Pagabo’s launch of a new £4.15 billion National Framework for Civil Engineering, Infrastructure and Enabling Works 2026 will be of clear interest to the UK construction equipment sector, with the four-year procurement route covering a wide range of activity that sits directly alongside the work of CEA (Construction Equipment Association) member companies.
Set to launch in September, the new framework brings together the scope of Pagabo’s existing Civils and Infrastructure framework and its Demolition and Land Preparation framework. The result is a single, expanded procurement route designed to support public sector bodies across local government, health, blue light, housing and education.
For CEA members, the interest is less about direct bidding and more about the wider supply chain opportunity. The framework covers many of the sectors where construction equipment, attachments, site technology, safety systems, alternative power, telematics and asset security are already playing an essential role.
The lots include highways, rail, water and environmental works, maritime, energy, aviation, defence and nuclear, as well as demolition, remediation, groundworks and full enabling works. This breadth points to future demand across a wide range of machines and technologies, from excavators, loaders, crushers, screeners and specialist attachments through to dust suppression, temporary power, battery storage, machine control, safety systems and security marking.
The framework is also notable because it combines infrastructure and enabling works under one route. For public sector clients, that should simplify access to contractors. For the equipment sector, it gives a useful indication of where future work may be coming from and where contractors will need strong supplier relationships to deliver safely, efficiently and in line with changing procurement expectations.
Pagabo has said the new framework will be compliant with the Procurement Act 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024. This is another area CEA members may want to watch closely. Public procurement is changing, and suppliers to major contractors are increasingly expected to demonstrate value beyond the product itself. Sustainability, safety, social value, SME participation, whole-life cost, compliance and evidence of performance are all becoming more important in the way public sector work is delivered.
The inclusion of demolition, remediation and groundworks is particularly relevant. These areas rely heavily on robust equipment, specialist attachments, operator protection, site safety, monitoring technology and low-emission solutions. With brownfield remediation and enabling works included in the framework, there is likely to be continued demand for equipment that can support complex early-stage site preparation.
The framework also has a strong regional structure, with geographical sub-lots across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Lots 2–9 and 11–13 will also be split by value band, from £0 to £5 million and above. This could help create routes for a broader range of contractors, including regional and specialist firms, many of which are important customers or partners for CEA member companies.
David Llewellyn, Pagabo’s construction and infrastructure director, said the merger of the two existing frameworks was intended to “streamline the procurement of important works covering civil engineering, infrastructure and enabling works, while ensuring the compliance, transparency and impactful delivery that our clients expect from us.”
He also noted that the open procedure would create a competitive environment for contractors of all sizes, with the new procurement regulations and Pagabo’s SME-inclusion commitments helping quality businesses support the public sector’s infrastructure ambitions.
For the construction equipment sector, the message is simple. A £4.15 billion framework of this scale will not only affect the contractors appointed to it. It will also shape demand across the wider supply chain. CEA members supplying machinery, equipment, technology and support services into infrastructure, demolition and enabling works should take note of the framework, the appointed contractors once announced, and the opportunities that may follow.
At a time when infrastructure delivery, housing, energy, water, transport and brownfield development remain high on the national agenda, the framework is another signal that the equipment sector has a central role to play. Public sector projects cannot be delivered without the machines, people, technology and support networks behind them. For CEA members, this is a framework worth watching.
