Public sector frameworks are designed to make procurement more efficient. For suppliers, however, the framework market can sometimes feel anything but simple.
Businesses may find themselves bidding for several similar frameworks, paying different management fees, navigating different call-off processes and then discovering that securing a place does not necessarily translate into meaningful contract opportunities.
The Government Commercial Function’s new Framework Practice Guide, published on 10 September 2026, directly addresses several of these issues. It sets out a more consistent approach to creating, selecting and managing frameworks under the Procurement Act 2023, with particular emphasis on reducing unnecessary duplication, improving transparency and maintaining healthy markets.
Although the guide is principally written for framework providers and public sector buyers, much of it has clear implications for suppliers.
Why the guide matters
Frameworks account for a significant proportion of the UK’s roughly £400 billion annual public procurement spend. They allow buyers to complete much of the initial procurement work once and then award individual contracts, known as call-offs, to suppliers appointed to the framework. Used well, this can make procurement quicker for buyers and create an identifiable pipeline of work for suppliers.
The problem is that the framework market has become increasingly complex. Similar frameworks can overlap, different providers use different commercial models and simply being appointed does not guarantee that a supplier will win any subsequent work. The new guide tries to address that across the whole framework lifecycle.
For suppliers, the important point is not that every framework will suddenly work differently. It is that buyers and framework providers are being encouraged to think much more carefully about whether a framework is needed, who can realistically access it, what it costs and whether it continues to support a competitive market.
Fewer overlapping frameworks
One of the clearest themes in the guide is framework proliferation. Where several frameworks offer similar routes to the same market, public sector demand can become fragmented. Suppliers can also end up repeatedly using bid resource to secure positions on different frameworks simply because they cannot afford to be absent from a route that buyers may choose to use.
The guide asks public bodies to check whether an appropriate commercial tool already exists before creating another framework. In particular, it points buyers and framework providers towards the Summarised Search within Find a Tender, which brings together information about existing frameworks and dynamic markets. If that approach reduces unnecessary duplication over time, it could also reduce some of the bidding burden on suppliers.
There is a useful lesson here regardless of how quickly the framework market changes: you do not need to bid for every framework that appears relevant to your business. A framework should be treated as a commercial opportunity in its own right. Before committing resource, look at likely buyers, expected call-off activity, competitors, the framework structure and whether it genuinely gives you access to work you want to win.
Improving supplier access
Framework design also has an important role in determining which suppliers can realistically participate. The guide encourages framework providers to assess the health of the market before deciding how a framework should be structured. That includes considering the number of suppliers appointed, lot design and whether the framework could unintentionally favour a small number of dominant businesses.
Lots can be particularly important for SMEs and specialist suppliers. Breaking a broad requirement into appropriate service, product, geographic or value-based lots can make it possible for businesses to compete for the areas they can genuinely deliver, rather than having to demonstrate capability across an unnecessarily broad national requirement.
The guide also highlights the problem of a framework that appears competitive on paper but is much less competitive in practice. Its example is a framework containing 20 suppliers where one or two businesses consistently win 90% of the call-off work. That may indicate that the market created by the framework is effectively much narrower than the supplier list suggests.
For suppliers, that reinforces the importance of looking beyond the headline number of framework places. Ask who actually wins the work.
Open frameworks and second chances
The Procurement Act introduced open frameworks, which provide another way of addressing supplier access.
A traditional framework establishes its supplier list at the beginning. Businesses that do not secure a place generally have to wait until the framework expires and is retendered. An open framework instead operates as a series of successive frameworks on substantially the same terms. It can reopen at specified points during a collective term of up to eight years, allowing new suppliers to compete for access. That can be particularly useful in markets that change quickly, such as technology, research and digital services.
From a supplier perspective, it changes how these opportunities should be monitored. Missing the initial procurement may no longer mean being excluded for the entire framework term. A newer business may also be in a much stronger position at the next opening. It could have more experience, stronger financial information, better case studies or capabilities that did not exist when the original framework was established.
Suppliers therefore need to understand not only which open frameworks exist, but when the next opportunity to join them is expected.
Fees, levies and hidden costs
Framework charges are another area given considerable attention in the new guide. Most framework providers charge some form of levy or management fee, commonly calculated as a percentage of work won through the framework. Under the Procurement Act regime, supplier fees must be stated in the framework documents, be proportionate to the value of the call-off contract and cannot simply be changed during the life of the framework.
The guide also distinguishes these standard levies from additional supplier access or software charges. It specifically warns that some frameworks can impose charges simply for suppliers to access the framework or associated systems, regardless of whether they actually win any work. It notes that these costs can create barriers to competition, particularly for SMEs, while ultimately adding to supplier overhead. This is something suppliers should understand before submitting a framework bid.
