Glossary

We understand that procurement can be confusing. Organisations often use different terms to describe the same thing. With that in mind, we designed this glossary to make buying with us and navigating our website easier. It is not designed to be an extensive list of all procurement terms.

Containing

• closed framework

C

Closed framework

A type of framework introduced under the Procurement Act 2023 where suppliers can only join at the start. After the initial competition:

• no new suppliers can join
• the agreement lasts for a maximum of 4 years
• for defence and utilities, they can last up to 8 years
  (longer periods may be allowed in certain markets if properly justified)

Once set up, the list of suppliers stays fixed for the entire duration of the framework.