Source: https://tendernation.io/guides/council-approved-supplier-lists

Guide

# How to get on a council approved supplier list

What "approved supplier list" means in 2026: frameworks, dynamic markets, minor works lists and accreditations like Constructionline, and how to join each one.

Updated 14 Oct 2026

Most councils no longer keep a single approved supplier list you can apply to join. To get considered, register on the council's e-tendering portal and the Central Digital Platform, join the frameworks and dynamic markets it buys through, and apply to any approved contractor list it still runs, such as a list for minor building works or social care providers.

The phrase "approved supplier list" now covers several different things, with different legal rules. Knowing which one you're dealing with tells you whether you can join, when, and what it's worth.

## What an approved supplier list used to be, and why most went

An approved list was a register of suppliers the council had pre-vetted for finances, insurance, health and safety and experience. Officers then picked from the list when they needed work done.

Two things killed most of them off.

First, the law moved towards open competition. Under the [Procurement Act 2023, s.85](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/85), when a council invites tenders for a below-threshold contract it can't restrict who may submit a tender by first assessing their suitability, such as their legal and financial capacity or technical ability. GOV.UK guidance spells it out: there "cannot be a separate suitability stage before the submission of tenders as a way of reducing the number of suppliers who are invited to tender" ([below-threshold guidance, para 16](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-define-phase/guidance-below-threshold-contracts-html)). The old regime had a similar ban, so this is not new, but it means a list can't be used as a gate in front of an advertised low-value tender.

Second, lists are costly to run. Brighton & Hove City Council's supplier page puts it plainly: being on an approved list is no guarantee of work, lists can grow so large that being on one is meaningless, and the council is moving to frameworks and restricted tenders instead ([Brighton & Hove](https://design.brighton-hove.gov.uk/business-and-trade/contracts-and-tenders/becoming-approved-council-supplier)). Some councils have dropped lists altogether. Dover District Council, answering a freedom of information request, said it does not operate or hold an approved supplier list ([Dover FOI FI17019](https://www.dover.gov.uk/Corporate-Information/Freedom-of-Information/Freedom-of-information-Disclosure-Log/Responses/FI17019.aspx)).

## The approved lists that still exist

Approved lists have not disappeared. They survive where the law leaves room for them.

**Invited quotes below the threshold.** Section 85 only bites when a council invites tenders. GOV.UK guidance confirms a council can award below-threshold contracts to suppliers from a group of pre-selected suppliers (para 21), and does not have to publish a tender notice when it asks a closed group or targeted suppliers for quotes, as long as it doesn't advertise in any other way (para 23, and [s.87(2)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/87)). An approved contractor list is one way a council keeps that group. It must still publish a contract details notice after awarding a contract worth £30,000 or more.

**Below-threshold works of £207,720 or more.** The s.85 ban has an exception. For a council, works contracts with an estimated value of £207,720 or more, but below the £5,193,000 works threshold, can have a separate suitability stage ([s.85(3)(b)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/85) and [Schedule 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/schedule/1), both including VAT). So a council can pre-qualify contractors for mid-sized building work.

**Social care.** Many councils run approved provider lists or similar arrangements for adult and children's care. Care services are often "light touch" contracts with their own, higher threshold of £663,540.

**Lists set up under the old rules.** Dynamic purchasing systems created before 24 February 2025 can carry on, but must end when they were due to or by 23 February 2029 at the latest ([transitional guidance, para 19](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-plan-phase/guidance-transitional-and-saving-arrangements-html)). Many council "approved lists" are in fact old DPSs.

A list is never a contract or a promise of work, and you don't need to be on one to bid for an open tender. If a council advertises a below-threshold tender, you can bid whether or not you're on its list.

## Frameworks: the closest thing to a modern approved list

A framework is a contract between a buyer and one or more suppliers that sets terms for awarding future contracts ([s.45](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/45)). Councils use their own frameworks and, very often, frameworks set up by central or regional buying organisations.

What to know:

- **Most frameworks are closed.** You join when the framework is tendered. After that, no new suppliers until it is re-let. A standard framework can last up to four years, or longer only if the buyer justifies it ([s.47](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/47)).
- **Open frameworks reopen.** The Act added open frameworks, a scheme of successive frameworks on the same terms that must reopen at set points, lasting up to eight years in total ([s.49](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/49)). New suppliers can join when it reopens ([frameworks guidance, para 33](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-define-phase/guidance-frameworks-html)).
- **Being on one is not winning work.** Call-off contracts are awarded by direct award or a mini-competition between framework suppliers.
- **No standstill and no statutory assessment summary on call-offs.** Call-offs are exempt from the mandatory standstill period ([s.51(3)(d)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/51)), and the assessment summary duty doesn't apply to them, though guidance calls a similar approach best practice ([assessment summaries guidance, para 41](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-procure-phase/guidance-assessment-summaries-html)).