Check:
- what levy applies to work won
- whether any other access or technology charges exist
- when charges become payable
- what commercial support the framework provider offers in return
- whether those costs have been properly reflected in your pricing
A framework can provide excellent access to a target market and still be commercially unattractive if the numbers do not work.
Winning a place is only the start
One of the most important things to remember about frameworks is that framework award and contract award are not the same thing.
Getting onto a multi-supplier framework usually means earning the right to compete for, or potentially receive, future call-off contracts. Those contracts can be awarded through further competition, often referred to as a mini-competition, or in appropriate circumstances without another competition where the framework has established objective criteria for doing so. That means the work-winning process should not stop when the framework award notice arrives.
Before bidding for a framework, try to understand:
- which organisations are likely to use it
- what they are expected to buy
- how call-offs will be awarded
- whether direct awards are possible
- how frequently competitions are likely to take place
- who within your business will manage those opportunities
Once appointed, keep monitoring the market. You may need updated case studies, refreshed pricing, additional evidence or more detailed knowledge of an individual buyer when a call-off arrives. A framework place has commercial value when it creates a realistic route to contracts. Simply adding another framework logo to your website does not achieve that.
Keep supplier information current
Another important change under the Procurement Act regime is the ability, where relevant, for buyers to reverify Conditions of Participation when awarding competitive call-offs. Under the previous Public Contracts Regulations framework regime, selection criteria could not simply be revisited to decide who won an individual call-off. The new regime gives buyers more scope to confirm that suppliers still meet the conditions originally established for the framework.
For suppliers, the practical lesson is straightforward. Do not treat qualification evidence as something you assemble once during the framework bid and then forget for several years. Keep information such as financial evidence, relevant certifications, insurance, technical capability and key delivery information current. The stronger your underlying evidence base is, the easier it becomes to respond when a buyer needs additional assurance or when a competitive call-off arrives with a tight deadline.
Ongoing scrutiny after award
The guide also puts considerable emphasis on what happens after suppliers have been appointed. Framework providers are expected to maintain oversight of areas such as supplier standards, compliance and financial health throughout the framework term. Buyers remain responsible for managing the individual contracts they award.
For suppliers, this means framework participation should increasingly be viewed as an ongoing commercial relationship rather than a procurement exercise that ends with appointment. Performance matters. Financial health matters. The information provided to buyers and framework managers needs to stay accurate.
Strong delivery also creates something suppliers need for the next opportunity: evidence. A successful call-off can become a case study, performance record or proof of capability for future framework competitions and tenders. Poor delivery can have the opposite effect.
Check which rules apply
Not every framework currently operating in the UK was established under the Procurement Act. The Act came into force on 24 February 2025, but frameworks validly created under the previous regulations can continue until their natural expiry. Their subsequent call-offs also remain governed by the rules under which the framework was established. We are therefore likely to have a mixed framework market for some time.
For suppliers, it is worth checking whether the opportunity is:
- a legacy framework operating under the previous regulations
- a Procurement Act framework
- an open framework under the new regime
The distinction can affect issues including supplier access, call-off procedures, notices and how qualification requirements are handled. The framework documents should always be your starting point.
What suppliers should do now
The Framework Practice Guide is mainly about improving how the public sector creates and uses frameworks. Suppliers do not need to redesign their entire framework strategy because a new government document has appeared.
There are, however, several useful actions to take from it.
- Be selective. Assess whether the framework actually provides access to buyers and contracts that fit your growth plans.
- Understand the commercial model. Include levies and any other charges when deciding whether an opportunity is worthwhile.
- Look beyond the initial award. Find out how call-offs work and what will be required to win them.
- Monitor open frameworks. A missed first competition may not be the end of the opportunity.
- Keep your evidence current. Do not wait for the next mini-competition before updating financial, technical and delivery information.
- Review framework performance. Measure which frameworks are actually generating opportunities, bids and wins.
Most importantly, think about frameworks as part of your wider public sector sales strategy rather than isolated tender exercises. The right framework can put your business in front of buyers you want to work with. The wrong one can consume considerable bid resource without generating meaningful opportunities.
How Thornton & Lowe can help
At Thornton & Lowe, we support businesses throughout the framework process, from identifying relevant opportunities and deciding whether they are worth pursuing through to preparing the framework application and competing for work after appointment.
Our public sector procurement frameworks guidance can help you understand how different routes operate, while our bid writing team can provide practical support where an important framework or call-off opportunity requires additional expertise.
We can also help businesses use framework opportunities more strategically, looking beyond simply securing a place to understand where the likely contracts are and what evidence will be needed to compete for them. Speak to our bid experts about your target market, current pipeline and upcoming framework opportunities.
