Quick answer: For most public sector buyers, a call-off from an established framework is the best route to buy event services: it is faster, the suppliers are already vetted, and a further competition still lets you test ideas and price. Use an open tender (now the open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023) when the event is high-value, unusual or strategically important and no framework fits your requirement. Use a dynamic market, which has replaced the DPS for new arrangements, for recurring and more standardised elements such as venues, AV hire or accommodation. Whichever route you choose, the quality of your specification and evaluation criteria will decide the outcome far more than the route itself.
Public sector events carry a particular burden. They must deliver real outcomes for citizens, stakeholders or policy, and they must be bought in a way that is lawful, transparent and demonstrably good value for public money. Choosing the wrong route can cost months, narrow your supplier pool or leave you locked into a specification that no longer fits.
The landscape has also changed. The Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025, replacing the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for new procurements, and it renamed or reshaped several of the familiar routes. This guide explains the options as they stand in 2026, when each one makes sense for events, and how to decide.
Please note: this article is a practical guide for event buyers, not legal advice. Procurement rules apply differently depending on your organisation, the contract value and where you are in the UK. Scotland operates its own procurement regime, and Wales applies the Act with some Welsh-specific provisions. Always confirm your route with your procurement or legal team.
For private sector teams
The Event Agency Procurement Guide
What changed under the Procurement Act 2023
Three changes matter most for event buyers.
The DPS has been replaced by dynamic markets. New dynamic purchasing systems can no longer be set up. Existing DPSs established under the old rules remain valid, but they expire automatically by 23 February 2029 at the latest. New arrangements are set up as dynamic markets, which work in a similar way but are no longer restricted to “off the shelf” goods and services, which matters a great deal for events.
Open tender is now the open procedure, alongside a new competitive flexible procedure. The single-stage open procedure remains. The old restricted, competitive dialogue and negotiated routes have been folded into one competitive flexible procedure that lets you design a process suited to your requirement.
Frameworks continue, with a new open framework option. Existing frameworks set up under the old rules can still be used until they expire. New frameworks under the Act work in a familiar way, and a new open framework type allows the supplier list to be refreshed periodically over a longer term.
Two further points are worth building into your planning. Contract awards are now judged on the “most advantageous tender” rather than the old “most economically advantageous tender”, which gives buyers more explicit room to weigh quality, outcomes and social value alongside price. And the thresholds above which the full rules apply were revised on 1 January 2026, as set out below.
Do you need a formal route at all? Check the thresholds first
Before choosing between framework, dynamic market and open procedure, establish whether your event contract is above the relevant threshold. For procurements started on or after 1 January 2026, the key thresholds for goods and services contracts are:
- £135,018 for central government authorities.
- £207,720 for sub-central authorities, which includes local councils, NHS trusts, universities and many other public bodies.
Two details catch buyers out. First, these thresholds are inclusive of VAT, so a services contract valued at £180,000 net of VAT is above the sub-central threshold once VAT is added. Second, you must estimate the whole contract value, including any extensions and all the elements you intend to buy together, rather than the value of a single event day.
Below threshold, the full rules do not apply, although some transparency obligations still do and your own organisation’s standing orders will set out what is required. Some hospitality-related services may also fall within the light touch regime, which has a different threshold. If your event sits anywhere near a threshold, speak to your procurement team before you start.
Route one: call-off from a framework
A framework is a pre-established agreement between a buying organisation (or a central purchasing body acting for many) and a panel of suppliers who have already been evaluated for capability, financial standing and terms. Buyers then award individual contracts, known as call-offs, from that panel.
For events, the most relevant central option is the Government Commercial Agency’s Media and Creative Services framework (RM6364), which includes a dedicated events lot. The Government Commercial Agency was formed on 1 April 2026 and brought together Crown Commercial Service with several Cabinet Office commercial teams, so you will see both names referenced. Regional and sector purchasing bodies also run frameworks that cover events, venues and associated services.
How call-offs work
Most frameworks allow two ways of awarding a call-off:
- Direct award, where the framework’s terms permit you to award straight to a supplier without further competition, usually where the requirement can be met by the framework’s standard offer.
- Further competition (described under the Act as a competitive selection process), where you invite some or all suppliers on the relevant lot to respond to your specific brief, evaluate their proposals and award to the best.
