What is a call-off contract?

A call-off contract is the individual contract a public sector buyer places with one supplier under a framework agreement. It uses the framework’s pre-agreed terms. The framework sets the terms and the list of approved suppliers, and the call-off is the contract that buys something under them. It commits you to deliver, sets what the buyer pays you, and decides how long the work runs.

The framework decides most of the practical detail. That includes how a call-off comes into being, what documents make it up, how long it can run and what to check before you sign. We use G-Cloud 15 as the worked example here, because the Government Commercial Agency (GCA), formerly the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), publishes its documents. For the G-Cloud framework itself, see our Ultimate Guide to G-Cloud. This is general information, not legal advice. As at 8th October 2026.

What is a call-off contract?

A call-off contract is a contract for services, goods or works between a public sector buyer and a supplier. The buyer places it under an existing framework agreement. People sometimes call it a specific contract, and some frameworks call the paperwork an order form.

The distinction that matters is this. Winning a place on a framework makes you eligible for work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be lined up to win. The call-off is the point at which a buyer commits budget to you. So until a call-off is in place, you have no order to deliver and no revenue.

How does a call-off contract relate to a framework agreement?

Section 45(2) of the Procurement Act 2023 defines a framework as a contract between a contracting authority and one or more suppliers. It provides for the future award of contracts to those suppliers. The framework sets the terms for a defined group of goods, services or works. It does not usually commit anyone to buy anything. Buyers then place individual call-off contracts under it, one at a time, throughout the framework’s life.

You agreed the terms when you joined the framework, so nobody needs to negotiate them again when a buyer wants to buy. That is where the speed comes from. It is also why the terms you submit at application matter so much: you live with them on every call-off that follows.

2 consequences follow for suppliers, and both catch people out:

• Call-off length does not depend on how long the framework has left to run. G-Cloud 15 is a 4-year framework, but a hosting call-off under it can run for up to 5 years plus up to 3 more. So a late call-off can run well beyond the framework. Each call-off is a separate contract from the framework, and the G-Cloud 15 General Terms say it survives the termination of the framework (clause 2.5.4).
• A call-off does not reopen the framework terms. On G-Cloud 15 the same General Terms apply to every call-off. The call-off fills in the specifics: what the buyer is buying, from when, for how much, and on what service levels.

How is a call-off contract awarded?

There are 2 routes, and the framework decides which ones a buyer can use. Under the Procurement Act 2023, a framework may allow award without competition in only 2 cases (section 45(4)). Either it has a single supplier, or it sets out the core terms of the contract and an objective way of choosing the supplier. Otherwise, the buyer must run a competitive selection process (section 45(3)). These rules do not apply to light touch frameworks (section 45(9)).

• Award without competition (previously direct award). On G-Cloud 15, the buyer writes a statement of requirements and uses the Digital Platform’s filters to shortlist the services that meet it. It checks that no supplier is excluded, then awards on lowest price and completes the order form. You do not submit a separate bid. This differs from a direct award under sections 41 to 43 of the Act, which a buyer can make outside a framework in special cases.
• Award with competition (previously further competition). The buyer runs a mini-competition among the shortlisted suppliers on the relevant lot, who respond to its invitation to tender. It assesses the tenders against its stated criteria and awards to the most advantageous tender. This is a bid, and the quality of your response decides it.

G-Cloud 14 allowed award without competition only on Lots 1 to 3. Its Lot 4 used award with competition only. By contrast, G-Cloud 15 allows both routes on all 5 lots. GCA records that change in its comparison of terms for the 2 frameworks. For suppliers that cuts both ways. Award without competition keeps the fast route that suits smaller specialists. On the other hand, award with competition gives buyers a way to test the market on larger or less clear-cut requirements.

What documents make up a call-off contract?

On a modern framework a call-off is not one document. It is an order form plus a stack of schedules, and the obligations live in the schedules.

G-Cloud 15 makes a useful example. It uses the Public Sector Contract (PSC), a standard government contract, with changes to suit the cloud market. GCA’s comparison of terms for G-Cloud 14 and G-Cloud 15 sets out 5 layers:

• General Terms. The core contract terms, based on the Public Sector Contract. On G-Cloud 14 the terms were bespoke to the framework. Clauses cover liability, ending the contract, changing the contract, insurance, data protection and security, intellectual property, subcontracting and dispute resolution.
• Framework Schedule 6. The Order Form Template. This is the document you and the buyer complete for each call-off.
• Framework Schedule 7. The Call-Off Award Procedure: the rules a buyer must follow to award a call-off under the framework. The Act requires a framework to set out any selection process for contracts under it (section 45(5)(d)).
• Joint Schedules. Terms shared between the framework and the call-off. They include Definitions (1), Variation Form (2), Insurance Requirements (3), Sustainability (5) and Key Subcontractors (6). They also include Financial Difficulties (7), Guarantee (8), Rectification Plan (9) and Processing Data (10).
• Call-Off Schedules. Terms that attach to the individual contract, numbered up to 28. They include Intellectual Property Rights (1), Staff Transfer (2), Call-Off Tender (4), Pricing Details (5) and Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (8). Others cover Security (9A to 9E), Exit Management (10), Clustering (12), Performance Levels (14) and Call-Off Contract Management (15). The list also includes Benchmarking (16), Specification (20), Corporate Resolution Planning (24), Carbon Reduction (26) and the Cyber Essentials Scheme (27).

Which schedules should you read first?

3 of the Call-Off Schedules are worth knowing by name before you sign anything.

• Call-Off Schedule 4, Call-Off Tender. After an award with competition, the buyer may want commitments from your bid in the contract. Those commitments then go into this schedule. It is how what you promised in a mini-competition becomes part of the contract.
• Call-Off Schedule 20, Specification. It sets out the characteristics of what you will deliver. If the specification and your service description disagree, the buyer holds you to the specification.
• Call-Off Schedule 12, Clustering. Buyers use it where several contracting authorities want to contract together under a single call-off rather than separately. Spot it early, because it changes who your customer is.

How long can a call-off contract run?

The framework sets the maximum call-off length, not the buyer and not you. Suppliers often get a call-off wrong here, by proposing a term the framework does not allow.

On G-Cloud 15 the maximum length depends on the lot:

The framework agreement sets out how the extension works on the hosting lots. The optional extension period consists of one or more extensions of up to 12 months each. In total it can add no more than 3 years after the initial period ends. So an extension need not be a single block.

For contrast, G-Cloud 14 allowed a call-off term of up to 36 months with an optional 12-month extension. Guidance written before G-Cloud 15 is likely to quote that figure, and it no longer describes the current framework. G-Cloud 14 itself expires on 28th October 2026, and every call-off under it must be in place by then. G-Cloud 14 call-offs that are still running stay under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the rules they started under. For how G-Cloud 15 works as a framework, see our Ultimate Guide to G-Cloud.

What changed for call-off contracts under the Procurement Act 2023?

3 changes matter most if you sign call-offs under a framework that follows the Act, such as G-Cloud 15. They apply to call-offs that are public contracts. A call-off is a public contract when its estimated value, including VAT, is at or above the threshold for its type and it is not exempt (section 3). Smaller call-offs follow the below-threshold rules in Part 6 of the Act, which have their own notice rule (section 87). Some duties do not apply to certain buyers, such as private utilities (sections 52(6) and 53(6)).

Standard contract terms

G-Cloud 15 uses the Public Sector Contract as its baseline rather than bespoke terms. If another framework uses the same contract, its schedule architecture will look familiar. That makes its call-off pack much faster to read.

Notices before and after award

Before entering into a call-off that is a public contract, the buyer must publish a contract award notice (section 50). The exceptions are narrow, such as some defence and security contracts. The mandatory standstill period does not apply to call-offs under a framework (section 51). A buyer can still set a voluntary standstill of at least 8 working days in the notice.

After entering into the call-off, the buyer must publish a contract details notice within 30 days (section 53(1)). For a light touch contract the limit is 120 days. Cabinet Office guidance says that notice “is required to be published on the central digital platform”. It also says the notice “replaces the contract award notice published on the Find a Tender Service and the awarded opportunity notice published on Contracts Finder under the previous legislation”.

More transparency for bigger contracts

For a public contract worth more than £5 million, the buyer must usually set at least 3 key performance indicators (KPIs) before entering into it. It must also publish them (section 52). The duty does not apply to light touch contracts, or where the buyer considers KPIs could not properly assess performance. In addition, the buyer must publish a copy of the contract within 90 days of entering into it, or 180 days for a light touch contract (section 53(3)). Some Welsh and Northern Ireland buyers are exempt from publishing the copy (section 53(4)).

That point is worth pausing on. If your call-off is worth more than £5 million, expect the contract and your KPIs to become public. The £5 million test uses the whole estimated value of the contract, including VAT and any options to extend (Schedule 3). The buyer may hold information back only to safeguard national security. It may also do so for sensitive commercial information, where an overriding public interest favours withholding it (section 94).

What should suppliers check before agreeing a call-off contract?

