Framework agreement

A framework agreement is a list of approved suppliers that one or more public buyers can give work to without running a full tender each time. Suppliers bid once to join the framework. Contracts given out through it later are called call-offs.

How work reaches you

Once you are on a framework, a buyer can give you work in one of two ways:

• Direct award, where the framework's terms let the buyer pick a supplier without a further competition.
• Mini-competition, where the buyer asks the suppliers on the framework, or some of them, to bid against each other for one piece of work.

Why it matters to you

Some buyers spend most of their budget for a type of work through frameworks. If you are not on the right one, you never see those contracts advertised as open tenders. Joining takes one bid, but frameworks run for a fixed term, usually a few years, so the chance to join comes round rarely.

Before you apply

Read who can use the framework and how much work has gone through it. A place on a framework is not a promise of work: some suppliers on a framework never receive a call-off.

With Bid Manager, Jonty tells you whether a framework is worth joining, gathers what you need, and fills in and submits the application once you approve. When you're on it, Jonty brings you its call-offs.