Most guides explain what a framework agreement is. Far fewer tell you who actually runs them, which is the question that matters when you are trying to work out where to aim. There is no single national list. Instead there are a dozen or so buying organisations, each with its own portfolio, its own sectors and its own renewal cycle — and if you do not know which ones cover your category, you will simply never see the opportunity.
This is a directory of the main ones, and an honest account of how you get onto their frameworks.
At a glance
- Frameworks are run by buying organisations, not by government centrally. Different ones dominate different sectors.
- The largest is the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) — this is Crown Commercial Service, renamed on 1 April 2026.
- Several of the biggest are owned by local authorities and return their surplus to the public purse.
- Getting on one is a competitive tender in its own right, not a registration.
- The binding constraint is timing: most frameworks run for four years, and if you miss the window you wait.
If you are new to the mechanics, read what a framework agreement is first — this guide assumes you already know what a call-off is.
Government Commercial Agency (formerly CCS)
The largest central buying organisation in UK government, and the one whose agreements the widest range of buyers can use.
Crown Commercial Service became the Government Commercial Agency on 1 April 2026, bringing CCS together with several Cabinet Office central commercial teams into a single executive agency. For suppliers this is an organisational change, not a legal one: GCA has confirmed that the legality of existing CCS agreements is unaffected and that live contracts and call-offs continue on the terms they were awarded under. You do not need to do anything.
You will still see "CCS" everywhere — in framework names, in RM reference numbers, and in buyers' own documentation — and that is fine. It is the same portfolio.
Its agreements cover technology, professional services, construction, facilities, energy, travel, HR and more. Some are open frameworks, some closed, and the portfolio also includes dynamic markets and legacy dynamic purchasing systems.
We cover this in more depth in Crown Commercial Service and CCS frameworks.
The local authority owned buying organisations
These are a distinct category worth understanding: they are owned by councils, operate on a not-for-profit basis, and return any surplus to their member authorities. That tends to make them more approachable than the language on their websites suggests.
ESPO is owned by six member authorities — Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Warwickshire county councils and Peterborough City Council. It describes itself as 100% public sector owned, with over 45 years of operation, more than 100 frameworks and a catalogue running to tens of thousands of products. Strong in education, and in the everyday goods and services councils buy constantly.
YPO is owned by 13 member local authorities, has around 50 years of history, and likewise runs over 100 frameworks with profits returning to the public sector. Broad coverage across local authority, education, emergency services and housing categories.
SCAPE is wholly owned by six local authority shareholders, was established in 2006 and formed under the Local Government Act 2003. It is built-environment only: construction, civil engineering, consultancy and utilities. Its construction framework suite is used by more than 1,200 public bodies, and it reports having supported £4.6bn of public sector construction over fifteen years.
NEPO is the North East Procurement Organisation, owned by the region's councils, with a portfolio weighted towards local government categories.
Pagabo
Worth calling out separately, because its structure confuses people. Pagabo is a framework manager, not a contracting authority. On its national frameworks, YPO is the contracting authority and Pagabo designs, delivers and manages the framework itself.
That distinction matters when you are reading a notice and trying to work out who you are actually contracting with. Pagabo's portfolio is construction-weighted — major works, medium works, small works, professional services and infrastructure — and it operates around a dozen national frameworks plus a dynamic purchasing system for small works.
Its own published figures give a useful sense of how competitive a place is: it has described frameworks receiving more than 200 bids with a little over half of applicants appointed.
Fusion21
A social enterprise, which makes it unusual in this list. Fusion21 procures for the public sector with social value built into the model rather than bolted on, and is strongest in housing, education, health and facilities management.
Membership is free to buying organisations — no joining fee and no annual charge — and Fusion21 states that it deliberately uses commercial tools to remove barriers to SMEs bidding onto its frameworks. It publishes its social value outcomes: in 2025–26 it reported 707 people into employment and 116 apprenticeships created through commitments delivered via its frameworks.
If social value is where your business genuinely has a story, this is a buying organisation whose evaluation model rewards it. See what social value means in tendering.
NHS Shared Business Services
NHS SBS is a joint venture between the Department of Health and Social Care and Sopra Steria, created in 2004. It runs over 40 framework agreements spanning clinical and corporate goods and services, with around 1,700 NHS and wider public sector organisations registered to use them.
Its frameworks are free to access for buyers and are maintained as a compliant route to market alongside the Provider Selection Regime and the Procurement Act 2023. If you sell into the NHS, this and GCA are the two portfolios to watch. See also how to win NHS contracts.
How you actually get on one
The process is broadly the same wherever you go:
- Work out which organisations cover your category. This is the step most suppliers skip. A cleaning contractor and a cloud software firm are watching almost entirely different lists.
- Find the establishment opportunity. Frameworks are advertised like any other contract — on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, and on the buying organisation's own upcoming-frameworks page. See where to find UK tenders.
- Register on the right eSourcing portal. Each organisation uses its own — Jaggaer, Delta, In-Tend, Atamis and others. Registration is administrative and free; it is not an application.
- Pass the selection stage. Financial standing, insurances, references, policies. See the PQQ and Standard Selection Questionnaire.
- Win the tender. Your submission is scored against published criteria, typically some blend of price, quality, track record and social value.
The two things that catch suppliers out
A place on a framework is not work. It makes you eligible. On most frameworks you then still compete for individual call-offs through further competition. Suppliers routinely win a place, celebrate, and then discover the mini-competitions are a second sales job.
Timing is the real barrier, not merit. Frameworks typically run for four years. Miss the establishment window and you are not "trying again next quarter" — you are waiting years while the suppliers who did get on call off work. This is why watching for framework establishment notices in your specific category matters far more than watching for ordinary contract notices.
The Procurement Act 2023 softened this somewhat by introducing open frameworks, which must reopen at least once within their first three years, and dynamic markets, which stay open to new members throughout. But a great many live frameworks are still closed ones let under the old rules.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs public sector frameworks in the UK?
There is no single body. The Government Commercial Agency (formerly Crown Commercial Service) is the largest, alongside local authority owned organisations such as ESPO, YPO, SCAPE and NEPO, framework managers such as Pagabo, the social enterprise Fusion21, and sector bodies such as NHS Shared Business Services.
Is Crown Commercial Service still called CCS?
CCS became the Government Commercial Agency on 1 April 2026. Existing CCS agreements, contracts and call-offs remain valid and the CCS name still appears throughout framework documentation.
Do I have to pay to join a framework?
Registering on an eSourcing portal is free. Under the Procurement Act 2023, where a dynamic market charges a fee it can only be charged to suppliers actually awarded a contract, and must be a fixed percentage of that contract's estimated value — not a fee for membership.
How long do frameworks last?
Typically four years. Closed frameworks admit no new suppliers during that period, which is why missing an establishment window is costly.
Can a small business get onto a framework?
Yes, and several of these organisations actively design for it. But treat it as a competitive bid rather than an application — you are being scored against incumbents who have held a place for years.
Sources
- GCA — Crown Commercial Service became Government Commercial Agency: what you need to know
- GCA — Agreements
- ESPO — About us
- YPO — Supplier information
- SCAPE — Governance and compliance
- Pagabo — Frameworks and procurement FAQs
- Fusion21 — About us and become a supplier
- NHS SBS — Framework agreements: supplier information
- GOV.UK — Guidance: dynamic markets (Procurement Act 2023)
- GOV.UK — Guidance: frameworks (Procurement Act 2023)
Figures quoted for individual buying organisations are those they publish about themselves, and are attributed as such. Framework portfolios and renewal dates change — always check the organisation's own upcoming-frameworks page before relying on timing.