For anything strategic, further competition is almost always the right choice. It lets you test creative thinking, approach and price against your actual requirement while keeping the speed and assurance of the framework.
When a framework is the right route
- The event is within the scope of an existing framework lot.
- You need to move quickly. A further competition can typically run in weeks rather than months, because supplier vetting has already been done.
- You want assurance that suppliers meet baseline standards on capability, finance, security and terms.
- You want to reduce the administrative load on a small procurement or events team.
Limitations to be aware of
- You can only use suppliers already on the framework, so a specialist who is not on the panel cannot be appointed through it.
- The framework’s terms and conditions apply, and there may be limits on how far you can vary them.
- Framework access fees or levies may apply and should be understood upfront.
- If the framework is near the end of its term, check that it will still be valid for the whole period you need.
Route two: dynamic market (formerly DPS)
A dynamic market is an open list of suppliers who have met set conditions for membership. Unlike a framework, it stays open to new suppliers throughout its life, so the pool of competition can grow.
When you want to buy through a dynamic market, you run a competitive flexible procedure limited to members of the market, and a tender notice is published each time. Contracts awarded this way are standalone contracts rather than call-offs under a framework’s terms.
Why this matters for events
Under the old rules, a DPS could only be used for commonly used purchases generally available on the market. That made it poorly suited to bespoke event management, where each brief is different. Dynamic markets remove that restriction, so they can now be used for more tailored requirements. In practice, though, they remain most useful for the recurring and more standardised parts of an event programme.
When a dynamic market is the right route
- You buy similar event elements repeatedly, such as venue hire, AV equipment, accommodation, catering or transport.
- You want to keep the market open to new entrants, including SMEs and local suppliers, rather than locking in a fixed panel for years.
- You value continuing competition over the speed of a framework direct award.
If you still use an existing DPS
DPSs established before the Act can still be used until they expire, and no later than 23 February 2029. If your organisation relies on a DPS for events or venues, plan now for what replaces it, rather than discovering the gap when the system closes.
Route three: open procedure (open tender)
The open procedure is a single-stage competitive tender advertised publicly. Any supplier can submit a full tender, and you evaluate all compliant bids against your published criteria.
When an open procedure is the right route
- The event is high-value, complex or strategically important, such as a major international summit, a flagship national conference or a multi-year events programme.
- No framework fits your requirement, or the framework’s terms or supplier pool are not right for it.
- You want the widest possible market, including specialists who are not on any framework.
- You want full control over the specification, evaluation criteria, weightings and contract terms.
- Transparency and openness are particularly important, for example on a high-profile or politically sensitive event.
Limitations to be aware of
- It takes longer, typically several months from notice to contract, once you factor in preparation, the tender period, evaluation, standstill and contracting.
- It demands more of your team, both in preparing documents and in evaluating what may be a large number of bids.
- You cannot filter the field upfront, so evaluation effort scales with interest.
The competitive flexible procedure as an alternative
If you want the openness of an advertised tender but need more than a single stage, for example a shortlist, presentations or negotiation, the competitive flexible procedure lets you design a process to suit. For complex events where the quality of the thinking matters as much as the price, a staged process with a shortlist and presentation round often produces a better result than a single-stage open procedure.
Comparing the routes
| Framework call-off | Dynamic market | Open procedure | |
| Supplier pool | Fixed panel on the framework lot | Open list, new members can join | Any supplier can bid |
| Speed | Fastest, often weeks | Moderate | Slowest, often months |
| Pre-vetting | Done at framework stage | Done at membership stage | Done during your tender |
| Control over terms | Limited by framework terms | High | Full |
| Best for events | Most strategic and one-off events within scope | Recurring, standardised elements | High-value, unusual or high-profile events |
| Main risk | The best supplier may not be on the panel | More process for each award | Time and evaluation workload |
How to choose: a practical decision path
Work through these questions in order.
- Is the total contract value, including VAT and any extensions, above the relevant threshold? If not, follow your organisation’s below-threshold rules, which may allow a simpler quotation process.
- Is there a framework whose scope and supplier pool genuinely fit the requirement? If yes, a further competition under that framework is usually the most efficient and lowest-risk route.
- Is this a recurring, relatively standardised purchase? If yes, a dynamic market, or an existing DPS while it lasts, may suit better.
