The Local Authorities will be reprocuring the Southern Construction Framework (SCF) - the fifth generation Framework (SCF5) currently in place is due to expire on 1st May 2027. As with previous generations, the framework will predominantly support contracting authorities with construction delivery across the Southeast, Southwest and London regions.

However the new Southern Construction Framework 6 (SCF6) will also be open to all public sector bodies in England if they wish to use it.

The framework is intended to operate for all projects above £1 million and will be split into geographic and value-based lots.

The previous generation had a framework cap of £4.5 billion with an anticipated workload of £1.92 billion over the 4 years it is set to operate. As of July 2025, SCF has achieved a workload of £1.59 billion (83% of turnover target at 54% of framework duration). It is anticipated that the SCF6 framework cap will be revised up to reflect both the performance and an increase in scope it covers.

SCF6 will be procured by Devon and Hampshire County Councils in the next 18 months, due to go live from May 2027.

The Councils are keen to get early engagement from interested suppliers to help steer and shape its initial set of proposals for the market.

Market testing took place during September and October 2025 and included both a survey and one to one sessions with interested suppliers. Following conclusion of this engagement activity, the SCF team shared headline findings at the London engagement event held in January 2026.

Building on the success of this London engagement event, the Councils are now notifying interested suppliers of the planned SCF6 regional engagement days, in response to the high level of interest expressed for further regional sessions.

The regional events will give local suppliers the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the proposed SCF6 design. The Councils comment:

“We anticipate they will be highly informative and engaging sessions, and we strongly encourage attendance and participation to help shape the future direction of the framework.”

The SCF6 Regional Engagement Events are scheduled to take place on:

The SCF6 events will be free to access and will not require a ticket; however, advance booking of places is required to assist in managing the event and should be actioned via the In-tend system - Hampshire Council's e-tendering website https://intendhost.co.uk/hampshire

In order to book a place at the event interested organisations must first register with In-Tend (if not already done so), search for project ref 'UN27073' and 'express an interest' in the project.

The In-Tend system should be used to notify the Councils of delegate names and contact details to book places. Suppliers can also refer to the 'Information for Suppliers' guidance on using the In-tend system.

Curent estimated publication date of a tender notice is 31 March 2026.

Visit https://southernconstructionframework.gov.uk for more information about the existing framework SCF5