To find frameworks your target councils use, check their past awards on their buyer page (for example [Kent County Council](/buyers/kent-county-council)), browse [public frameworks](/frameworks), or use our [framework finder](/tools/framework-finder) to see which government frameworks and lots cover your work, who is on them and when each one reopens.

## Dynamic markets: the list you can join at any time

The Act replaced dynamic purchasing systems with dynamic markets ([dynamic markets guidance, para 7](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-define-phase/guidance-dynamic-markets-html)). A dynamic market must stay open to new suppliers and accept applications for membership at any time. The council must publish a dynamic market notice before setting one up ([s.39](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/39)).

The conditions for joining are limited by law ([s.36](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/36)). They must be proportionate, and a council:

- can't demand audited accounts unless you are legally required to have them audited;
- can't require contract insurance to be in place before you win a contract;
- can't require you to have held a contract with a particular authority;
- can't demand a particular qualification without accepting equivalents.

That last rule matters for accreditations. If a dynamic market asks for a specific scheme, it should also accept an equivalent.

One limit: government guidance says membership conditions are inconsistent with s.85 for below-threshold contracts, except works of £207,720 or more (below-threshold guidance, para 29). So you will mostly see dynamic markets used for above-threshold work and larger below-threshold works.

Contracts awarded through a dynamic market are competed under the full procedure, so you do get an assessment summary, but there is no mandatory standstill ([s.51(3)(e)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/51)).

## Constructionline, CHAS and other accreditations

For building, maintenance and facilities work, councils often lean on third-party schemes. Constructionline is a supplier pre-qualification database, and Brighton & Hove, for example, says it selects building contractors using it. CHAS and similar schemes assess health and safety.

What these schemes do and don't do:

- **They are evidence, not a contract.** Membership shows you have passed a set of checks. It does not put you on any council's list, and it doesn't win work by itself.
- **They can save you paperwork.** A council may accept the scheme instead of asking the same health and safety or financial questions.
- **They cost money.** Check exactly which council lists or frameworks in your area ask for the scheme before you pay for it.
- **They can't be a gate in front of an open below-threshold tender.** In our reading of s.85 and paragraph 16 of the guidance, a council inviting tenders below the threshold (other than works of £207,720 or more) can't refuse to accept your tender because you lack an accreditation, though it can weigh suitability when it assesses the tenders. If a council's terms look like they conflict, ask it to explain.

## How to get on a council's lists, step by step

1. **Read the council's "doing business with us" page and contract procedure rules.** They say which lists, frameworks and portals it uses, and the value bands for quotes. Our [guide to bidding for council contracts](/guides/how-to-bid-for-council-contracts) explains how to read them.
2. **Register on the Central Digital Platform.** Buyers draw your core supplier information from it. Use our [Central Digital Platform checklist](/tools/central-digital-platform-checklist).
3. **Register on the council's e-tendering portal** and pick your categories carefully. Some councils treat portal registration as their supplier database.
4. **Ask procurement which lists are open.** Some lists open only periodically, others roll. Ask when the next window is and what evidence they need.
5. **Join relevant dynamic markets** as soon as you meet the conditions.
6. **Track framework re-lets.** Note when the frameworks your councils use expire, and prepare months ahead.
7. **Get the basics in order:** insurance, health and safety, quality, environmental and data protection policies, and accreditations that come up repeatedly in your sector.
8. **Keep bidding on open tenders meanwhile.** A list is a route to invited quotes, not a substitute for winning in open competition.

## How TenderNation helps

TenderNation lists [councils with open tenders](/opportunities/councils), shows each council's past awards and suppliers on its buyer page, and alerts you to new notices in your sector and area through saved searches. The [framework finder](/tools/framework-finder) shows which government frameworks cover your work and when they reopen.

When you do get to tender, the [AI bid writing tools](/features/ai-bid-writing) draft from the tender pack and your own evidence. And when a bid doesn't go your way, read [why you lose tenders](/guides/why-you-lose-tenders) to turn the feedback into a better next bid.

## Keep going

- [How to bid for council contracts](/guides/how-to-bid-for-council-contracts)
- [Procurement Act 2023: what SMEs need to know](/guides/procurement-act-2023-smes)
- [How to win your first public sector contract](/guides/how-to-win-your-first-public-sector-contract)

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