Eleven firms now face a fight to retain their place on the pretendered panel for projects valued between £2m and £10m.

These include: BAM, Conlon, Galliford Try, ISG, Keepmoat, Kier, Laing O’Rourke, Seddon, Vinci, Wates and Willmott Dixon.

The framework will be split into five sub-regional lots for projects valued £2m-£5m in Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. The remaining lot will cover larger projects of £5m-£10m across the whole region.

Manchester City Council is hosting the procurement for the three-year framework with expressions of interest due in by 15 October. The new panel will be appointed by March 2019.

Since its establishment in 2009, the NWCH has delivered 366 projects for 101 clients, worth more than £1.8bn. Projects have been completed across Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, and Cheshire through the framework.

Further details are available on the Chest website.