To supply through an open framework follow the steps below:
1. Find a tender opportunity
First you must identify which frameworks you would like to apply to join as a supplier. We advertise all tender opportunities on:
Take some time to read through the opportunities available and identify if any match the services or products you can provide.
If there are no relevant opportunities for your business right now, you may be able to subcontract through existing suppliers. Contact the relevant supplier directly to explore this.
You can also register with both Find a Tender service and Contracts Finder to get alerts for new opportunities in your business area.
Important: Registering with these services doesn’t make you a CCS supplier. You must respond to a tender and be successfully awarded a place.
2. Register on our eSourcing platform to respond to tender opportunity
We conduct all CCS procurements through our eSourcing portal. This means once you have found a framework you would like to join, you must register on our eSourcing portal to access the Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents and express interest in joining.
What you need to register
- full legal name of your organisation
- your DUNS number (a unique nine-digit number – free to obtain)
- profile information describing your organisation and business size
Remember: registering for eSourcing access and expressing your interest to join a CCS framework does not guarantee success. You also need to win through the competitive tendering process.
3. Submit tender and show how you meet certain conditions of participation
As a general rule we will ask you to show us how you meet certain conditions of participation to prove your capability. We ask you to do this by completing a procurement selection questionnaire (PSQ).
The questionnaire will be specific to the framework you wish to join. They may assess things like if you have the right accreditations for that framework.
4. Assessment of tender
If you have satisfied the conditions of participation, your tender will be assessed. Typically your tender will include responses to quality questions and the submission of pricing information.
This will then start the competitive tender process where we will assess responses from all suppliers.
If you are successful you will be awarded a place on the framework. Once all suppliers have been awarded a place on a closed framework and it becomes live no further suppliers will be able to join.
5. What happens if you are successful?
If you are awarded a place as a supplier on one of our frameworks, buyers will be able to invite you to bid for business.
6. What happens when the framework reopens?
Existing suppliers
If you are already an existing supplier on an open framework, when the framework reopens you can:
- choose to be readmitted based on your initial bid
- submit a new bid to expand or change your service offering or pricing (follow steps 1 to 4 above)
- leave the framework (you can bid to rejoin at the next opening point)
New suppliers
If you are not an existing supplier when the framework reopens, follow steps 1 to 4 above.
