Recommendation 20

Framework agreements involve an initial competition for suppliers to gain access to the framework, followed by a shortened process for a department to select and appoint a supplier from the framework for a specific contract.36 Government use of frameworks for large contracts increased from 20% of contracts by value in 2018–19 to 68% in 2021–22.37 Frameworks are designed for procuring common goods and services to allow departments to realise benefits from economies of scale, but they are not always the way to achieve the best competition.38