Frameworks have become the default route for many public sector procurement exercises. They’re familiar, widely promoted, and often seen as the ‘safe’ option.
But this doesn’t always mean best value.
In fact, in some cases, using a framework tender could cost organisations up to five times more than taking a non-framework route.
Tim Monelle, Director of Trust Services at the Lighthouse Schools Partnership, said: “Had I used a framework for our catering tender, it would have cost us five times more than Litmus charged. The expertise and support we received from Litmus throughout the process was second to none.”
For organisations under increasing financial pressure, that’s a significant difference. Particularly when every pound saved can be redirected back into frontline services, education, or operational improvements.
The hidden cost of frameworks
One of the biggest misconceptions around frameworks is that they are free to use.
Often, there is no visible upfront fee charged directly to the client. However, framework providers typically charge the successful supplier a percentage fee over the lifetime of the contract. Those costs don’t disappear – they’re usually built into the supplier’s pricing and ultimately passed back to the client. The cost is still there. It’s just less transparent.
By contrast, a consultancy-led non-framework tender offers a clear and transparent fee structure from the outset, with no hidden percentages built into long-term contracts. And in many cases, the overall cost is dramatically lower.
Frameworks reduce competition
Another issue with frameworks is that they narrow the supplier market.
Only suppliers that have secured a place on the framework can bid, which automatically excludes many other capable providers – particularly SMEs and regional specialists.
In sectors like catering, cleaning, and soft FM services, markets are constantly evolving. New suppliers enter the market with fresh ideas, innovative approaches, and competitive pricing. If your procurement route excludes them from the start, you immediately reduce competitive tension, miss out on innovate ideas and risk not finding the supplier that aligns best to your operation.
The Procurement Act 2023 reinforced the importance of improving access for SMEs and encouraging fairer competition across public sector procurement. Yet frameworks limit that ambition in practice.
One-size-fits-all procurement rarely delivers the best outcome
Frameworks are designed to standardise procurement. That’s part of their appeal. But services like catering, cleaning, and facilities management are rarely ‘off-the-shelf’ purchases. Every organisation operates differently. Every school, Multi-Academy Trust, or public sector body has its own priorities, challenges, stakeholders, and expectations.
Frameworks can struggle to accommodate that complexity because the process is inherently more rigid.
A non-framework tender, however, allows the specification, evaluation criteria, and overall process to be built around the organisation’s actual needs – rather than forcing those needs into a pre-defined structure. That flexibility often leads to stronger outcomes, not just financially, but operationally too.
Procurement should not just be about compliance
There’s no question that frameworks can provide a compliant route to market. They can also work well, particularly where requirements are straightforward and unchanged.
But too often, procurement decisions are driven by perceived convenience rather than value.
The real question organisations should ask is: Are we choosing the route that delivers the best outcome – or simply the most familiar one?
A well-managed non-framework tender can still provide full compliance, while also delivering better value for money, greater supplier competition and more tailored solutions. And, as many organisations are discovering, potentially substantial cost savings too.
A more strategic approach to procurement
Here at Litmus, we believe procurement should be strategic, transparent, and genuinely focused on achieving the best possible outcome for clients; not simply following the most established route.
Frameworks absolutely have a place within public sector procurement. But they shouldn’t automatically be treated as the default option, particularly when alternative approaches could deliver significantly better value.
If you’d like to explore whether a non-framework approach could deliver better value for your organisation, get in touch with us here.
The Litmus team
