£12bn national developer framework opens for bids

Procure Partnerships Framework has opened bidding for its first £12bn National Developer Framework, inviting companies to compete for appointments supporting public sector construction and regeneration projects across England. The four-year agreement will establish regional panels of development partners capable of taking projects from early feasibility and planning through to construction and delivery.

Wirral Council is acting as the contracting authority for the procurement, which comprises 63 lots distributed across nine English regions. Up to eight development partners may be appointed to each lot, creating opportunities for regional businesses and larger national developers to compete for public sector development work within defined geographic areas and project value bands.

The framework has an estimated aggregate value of £12bn over its intended operating period. Actual expenditure will depend on public authorities commissioning projects through the arrangement, with individual appointments and development contracts determining the work allocated to participating businesses.

The procurement follows market engagement that began in April, including a session with prospective developers in May. Feedback informed the regional structure and the division of the framework into different development models and value bands, with the procurement intended to accommodate projects ranging from smaller community developments to major regeneration programmes.

Each of the nine regions will have four development agreement lots and three joint venture or strategic partnership lots, providing 36 development agreement opportunities and 27 partnership opportunities nationally. The bands allow contracting authorities to select development partners according to the anticipated value and commercial structure of a scheme.

For development agreements, the value bands cover projects up to £30m, between £30m and £50m, between £50m and £100m, and above £100m. Joint venture and strategic partnership lots cover projects up to £50m, between £50m and £100m, and above £100m.

Development agreements can be used where a public authority needs a commercial partner to progress land through planning, design and construction. Depending on the arrangement, the developer may undertake responsibilities involving site preparation, funding, construction procurement and delivery of completed buildings or infrastructure.

The framework is intended to accommodate development models including land and build agreements, forward funding and turnkey delivery. These approaches allocate different responsibilities for land, investment and construction, allowing a public body to select a structure suited to its assets, financial requirements and intended project outcome.

A turnkey arrangement can involve a developer delivering a completed facility against agreed requirements, while a forward funding structure may provide capital during development subject to the terms of the agreement. Each model requires the participating organisations to establish the commercial obligations, delivery milestones and risks associated with the project.

The joint venture and strategic partnership lots provide a route for more extensive relationships between public bodies and development businesses. These may involve shared investment, the creation of a development vehicle or contractual arrangements intended to support a programme of projects over several years.

Such structures can be used where a council or other public body owns land but requires additional development expertise and investment capacity to progress it. The partnership may bring together publicly owned assets, private development resources and a programme of construction activities, with the responsibilities of each participant established through the individual agreement.

The framework also covers predevelopment and feasibility activities. These can include masterplanning, technical due diligence, planning support, viability assessments, business cases and assistance with funding applications. Work at this stage helps establish the physical and commercial requirements of a site before an authority decides whether to commit to construction.

Site conditions can have a substantial effect on the feasibility of regeneration schemes, particularly where development involves existing buildings, former industrial land or infrastructure requiring replacement. Ground investigation, remediation requirements, access improvements and utility provision may need to be assessed before the proposed buildings and construction programme can be defined.

Early development work also informs the financial structure of a project. The expected cost of preparing land, constructing facilities and providing supporting infrastructure must be considered alongside funding availability, the intended use of completed assets and the authority’s wider development objectives.

The framework will be accessible to local authorities, combined authorities, NHS trusts and other NHS bodies, universities, further education institutions, housing associations and other eligible public organisations with land or regeneration responsibilities.

Those users may require different forms of development expertise. A local authority progressing a town centre regeneration scheme can face land assembly and infrastructure challenges, while a healthcare organisation may need a development partner capable of delivering specialist facilities within an operational estate. Housing associations may seek partners for mixed-tenure residential schemes or regeneration of existing housing land.

Development partners appointed through the framework will be available for selection through direct award, express competition or further competition, according to the applicable framework rules and the requirements of the individual project. These routes provide different methods of selecting a provider from the appointed panel.

The regional structure allows authorities to consider developers with established knowledge of local planning requirements, construction markets and supply chains. The division into value bands is also intended to provide opportunities for smaller regional businesses, whose experience may align with particular categories of development.

Procure Partnerships already operates contractor and professional services frameworks, and the new developer arrangement will sit alongside those procurement routes. Its additional scope covers development activities that can precede construction, including project definition, financial structuring and the progression of sites through planning and approval processes.

The procurement is being administered through The Chest portal under reference DN833035. Prospective bidders must register through the portal to access the tender documents and submit their proposals. Clarification questions must be raised by the end of Friday 27 November 2026.

The tender deadline is noon on Friday 8 January 2027. Successful development partners are expected to be notified during March, with the four-year framework commencing later that month following completion of the procurement arrangements.

Faye Dolan, framework director at Procure Partnerships, has identified regional expertise and flexibility across different development structures as priorities for the procurement. The lotting arrangements reflect the intention to bring local development businesses and larger national operators into the same framework, while allowing authorities to select providers according to the scale and structure of individual schemes.

Once the panels have been appointed, participating public bodies will be able to use the framework to progress development requirements through the appropriate selection process. Individual projects will still depend on their technical feasibility, funding arrangements and statutory approvals, with construction contracts and delivery programmes established as schemes move forward.

The current tender establishes the competition for those future development roles. Bidders have until 8 January to seek positions on the regional panels, ahead of the framework’s planned commencement in March 2027.