These are the checks that most often catch problems, in the order they usually bite.

• Is the term within what the framework allows? Check the initial period and the extension structure for your specific lot. Proposing a longer term than the framework permits is an error we often see.
• Does the specification match what you sell? The buyer will hold you to Call-Off Schedule 20, not your marketing copy.
• Are the performance levels achievable? Service levels and any associated deductions sit in the performance schedule. Agreeing to a service level you cannot hit is agreeing to a deduction.
• Do the pricing details match the framework prices? Detailed pricing goes in the pricing schedule and must follow the framework’s pricing rules. On G-Cloud 15 you can reduce your prices or offer discounts, but you cannot increase them during the framework term.
• Have you read the security schedule the buyer selected? G-Cloud 15 offers 5 security schedules and the buyer chooses. They impose materially different obligations.
• Is anything in here trying to amend the framework terms? If it is, that is a problem for both sides, and better raised before signature than after.
• Are your framework-level obligations still current? On G-Cloud 15 every lot requires a Technical Ability Certificate. On Lots 2a, 2b and 3, you need a signed one before you can enter into a call-off contract.

One piece of practical advice has not changed. Offer to complete the order form for your buyer rather than waiting for them to do it. It is good form, it takes work off your customer, and the document then reflects what you agreed. It only works if you know the framework terms well enough to keep it compliant.

Call-off contracts: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a framework agreement and a call-off contract?

A framework agreement sets pre-agreed terms and a list of approved suppliers. It does not usually commit anyone to buy anything. A call-off contract is the individual contract a buyer places under that framework in order to buy something. Winning a framework place makes you eligible for work; a call-off is the work.

Can a call-off contract be awarded without competition?

On some frameworks, yes. Under the Procurement Act 2023, a framework other than a light touch one can allow award without competition in 2 cases. Either it has a single supplier, or it sets out the core terms and an objective way of choosing the supplier. On G-Cloud 15, the buyer shortlists the services that meet its requirements on the Digital Platform. It then awards on lowest price, without running a competition. G-Cloud 14 allowed award without competition only on Lots 1 to 3. G-Cloud 15 allows award with competition and award without competition on all 5 lots.

How long can a call-off contract last?

The framework sets the maximum, and it can vary by lot. On G-Cloud 15, hosting call-offs (Lots 1a and 1b) can run for up to 5 years, with optional extensions of up to 3 more years. Call-offs on Lots 2a, 2b and 3 can run for up to 4 years, with optional extensions of up to 2 more. G-Cloud 14, by contrast, allowed up to 36 months plus an optional 12-month extension.

Can I negotiate the terms of a call-off contract?

Not the framework terms. You agreed those when you joined the framework, and a call-off does not reopen them. What a call-off does settle is the specifics: scope, price, dates, service levels and which optional schedules apply. After an award with competition, any extra commitments from your bid that the buyer wants go into Call-Off Schedule 4, the Call-Off Tender.

Do call-off contracts have to be published?

Yes, for call-offs that are public contracts under the Procurement Act 2023. Before entering into the call-off, the buyer must publish a contract award notice. Afterwards it must publish a contract details notice on the central digital platform, within 30 days, or 120 days for a light touch contract. Above £5 million, the buyer must usually also publish a copy of the contract, and set and publish at least 3 key performance indicators. Smaller call-offs follow the Act’s below-threshold rules, and G-Cloud 14 call-offs follow the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

What happens to a call-off contract when the framework expires?

Call-off length follows the framework’s rules, but the time the framework has left does not cap it. G-Cloud 15 runs for 4 years. A hosting call-off under it can run for up to 5 years plus up to 3 more, so a late call-off can extend well beyond the framework. Each call-off is a separate contract from the framework, and the G-Cloud 15 General Terms say it survives the termination of the framework (clause 2.5.4).

What documents will I be signing?

On a framework using the Public Sector Contract, you sign an order form plus the schedules that apply to it. On G-Cloud 15 that means the Order Form Template (Framework Schedule 6) and the General Terms. It also means the relevant Joint Schedules and whichever Call-Off Schedules the buyer has selected. The order form is short, whereas the obligations sit in the schedules.

Where to go next

• Ultimate Guide to G-Cloud, for the framework itself: the lots, how to apply, how buyers award and what the framework terms commit you to.
• G-Cloud 15 FAQs, for the questions suppliers are asking about the current framework.
• What is OJEU?, for the procurement regime that preceded Find a Tender and the Procurement Act 2023.

If you would rather not work through a call-off pack alone, our bid support services cover exactly this. We complete call-offs for clients, or work alongside them.