Ask ten people in public sector sales which route is better — frameworks or open tenders — and you'll get ten different answers, all of them partially right. The honest answer is that it depends on what you sell, who buys it, and how developed your public sector pipeline already is.
But most businesses pick one route by accident rather than design. They stumble onto a framework application or respond to an open tender and then keep doing what worked once, without ever stepping back to ask whether it's the right strategy. Let's fix that.
How Open Tenders Work
An open tender is exactly what it sounds like. A public sector buyer publishes a requirement, any eligible supplier can submit a bid, and the contract is awarded through a competitive evaluation process. Every buyer runs their own process, on their own timetable, with their own evaluation criteria.
The appeal is straightforward. You don't need to be on any pre-approved list. If you meet the minimum selection criteria — financial standing, relevant experience, necessary accreditations — you can compete. There are open tenders running right now for contracts in every category and every region.
The challenge is cost and unpredictability. Each open tender requires a full bid — typically 30 to 80 hours of writing, evidence gathering, pricing, and review for a serious submission. You're competing against an unknown field. Win rates for open tenders in competitive markets are often 15-25%. That's a lot of bids to write for every contract won.
How Frameworks Work
A framework agreement is a pre-qualification process. A central buying organisation — Crown Commercial Service, NHS Supply Chain, a regional buying consortium — runs a competition to establish a list of approved suppliers. Get on the list and buyers can call off contracts directly from you, often without running a full competitive tender each time.
The upfront investment is higher. Framework applications are detailed and demanding. But once you're on, every buyer using that framework is a potential customer without a re-qualification requirement. For high-volume categories — IT, consultancy, professional services, facilities — the return on investment can be substantial.
The framework trap
Being on G-Cloud doesn't mean buyers will find you automatically. The framework gives you access to the market; it doesn't generate pipeline on its own. You still need to be visible, active, and competitive on mini-competitions within the lot.
The risk is over-reliance. Businesses that get onto a framework often treat it as a passive revenue stream. It isn't. Buyers still run mini-competitions within frameworks, and if your pricing isn't competitive or your credentials have gone stale, you'll lose those even with approved status.
Who Should Prioritise Frameworks
If you're in a category with heavy framework activity — digital and technology, management consultancy, legal services, staffing, healthcare products — the framework route isn't optional. It's the primary procurement mechanism. Many buyers in those categories won't go to open tender at all for contracts below certain thresholds. If you're not on G-Cloud, DOS, the Management Consultancy Framework, or relevant NHS procurement vehicles, you're invisible to a significant portion of the market.
- •IT and digital: G-Cloud, Digital Outcomes and Specialists (now DDAT Marketplace), Technology Products and Services
- •Consultancy: Crown Commercial Service Management Consultancy Framework, NHS PCARP
- •Professional services: Legal Services 3, Audit and Assurance Services
- •Healthcare: NHS Supply Chain, various regional buying consortia
- •Workforce: NHS Agency Staff, MSTAR3, Education People
If you're in one of these categories and you're relying entirely on open tenders, you're working too hard for the results you're getting.
Who Should Focus on Open Tenders
Construction and built environment work is predominantly procured through open tender or project-specific frameworks. Local authority contracts for housing maintenance, regeneration, and infrastructure are routinely competed openly. Specialist services — niche consultancy, specialist equipment, bespoke training — often don't fit neatly into any existing framework and buyers have to go to open market.
If you're in these categories, framework pursuit can be a distraction. Your time is better spent building sector reputation, gathering evidence, and developing a process for producing high-quality bids efficiently.
The Best Entry Route for Newcomers
If you're new to public sector work and trying to build a foothold, sub-contracting through an established framework holder is often the fastest and lowest-risk path. You don't need to win a prime contract. You don't need to be on any list. You need to identify who holds the relevant framework appointments and make yourself an attractive sub-contractor to them.
This gives you three things that are hard to get any other way: a live public sector reference, insight into how buyers think and what they value, and a route to eventually competing for prime contracts with credibility behind you.
It isn't glamorous. It's also how a significant number of well-established public sector suppliers got their start — not by winning a landmark contract on their first bid, but by delivering good work at sub-contract level until they had enough credibility to compete at the top of the tier.
The Practical Answer
For most businesses at scale, the answer is both — but weighted differently depending on category. Map where your sector's spend actually flows. If frameworks account for 60% of public sector purchases in your category, they need to be 60% of your investment attention. If your category is predominantly open competition, don't spend your capacity trying to get on frameworks that buyers aren't using.
Follow the money. It's usually a reliable guide.