A framework agreement is a contract between one or more buyers and one or more suppliers that sets the terms for future purchases over a set period. Rather than awarding a single job, it establishes who may supply and on what terms, with specific orders ('call-offs') placed later.
Frameworks are used when a buyer expects repeated or ongoing needs. Being appointed to a framework does not guarantee work, but it makes you eligible for call-offs during its term, which may run several years. Call-offs are awarded either directly or through a mini-competition among framework suppliers.
Two features shape whether a framework is worth bidding for. The first is whether it is single-supplier or multi-supplier: a place alongside fifteen others is worth far less than a place alongside two. The second is who is entitled to use it, some frameworks are established by one authority, others by a central purchasing body on behalf of hundreds of buyers, which dramatically changes the addressable value. Because a framework closes to new entrants once awarded, missing the initial competition can lock you out of a category for years, which is why forward procurement plans are worth monitoring.