Nine winners of the previous three-year deal now face a fight to retain their places.

They include previous newcomers Sir Robert McAlpine and Mace, alongside regular winners BAM, Galliford Try, ISG, Kier, Morgan Sindall, Wates and Willmott Dixon.

The latest framework is seeking to encourage regional contractors with an additional lower value lot for the South West, between £1m and £5m.

Requests to participate must be submitted by October 2022, with successful organisations informed in early 2023, ahead of the launch in May 2023.

The framework will give public sector organisations access to a full range of public sector construction solutions. This includes access to construct-only or design and build, construction, and management services.

A commitment to provide a trustworthy, equitable, and ethical vehicle for delivery underpins the framework and a commitment to uphold its carbon and social value targets.

SCF claims to be market leader in two-stage open book tendering, under which the framework will operate exclusively.

Kingsley Clarke, SCF operations lead, South West, said: “Since we first launched SCF Construct in 2006 we have delivered £7bn worth of construction schemes across the South of England, which we are immensely proud of.

“The introduction of a lower value lot in the South West starting at £1m opens the doors for regional contractors to bid and fits with our ethos of supporting regional businesses and partners.”

The new generation SCF Consult complements the current SCF Residential and SCF Consult frameworks.

For more information on the 5^th generation SCF Construct framework click here.