Civil Engineering Framework
Framework Description
The Scottish Government's Civil Engineering Framework is a national framework, worth around £600 million, for larger civil engineering projects across the Scottish public sector. It has three lots: general civil engineering works from £5m to £25m, structural civil engineering works from £5m to £25m, and major civil engineering projects up to £100m. It has been extended and now runs until 24 March 2030.
Context & Use Case
Scottish public bodies use it for roads, structures and other infrastructure projects too large for local arrangements. It complements the Scottish Government's Civil Engineering DPS, which handles schemes up to £5 million, so it is the route for bigger projects where buyers want contractors already assessed as able to deliver at that scale.
Scope of Services
Lot 1: General civil engineering works, £5m to £25m Lot 2: Structural civil engineering works, £5m to £25m Lot 3: Major civil engineering projects, up to £100m Roads and infrastructure works
Lots
Lot 1 General civil engineering works GBP 5m-25m; Lot 2 Structural civil engineering works GBP 5m-25m; Lot 3 Major civil engineering projects up to GBP 100m
Who Can Apply
It suits established civil engineering contractors with the capacity for £5m to £100m projects. Applications are closed, so firms not appointed cannot join now; the next opportunity is the re-tender, likely to be around 24 March 2030. In the meantime, smaller projects are open to new entrants through the Civil Engineering DPS.
Buyer Benefits
Buyers can award high-value civil engineering work to contractors already assessed for capacity and quality, saving months of procurement on schemes up to £100m. Separate lots for structural work and major projects let them match each project to contractors with the right experience.
Next Steps
Appointed contractors should track pipeline schemes from Scottish public bodies and prepare for work orders in their lot. Others should join the Civil Engineering DPS to build Scottish public sector references on projects up to £5m, take subcontract roles on framework schemes, and plan for the re-tender ahead of March 2030 by gathering large-project case studies and financial evidence.
How Athena Can Help
On a framework of this value, every work order matters. Athena's bid strategy and pricing team builds win themes for each scheme, scores your draft against other appointed contractors and checks pricing against the evaluation model.
For contractors outside it, the route runs through the Civil Engineering DPS and then the 2030 re-tender. We can handle the DPS and framework applications and offer infrastructure bid guidance on individual schemes as you build your track record.
