Frameworks in rail: Delivering value in a changing market
Frameworks have long played a key role in the rail industry, setting out long-term agreements that help clients procure the skills and services they need. But in today’s rail market, are they still working as intended?
Drawing on experience from both the client and supplier side, our Network Rail Client Account Director Rob Dunkley reflects on how frameworks are evolving — and what it will take for them to continue delivering value in more uncertain times.
For as long as I have worked in rail, frameworks have been part of how the industry operates. These long-term agreements between clients and suppliers provide efficient, sustainable access to the right skills and services, while supporting better outcomes over time.
Having worked on both sides of these agreements, I’ve seen how the use — and impact — of frameworks has changed. Expectations are shifting, and both parties are having to adapt. The question is whether long-term relationships are still delivering the benefits they promise.
To answer that, it’s worth going back to what frameworks are designed to do — and the value they’re intended to deliver — for clients and suppliers alike.
How frameworks support better outcomes for clients
For clients, frameworks bring clarity. They set out what suppliers can offer and give confidence that the right skills and services are in place to respond when challenges arise.
Crucially, longer-term relationships also support better outcomes. With time, suppliers build a deeper understanding of what success looks like for their clients — not just in contractual terms, but in how outcomes are interpreted and delivered on the ground. That insight helps teams respond more quickly, align approaches and support delivery more effectively.
Frameworks also offer a more efficient route to market. Rather than repeatedly reprocuring — a process that is time-consuming and costly for all involved — clients can award individual contracts, or ‘call-offs’, under an existing agreement. That efficiency matters, particularly in a market under increasing pressure.
And beyond process, frameworks help shift relationships away from the purely transactional. As trust builds, clients and suppliers are better able to work together in a more open and collaborative way, which often leads to more effective delivery.
The value of frameworks for suppliers
Frameworks play an important role for suppliers, too. In theory, they provide a more sustainable pipeline of work and the opportunity to build longer-term relationships with clients. Over time, those relationships generate insight and understanding, helping suppliers support delivery more effectively.
That continuity matters. As relationships mature, suppliers are better placed to anticipate needs, respond quickly and align their teams around what clients are really trying to achieve. Good work tends to strengthen relationships — and stronger relationships, in turn, support better outcomes.
A longer-term approach also helps organisations like ours think more strategically about how we invest in resources, to meet these challenges and opportunities with clients and partners.
Ultimately, this insight should enable suppliers to offer greater value — which must be a shared priority across today’s rail industry.
A changing market context
The context in which frameworks operate has changed significantly in recent years. Post-coronavirus economic pressures and constraints on public funding mean that many frameworks are no longer delivering the steady pipelines the supply chain once expected.
This isn’t through any failure on either side. It’s a reflection of the conditions we’re all operating in — and, in some cases, of changing client needs and priorities. As a result, the assumptions that once underpinned long-term agreements are being tested.
So, what does that mean in practice — and how do we need to adapt?
The importance of having the right conversations
The key is developing a deeper understanding of your partners. The better you understand your clients and partners, the more effective you can be as a service provider — whether you’re shaping proposals or planning resources.
As frameworks mature, relationships deepen. That creates space for more open, productive conversations, which are critical to making long-term agreements work.
It’s not about pushing services that aren’t needed, but about taking the time to listen, learn and build a clearer picture of what clients are really trying to achieve.
At AECOM, one of my key responsibilities is making sure we’re asking the right questions to develop that understanding. What pressures are clients facing? Where are the gaps that don’t yet have clear answers? What does innovation look like in their context? And how do they approach continuous improvement?
That curiosity matters. It helps surface genuine challenges and shape approaches that respond to real needs, rather than offering answers to problems that don’t exist. With those insights in place, the focus can shift to how existing long-term contracts can be used more creatively, while still operating within their boundaries.
Delivering value in uncertain times
Delivering value for money is arguably the most pressing issue for the supply chain across the public sector today.
Framework agreements create opportunities for clients and suppliers to work more closely together, sharing insight and finding more effective ways of working. In a constrained environment, that collaboration is increasingly important.
As a supply chain, we also need to consider how our services contribute to better outcomes for end users, whatever the sector. That means staying alert to a client’s changing needs and being ready to respond — regardless of the length of a contract.
By being dynamic, inquisitive and proactive, frameworks designed to provide long-term stability can also help organisations navigate uncertainty.
This blog is adapted from an article originally published on Rail Business Daily.