- Is the event high-value, unusual or strategically important, with no suitable framework? If yes, run an open procedure, or a competitive flexible procedure if you need a shortlist, presentations or negotiation.
If you are unsure between a framework and an open procedure, the deciding question is usually this: will the framework’s supplier pool give you genuine choice for this particular event? If the answer is yes, use it. If the specialists you need are not on it, go to open market.
The route matters less than the specification
Here is the point most procurement guidance misses. Buyers spend a great deal of effort choosing the route and comparatively little on what they are actually asking suppliers to deliver. The route determines how you buy. The specification and evaluation criteria determine what you get.
Four things make the difference, whichever route you use.
Specify outcomes, not just logistics. A specification that lists venue capacity, catering and AV will get you an efficiently delivered event. A specification that sets out who the audience is, what the event must change for them, and how success will be measured will get you an event that achieves something. Public money should be buying outcomes.
Weight quality properly. The “most advantageous tender” test gives you room to weigh quality, approach and social value alongside price. For events, where the difference between a competent supplier and an excellent one is significant, a quality weighting of 60 to 70 per cent is common and usually justified. Price-led evaluation rarely produces the best event for the money.
Ask suppliers to show their understanding of the audience. The strongest evaluation questions test whether a supplier has understood who the event is for and how they will design for them, not just whether they can deliver a run of show. This is where the quality gap between suppliers is widest.
Build measurement into the contract. Define how success will be evidenced and require it as a deliverable. Under the Act, larger contracts carry performance and KPI obligations, and an event you cannot measure is an event you cannot defend.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Underestimating contract value by leaving out VAT, extensions or associated services, and landing on the wrong side of a threshold.
- Choosing a framework out of habit when its supplier pool does not give genuine choice for the requirement.
- Starting too late. Even a framework further competition needs time for a good brief and proper evaluation. An open procedure for a major event should start many months before the event date.
- Relying on a DPS without a plan for when it expires.
- Writing a logistics specification and hoping suppliers will add the strategy. Most will respond to what you ask for.
- Over-weighting price on events where the quality of thinking and delivery is what determines value.
For public sector teams
The Public Sector Event Agency Procurement Guide
The bottom line
For most public sector event requirements, a further competition under a well-matched framework is the right place to start: fast, assured and still genuinely competitive. Go to open market when the event is high-value, unusual or high-profile and no framework gives you real choice. Use a dynamic market for the recurring, standardised elements of an events programme, and if you rely on an existing DPS, plan for its replacement now.
Then spend as much care on the specification as on the route. The route decides how you buy. The brief decides whether the event delivers anything worth buying.
If you are preparing to procure event services and want to test your specification or evaluation criteria against what makes public sector events work, we are happy to share what we have learned from the other side of the table.
For teams in APAC
The APAC Event Agency Procurement Guide
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A framework has a fixed panel of suppliers appointed at the outset, and buyers award contracts from that panel for the framework’s term. A DPS stayed open to new suppliers throughout its life. Under the Procurement Act 2023, new DPSs have been replaced by dynamic markets, and existing DPSs expire by 23 February 2029 at the latest.
Yes, if it was established under the old Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and has not yet expired. Existing DPSs remain valid but must end by 23 February 2029. New arrangements must be set up as dynamic markets under the Procurement Act 2023.
For procurements started on or after 1 January 2026, the goods and services thresholds are £135,018 for central government authorities and £207,720 for sub-central authorities such as local councils, NHS trusts and universities. Both figures are inclusive of VAT, and the estimate must cover the whole contract value, including extensions.
Yes. The Government Commercial Agency’s Media and Creative Services framework (RM6364) includes a dedicated events lot, and several regional and sector purchasing bodies run frameworks covering events, venues and associated services. Check each framework’s scope, supplier list and expiry date against your requirement.
Allow several months from publishing the tender notice to signing a contract, once preparation, the tender period, evaluation, standstill and contracting are included. For a major event, start the procurement well before you need the supplier in place, as the best event outcomes depend on the agency having time to plan.
For most event services, quality should carry more weight. The difference between a competent supplier and an excellent one has a large effect on the outcome, and the most advantageous tender test under the Procurement Act 2023 gives buyers room to reflect that. A quality weighting of around 60 to 70 per cent is common for events.
