure and civil engineering works |
6 |
Painting and Decorating Supplies |
Paint, coatings, decorating materials and accessories |
7 |
Tool and Plant Hire |
Construction tools, plant and associated hire services |
Lot 1: Managed Services
Lot 1 is intended for merchants capable of providing a comprehensive materials supply arrangement to participating organisations. Rather than supplying individual products alone, providers may be responsible for integrated services such as dedicated stockholding, van stock management, out-of-hours supply, account management, consolidated invoicing and performance reporting. The scope also includes potential integration with customers' IT systems, training and supporting services.
Suppliers bidding for this lot must be capable of providing a wide range of materials, including those covered by the general building, plumbing and electrical categories. This is likely to be most relevant to established merchants with experience managing complex supply arrangements for public sector customers.
Lots 2–4: Building, plumbing and electrical materials
These lots cover products commonly required for property maintenance, refurbishment and improvement programmes.
- Lot 2 includes general building materials such as timber, plasterboard, insulation, roofing supplies, doors, windows, ironmongery, fixings and workwear.
- Lot 3 covers plumbing and heating materials, including sanitaryware, pipework, boiler parts, heating controls and renewable technologies such as heat pumps and solar thermal components.
- Lot 4 focuses on electrical materials, including switchgear, wiring accessories, lighting, alarms, solar PV and battery storage.
The separation of these categories allows specialist suppliers to focus on their established product markets rather than necessarily competing to deliver a complete managed service.
Lots 5–7: Specialist materials and hire services
The remaining lots cover highways and civil engineering materials, painting and decorating supplies, and tool and plant hire. These categories may appeal to suppliers supporting planned maintenance programmes, infrastructure works and construction projects. Businesses should examine the individual specifications carefully to establish which products and services are required and whether their existing delivery arrangements are suitable.
Who can apply for the Cirrus Consortium framework?
The framework is open to suppliers that meet the relevant financial, insurance and technical participation requirements. There are several important conditions to fulfil. All bidders must provide three contract examples demonstrating relevant experience.
For Lot 1, suppliers must also have delivered at least two managed service contracts for contracting authorities within the previous three years. This additional requirement reflects the broader responsibilities associated with providing managed materials services.
The following insurance requirements are also in place:
- Employers' Liability: £5 million
- Public Liability: £10 million
- Product Liability: £1 million
No minimum financial standing threshold is specified in the notice, although suppliers must still satisfy the complete Conditions of Participation contained in the tender documents. Smaller and specialist suppliers should therefore assess the requirements for their selected lots before deciding whether to bid. A business with strong experience supplying heating materials, for example, may have a relevant opportunity under Lot 3 without needing to demonstrate the wider managed services capabilities associated with Lot 1.
How will suppliers be evaluated?
The Cirrus Consortium framework uses the following headline evaluation weightings:
- Quality: 80%
- Cost: 20%
This places substantial emphasis on how suppliers demonstrate their ability to meet the buyer's requirements. While competitive pricing remains important, a supplier offering the lowest prices will not necessarily achieve the highest overall score.
The precise quality questions and scoring methodology are contained in the tender documents. However, several areas are particularly relevant to materials supply frameworks.
- Supply reliability: Buyers need confidence that products will be available when required. Suppliers should explain how they manage stock availability, lead times and potential disruption.
- Product range and compliance: Responses may need to demonstrate the suitability, quality and relevant certification of products being supplied.
- Delivery and distribution: Suppliers should consider how they will deliver materials to different customer locations, manage urgent orders and maintain accurate fulfilment.
- Account management and reporting: Particularly for managed services, buyers may expect clear arrangements for monitoring expenditure, managing enquiries and reporting against agreed performance measures.
- Sustainability: Businesses should consider how their product ranges, sourcing arrangements and distribution practices support relevant environmental requirements.
Thornton & Lowe's bid writing services can help businesses organise their evidence and develop responses that directly address the published quality criteria.
How will the framework operate?
Cirrus expects to appoint approximately seven suppliers to Lot 1 and ten suppliers to each of the remaining lots. However, the final number of appointments will depend on the procurement process and applicable requirements.
Once the framework is established, eligible customers will be able to purchase through direct awards or mini-competitions. Direct awards will generally be made to the highest-ranked supplier on the relevant lot that can meet the customer's requirements, in accordance with the framework rules. Mini-competitions will allow participating authorities to invite relevant framework suppliers to compete for specific requirements.
For suppliers, the possibility of direct awards makes the initial framework ranking particularly relevant. A competitive submission may influence not only whether a business secures a place, but also its position when customers subsequently seek materials or services.
How to prepare a competitive submission
Given the quality-focused evaluation, suppliers should prioritise clear evidence of their operational capability.
Select relevant contract examples
All bidders must provide three examples, so these should be chosen carefully. Look for contracts that demonstrate experience supplying comparable products, serving similar customers or managing delivery requirements of equivalent complexity. Where possible, include evidence of contract values, product volumes, delivery performance and customer outcomes. For Lot 1, ensure that the examples satisfy the specific requirement for recent managed service contracts with contracting authorities.
Demonstrate reliable materials supply
The ability to supply products consistently is fundamental to the framework. Suppliers should explain their stock management processes, supplier relationships, logistics arrangements and contingency measures. Relevant performance information may help demonstrate how the business manages shortages, urgent orders or changes in customer demand.
Explain the customer service approach
Framework customers may include organisations with multiple properties, maintenance teams or operational locations. Suppliers should consider how their ordering processes, account management, reporting and customer support arrangements will meet these requirements. For managed services, this may also involve integrating with customer systems and providing detailed usage or expenditure information.
Review pricing and participation requirements
Although cost represents 20% of the evaluation, pricing must still be sustainable and compliant with the relevant schedules. Businesses should also check the mandatory insurance levels, financial information and technical evidence before submission. A strong written response cannot compensate for failing a mandatory participation requirement.
How to submit a tender for CCMF7
The procurement is being administered through Delta eSourcing. Suppliers can access the Cirrus Consortium tender through Delta, where the procurement documents and submission requirements are available.
The key dates to look out for are:
- 30 October 2026 at 5pm: Enquiry deadline
- 9 November 2026 at midday: Tender submission deadline
Businesses should review the lot specifications, Conditions of Participation and pricing documents before preparing their submissions. With the quality evaluation carrying 80% of the available marks, it is worth allowing sufficient time to gather relevant supporting evidence and review responses against the buyer's questions.
How Thornton & Lowe can support materials suppliers
The Cirrus Consortium Materials Supply Framework presents an opportunity for construction merchants, specialist product suppliers and managed service providers to access public sector purchasing arrangements. However, the emphasis on quality means applicants will need to explain their operational capabilities convincingly, supported by relevant contract experience and robust delivery arrangements.
Thornton & Lowe helps businesses prepare framework applications, develop technical responses and present their strengths clearly. Our experience supporting construction tenders can be particularly valuable to suppliers competing for building and maintenance-related contracts. If you're planning to bid for CCMF7, contact Thornton & Lowe to discuss how we can support your application ahead of the November deadline.
