How public-sector catering equipment frameworks work

Published 22/10/2026. General information, not legal advice: always check the official notice and guidance.

Much public-sector kitchen equipment is bought by "calling off" from a framework that a buying organisation set up months or years earlier. If you are not on the framework, you may never see the opportunity advertised. This guide explains how frameworks work under the Procurement Act 2023, which has applied to new procurements since 24/02/2025, and what that means for catering equipment suppliers.

What a framework is

Section 45 of the Act defines a framework as "a contract between a contracting authority and one or more suppliers that provides for the future award of contracts by a contracting authority to the supplier or suppliers". The contracts awarded under it are called call-off contracts. In most cases a framework does not commit anyone to buy anything, so getting on a framework is a licence to compete, not a guaranteed order book.

Every framework must state what is being bought, the price or how it is worked out, its estimated value, the selection process for call-offs, its term, whether it is an open framework, and which contracting authorities may use it. Check that last list carefully, because it tells you which schools, trusts or councils can buy through it.

Many frameworks are run by centralised purchasing bodies, such as Crown Commercial Service, for use by a wide range of public bodies.

How long a framework lasts

Under section 47, a framework can last up to four years (eight years for defence and security or utilities frameworks). A buyer can go beyond that only if the nature of what is being bought needs a longer term, and it must give its reasons in the tender or transparency notice. Government guidance notes that call-off contracts may run beyond the end of the framework itself.

Open frameworks: a second chance to get on

Open frameworks are new under the Act. Section 49 describes them as a scheme of successive frameworks on substantially the same terms. The scheme must be reopened at least once in the first three years and at least every five years after that, and it lasts no more than eight years in total. If only one supplier is on it, the limit is four years.

So missing the first round is no longer always a four-year lockout: new suppliers can bid when the scheme reopens. If the number of places is not capped, existing suppliers can keep their place based on their earlier award without re-tendering.

How call-offs are awarded

A call-off is awarded in one of two ways:

1. Competitive selection (a "mini-competition"). Suppliers on the framework, or on the relevant lot, bid against each other. Under section 46, proposals can only be scored against the framework's original award criteria, although those criteria can be refined. The buyer may add proportionate conditions of participation covering financial or technical ability, but cannot demand insurance before the contract is awarded.
2. Award without competition (often called direct award). This is allowed only if one supplier is on the framework, or if the framework sets out the core terms and an objective way of choosing the supplier. Government guidance gives a rotating "taxi-rank" system or a highest-ranked supplier as examples.

Fees and transparency

Section 45(7) allows framework fees only as a fixed percentage of the value of call-off contracts a supplier actually wins. Government guidance says it is not permissible to charge suppliers to join a framework, and fees must be set out in the framework and the notice. If a framework asks for a joining fee, query it.

There is also more visibility than before. Government guidance notes that, unlike the old rules, buyers must now publish a contract award notice after awarding a call-off contract.

Planning for renewals: what our data shows

KitchenTenders tracks frameworks for catering equipment, commercial kitchens, ventilation, refrigeration and equipment maintenance on its framework renewal calendar, using only published notices. As of 22/10/2026 the calendar holds 82 frameworks. Of these, 13 are ending within the next 18 months with no re-tender seen yet, 9 have a re-tender expected, 1 is tendering now and 19 are live. For a further 17, the initial term has ended with no extension date published, and many of these will have been extended.

Because frameworks usually last four years or less, a renewal is rarely more than a few years away. A practical routine looks like this:

1. Note the end date and any extension options of each framework that covers your area or product types.
2. Watch for preliminary market engagement (UK2) and planned procurement (UK3) notices in the months before the end date. Our coming soon page lists these.
3. For open frameworks, note when the scheme is due to reopen.
4. Keep your Find a Tender supplier registration up to date so that you can bid at short notice.
5. Use contracts ending soon and the sector pages to see which buyers are likely to come back to the market.

See also how to find UK catering equipment tenders and what the Procurement Act 2023 changes.

Sources

1. GOV.UK: Guidance: frameworks (Procurement Act 2023)
2. legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Act 2023, section 45 (frameworks)
3. legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Act 2023, section 46 (frameworks: competitive selection process)
4. legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Act 2023, section 47 (frameworks: maximum term)
5. legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Act 2023, section 49 (open frameworks)
6. Find a Tender: notice types and sequences