It signals growing ambition among regional framework players to roll out national offerings across regional lots.

The new Integrated Consultancy Framework is the brainchild of Manchester City Council, Hampshire County Council and Devon County Council.

It is being set up to enable clients swift and simple access to multi-disciplinary design and management professionals.

Due to start next May and run for a period of four years, it will be open to all public sector clients in the North West, South West, South East, London, Wales, and West Midlands.

This framework will enable public clients to demonstrate value for money from an open book system of accounting, design innovation and the removal of waste from the process of procurement, with the added benefit of being a nationally run framework that focuses on local value.

Keith Heard, framework manager for Southern Construction Frameworks said: “The framework proposal was born out of a joint intellectual pool of ideas that can improve the way public sector construction procurement is being delivered.

“The new approach is an answer to the systemic failures of a fragmented construction industry.

“It will replace the unsustainable lowest price way of thinking and instead drive value-driven collaborative working, based on an integrated team approach.”

Ian Hall, Interim Framework Lead for North West Construction Hub said: “This framework is an opportunity for industry leaders to not only develop a more sustainable ‘off-site’ and ‘digital construction’ solution for public sector clients but also to allow for local SME engagement and well-being.

“Single framework procurement is a mechanism to save time, cost and resources by doing it once, with the right values and culture in mind that allows for high impact solutions”.

Interested consultants should register their interest at the In-Tend website.