Source: https://tendernation.io/tools/framework-finder

Free framework search

# Which framework covers what you sell?

Describe your service and see the government frameworks and lots that cover it, and when each one reopens.

What do you sell?

Open now onlyFind frameworksTry:office cleaningsoftware developmentlegal servicesfurniturevehicle hire

## Frameworks, lots and call-offs

A framework is a pre-approved list of suppliers that public buyers can hire without running a full tender. It is split into lots by service or region, and you bid for the lots that fit what you sell.

Once you are on a lot, buyers award contracts (call-offs) to its suppliers directly or through a quick mini-competition. Only suppliers on the framework can win those call-offs, so if you are not on it, that work is closed to you until the framework is replaced.

### How to read the results

We search the Government Commercial Agency’s agreements, their lots and their descriptions. “Open for bids” means a bid window with a published closing date that has not passed; “Open to join” means a dynamic purchasing system or dynamic market that takes new suppliers at any time.

For closed frameworks, the end date is your signal: replacements are usually tendered in the year before it. [Browse every framework](https://tendernation.io/frameworks).

## Questions people ask

What is a framework agreement?A framework agreement is a list of pre-approved suppliers that public buyers can award contracts to without running a full tender each time. It sets the terms, the maximum prices and the scope up front, usually split into lots by service or region. Buyers then pick a supplier directly or run a quick mini-competition between the suppliers on the lot.

How do I get on a government framework?You bid when the framework is tendered: the agency publishes a tender notice on Find a Tender, you choose the lots you want, and you pass the selection questions and the quality and price evaluation. Watch for the market engagement and pipeline notices that come a few months before, and for frameworks ending within a year, because their replacements are tendered before they expire.

What if I miss the window to bid?A closed framework stays closed until it is replaced, often for four years. Dynamic purchasing systems and dynamic markets are different: they accept new suppliers for as long as they run, so you can apply at any time. TenderNation lists the ones open to join on the frameworks page. You can also bid for contracts tendered outside frameworks, which is most public sector work by number.

How long do frameworks last?Under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 most frameworks run for up to four years, and the Procurement Act 2023 allows up to four years for a standard framework and eight for defence and utilities. Open frameworks under the Act can run for up to eight years but must reopen to new suppliers at least once in the first three years and then every five years.

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Now find the tenders to bid for

TenderNation scores every UK public tender against what your business sells and alerts you the day a match is published.

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