Suffolk County Council will be undertaking this procurement exercise for a framework available for all public contracting authorities in the East of England. This exercise will be awarded by Suffolk County Council but tendered and managed on behalf of the Council by Concertus Design and Property Consultants, a wholly owned company of Suffolk County Council. The framework will be for contractors who have the capability and resources to undertake work on a traditional and design and build basis under a range of contract types. In addition to the contractors undertaking traditional construction and refurbishment works, the framework can be utilised for specialist trades via the main contractor; demolition and condition improvement works to the fabric and infrastructure of buildings. The council's current thinking is to award the framework in four lots covering all project types above:

— Band 1 covers the construction value range of projects between 0,00 GBP to 750 000 GBP,

— Band 2 covers the construction value range of projects from 500 000 GBP to 3 500 000 GBP,

— Band 3 covers the construction value range of projects from 2 750 000 GBP to 10 000 000 GBP, and

— Band 4 covers the construction value range of projects in excess of 8 000 000 GBP with no upper limit. It is our intention to release the Selection Questionnaire (SQ) in November 2018 and we will use the PAS91 SQ. We hope to have the framework in place to commence 1.6.2019 To express your interest in the first instance please email sue.mckinley@concertus.co.uk

Suffolk County Council is committed to providing opportunities for developing and supporting the local economy and we are keen to understand the current market place in the construction industry. Concertus Design and Property Consultants will support Suffolk County Council with research to develop a framework that can deliver best value for the East of England region which is attractive in the current local market conditions.