In order to comply with UK public Contracts Regulations 2015, publicly funded contracting authorities must advertise framework opportunities on the GOV.UK Contracts Finder website. This then gives individual suppliers, such as Axis, the opportunity to compete via open competition to be appointed to a public sector framework.

Suppliers who have applied to join the framework are then evaluated, commonly via the MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender) principle. The most suitable supplier or suppliers are selected for the framework agreement. Once the list of chosen suppliers is complete the framework is ready.

Call-offs can be made by the public sector contracting authority at any time within the pre-outlined framework agreement. Chosen suppliers, such as Axis will then contract when appointed. If there are multiple suppliers within the framework, there may be a mini-competition between the pre-approved suppliers to find out which offers the best value for money.