Procurement intelligence
UK public sector frameworks: what the data actually says in 2026
A record £60bn ran through UK public sector frameworks in 2025, across 1,856 distinct vehicles. What the 2026 data shows about who wins through frameworks — and where SMEs can still break in.
Skim · Skim procurement intelligence23 June 20268 min read
Figures distil published 2026 analysis of UK public sector framework awards, Government Commercial Agency (GCA, formerly Crown Commercial Service) agreement data, and GOV.UK Procurement Act 2023 guidance. Framework and call-off shares are FY2024/25 unless stated. G-Cloud 15 figures are drawn from the published agreement notice (RM1557.15).
Frameworks are the market, not a route into it
A record £60 billion was awarded through public sector framework agreements, Dynamic Purchasing Systems and dynamic markets in 2025 — and the public sector used 1,856 distinct frameworks to award contracts that year. If you sell to government and you are not treating frameworks as a primary sales channel, you are already behind.
That is the headline from the 2026 data on how UK public bodies buy through frameworks. Set alongside the first full year of the Procurement Act 2023, the data tells a clear story: frameworks have stopped being a parallel buying channel and become the default one. The question for any supplier is no longer whether to engage with frameworks, but which ones, and when their doors open.
£60bn
UK public sector framework data, 2026
1,856
UK public sector framework data, 2026
“Frameworks are the market now, not a route into it.”
What is a procurement framework?
A framework agreement is a pre-negotiated contract between one or more public sector buyers and a pool of approved suppliers. Once a supplier is on a framework, buyers can award them call-off contracts without running a full re-tender each time. It is the difference between qualifying once and competing on a shortlist, versus bidding cold for every opportunity.
The Procurement Act 2023, live since 24 February 2025, formally defines a framework as "a contract between a contracting authority and one or more suppliers that provides for the future award of contracts." Under the Act, as set out in GOV.UK's framework guidance, three types of vehicle now exist.
| Vehicle | New suppliers mid-term? | Max duration | Award method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed framework | No (fixed at award) | 4 years | Direct award or mini-competition |
| Open framework | Yes (periodic windows) | 8 years | Direct award or competition |
| Dynamic market | Yes (any time) | No limit | Individual tender per buy |
The distinction matters more than it looks. A closed framework you miss is a door shut for up to four years. An open framework you miss is a door that reopens. That single change is reshaping how suppliers should plan their route to market.
Framework usage is rising — even where it never used to
In FY2024/25, 27% of public sector construction contracts were awarded via a framework or DPS — nearly double the share of four years ago. Construction has long been the sector least reliant on frameworks. Not any more.
27%
UK public sector framework data, 2026
Across every vertical, framework usage is now the norm rather than the exception, driven by procurement teams under cost and legislative pressure to buy faster. The implication for suppliers is blunt: framework strategy is no longer optional administration that the bid team handles after the fact. It is core route-to-market work, and it belongs in the commercial plan.
The big suppliers are winning disproportionately
This is the single most important finding in the 2026 data, and the most uncomfortable. In FY2024/25, over half of the 2,871 contracts won by the UK government's 39 Strategic Suppliers were awarded via a framework or DPS.
| Supplier type | Contracts won via framework |
|---|---|
| Strategic Suppliers (39 firms) | >50% |
| Wider public sector average | ~26% |
| SME average | ~20% |
| VCSEs (charities / social enterprises) | 12% |
>50% vs 20%
UK public sector framework data, 2026
Strategic suppliers are using frameworks at more than twice the market average and nearly three times the SME rate. At 12%, charities and social enterprises are securing framework work at roughly a third of the rate of everyone else. The question this raises is uncomfortable but unavoidable: are frameworks structurally advantaging incumbent large suppliers? The data suggests yes. But it is not immovable — and in one corner of the market, the gap is closing fast.
Many frameworks now serve a single buyer
The old assumption is increasingly wrong: being on a big framework no longer guarantees access to a broad public sector market. Since FY2019/20, the 100 largest public sector suppliers in facilities management, security and waste have almost doubled the number of distinct frameworks they use to win work. Buyers are increasingly building or using frameworks tailored to their own narrow procurement needs.
Some frameworks are effectively single-buyer vehicles. The FCDO Services Professional Services Framework, for example, is almost exclusively used by the FCDO and its arm's-length bodies. You could win a place on it and never see a call-off from anyone else. The practical implication changes how you should choose where to bid.
“Being on a framework is not the goal. Being on the right framework for your specific target buyers is.”
Tech SMEs are closing the gap — in local government
The picture for SMEs is not uniformly grim. In the technology sector specifically, there has been a dramatic shift: tech SMEs now win 44% of their local government contracts by value via frameworks, up from just 8% in FY2019/20. Most new central government and NHS SME tech contracts are now awarded via frameworks too. The market has moved, whether or not suppliers have caught up.
44%
UK public sector framework data, 2026
English devolution is accelerating the reshuffle. As devolved local governments take on services previously procured centrally, the dominant frameworks in sectors like skills, education and transport are already changing. Frameworks that were marginal two years ago are becoming primary buying vehicles, while some central frameworks are losing relevance in particular geographies. This is not a trend to watch for later. It is already in the data.
What the Procurement Act changed for frameworks
The Act has been live for sixteen months, and for framework strategy the single biggest change is the open framework: suppliers can now join major frameworks mid-term rather than waiting years for a full re-tender. G-Cloud 15 — the largest technology framework in the UK public sector, due to launch on 17 September 2026 — is the clearest example of the Act's structural impact.
