Devon County Council and Hampshire County Council are preparing to launch the sixth generation of the framework, with around 20 firms expected to battle to retain their places.

Tendering is due to go live in March, with the bidders day on 21 January setting out plans for the next framework and sharing findings from earlier market engagement.

The current Southern Construction Framework 5 is due to expire in May 2027 and includes major names such as BAM, Bouygues, B+K, Galliford Try, Graham, Kier, Morgan Sindall, Tilbury Douglas, Vinci, Wates and Willmott Dixon.

The existing framework carries a £4.5bn cap and an anticipated £1.92bn workload over four years. By July 2025, it had already delivered £1.59bn of work — hitting 83% of its turnover target just over halfway through its term.

Councils now expect the SCF6 cap to be revised upwards to reflect both the framework’s performance and an expanded scope of work.

A significant shake-up is also planned, with single-stage tenders set to be introduced for the first time.

The move marks a shift for the framework, which has traditionally promoted early contractor involvement as standard.

Framework bosses said collaboration would remain central, but that hybrid two-stage and single-stage options would give clients and contractors more flexibility in certain value bands.

SCF6 will support public sector construction projects above £1m across the South East, South West and London, while remaining open to all public bodies in England.