- Open frameworks can now run for up to eight years, with suppliers able to join at least twice during the framework's life. Previously, missing a window meant waiting years.
- Dynamic markets replace the old DPS format, with no term limit and continuous supplier admission.
- Pipeline notices now require buyers to publish 12-month forward procurement plans, giving suppliers earlier sight of framework establishment.
- Contract Award Notices are now mandatory for call-off contracts, which previously often went unpublished.
- Performance KPI notices began in April 2026, putting supplier performance data on the public record.
The shift is easiest to see by comparing G-Cloud's outgoing and incoming iterations, as Computer Weekly and Sharpe Pritchard have both set out.
| Field | G-Cloud 14 | G-Cloud 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated value | ~£8.15bn | £14bn |
| Framework duration | 2 years (extended) | 4 years |
| Max call-off contract | 4 years | 8 years (Lot 1) |
| Framework type | Closed | Open (first major one) |
| Lots | 4 | 5 |
| Re-openings | None | 2 mid-term windows |
| End date | Oct 2026 | Sep 2030 |
£14bn
GCA (RM1557.15)
G-Cloud 15 is the first major framework to operate as an open framework under the Act. Suppliers who missed the January 2026 application window will have re-entry opportunities — a first in G-Cloud's history. For context on the prize: annual G-Cloud spend in FY2024/25 was £2.9 billion, cumulative spend since 2012 is over £20 billion, and SMEs account for around 44% of recent spend.
Framework usage by sector
The three main public sector verticals use frameworks differently, and being on one sector's leading framework gives you little visibility in another's.
| Sector | Framework characteristics |
|---|---|
| Central government | Heavily CCS/GCA-driven; Strategic Suppliers dominant; SME spending targets now set at department level |
| NHS | High-volume, category-specific frameworks (NHS SBS, CCS); most new tech SME contracts now via frameworks |
| Local government | Fastest-growing tech-framework adoption; English devolution reshaping which frameworks matter |
The point is sharpest in a category like recruitment, where the NHS, central government and local government each have distinct leading frameworks by both value and volume. Being on the NHS framework does not put you in front of local-authority buyers. Knowing which framework each of your target buyers actually uses is the difference between a pipeline and a place on a list that never calls.
The SME problem — and the opportunity
The government's stated target is for 33% of procurement spend to reach SMEs, directly and indirectly. The actual figure for central government in 2022/23 was around 25.6%, well below target, according to analysis by the House of Commons Library. New department-level SME spending targets published in March 2026 have made that gap more politically visible than it has ever been.
25.6% vs 33%
House of Commons Library
The Act attempts to close the gap. A new supplier registration portal reduces the duplication of pre-qualification information. Reservation powers allow councils to reserve contracts for local suppliers, SMEs or VCSEs. Open frameworks let SMEs join major frameworks mid-term rather than waiting years for a re-tender, as Enterprise Nation has documented for smaller suppliers. But the structural advantages of scale are not disappearing, and applying to frameworks at random will not overcome them.
This is precisely the visibility gap Skim exists to close. The opportunities are concentrated partly because they are invisible to anyone without the tooling to read the procurement record at scale — to see which frameworks a specific buyer actually awards through, which call-offs are coming, and which re-opening windows fall when. Read the record the way the data does, continuously and at the level of individual buyers, and the SME problem starts to look like an SME opening.
Key frameworks to know in 2026
| Framework | Authority | Value | Status | Relevant to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-Cloud 15 | GCA (formerly CCS) | £14bn | In procurement; live Sept 2026 | Cloud, SaaS, digital services |
| Digital Outcomes & Specialists 7 | GCA | £14.4bn | Live Jan 2026 | Digital teams, specialists |
| Technology Services 4 | GCA | £16bn | Live Dec 2025 | Managed services, transformation |
| Cyber Security Services 3 | GCA | N/A | Active (DPS) | Cyber services |
| NHS SBS frameworks | NHS SBS | Various | Rolling | NHS clinical / corporate / IT |
| Network Services 3 | GCA | N/A | Extended | Connectivity, telecoms |
FAQ
How many frameworks does the UK public sector use?
1,856 distinct frameworks were used to award contracts in 2025, according to 2026 analysis of public sector framework awards.
How much is awarded through frameworks each year?
A record £60 billion in 2025 — contracts awarded through frameworks, DPS and dynamic markets combined.
Who manages the most public sector frameworks?
The Government Commercial Agency (GCA, formerly the Crown Commercial Service) manages between £33 billion and £40 billion in annual commercial agreements across more than 19,000 public sector organisations, covering around 26% of all UK public procurement.
Can SMEs still compete on frameworks?
Yes, but the data is mixed. SMEs win around 20% of framework-awarded contracts, versus more than 50% for the 39 Strategic Suppliers. In technology the gap is closing fast, especially in local government, and G-Cloud 15's open-framework model with two re-opening windows offers more entry points than any previous iteration.
What is the biggest change for frameworks under the Procurement Act 2023?
The introduction of open frameworks, which let suppliers join mid-term. Previously, missing a framework window could mean a two-to-four-year wait.
The bottom line
- Frameworks are the market, not a route into it. Over £60 billion flowed through them in 2025. If your target buyers use frameworks, you need to be on the right ones.
- Being on a framework isn't enough. Single-buyer frameworks, sector-specific patterns and buyer-specific preferences mean the wrong framework can generate zero pipeline. Know which frameworks your target buyers actually use.
- The Act is opening new doors and raising the bar. Open frameworks and dynamic markets create more entry points, while stricter compliance — Cyber Essentials, carbon reduction plans, KPI reporting — raises the cost of taking part. Prepare early.
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