CPV 45 Construction works

About CPV 45

CPV 45 is the Common Procurement Vocabulary division covering construction works. It is the single largest CPV division by aggregate spend across UK public procurement, accounting for a significant slice of every council, NHS trust, university, housing association, and central government estate refresh programme. The division is structured as a deep hierarchy: site preparation (45-1), construction works for buildings (45-2), building installation work (45-3), building completion work (45-4), and hire of construction machinery (45-5) all sit within it as group-level codes, with further class and sub-class detail beneath. Most public-sector contract notices for new build or major refurbishment carry a primary CPV from the 45-2 range, with secondary codes drawing in the specialist disciplines required.

The buyers using CPV 45 stretch across the full UK public-sector estate. Local authorities procure under CPV 45 for highways, social housing repairs and refurbishment, schools building maintenance, and regeneration schemes. NHS trusts use it for backlog maintenance and new clinical infrastructure. The Department for Education funds school rebuilding via Construction Frameworks Northern, Southern, Midlands and Wales. Universities and further education colleges procure under the division for campus expansion. Crown Commercial Service offers the Construction Professional Services framework alongside specialist construction agreements. Housing associations, although outside the strict definition of central or local government, run major repair and maintenance programmes under the same CPV.

Active CPV 45 tenders

The active opportunity flow under CPV 45 is high-volume and continuous. Highways resurfacing programmes run year-round across nearly every English county and unitary council. Schools maintenance and condition improvement programmes drive recurring competitions at district and county council level. Social housing repairs and refurbishment frameworks are renewed on rolling four-year cycles by major social landlords. NHS backlog maintenance programmes appear sporadically as individual trust competitions, with the Department of Health and Social Care periodically announcing capital allocations that trigger competition waves. Major regeneration schemes appear on Find a Tender as bespoke high-value notices, often subject to competitive dialogue or the new competitive flexible procedure under the Procurement Act 2023.

Active sub-category	Typical procedure	Common procurement route
Highways resurfacing	Open or restricted	Council-issued framework
Schools refurbishment	Restricted or DPS	County or district frameworks
Housing repairs	Restricted	Lot-based four-year framework
New build clinical estate	Competitive dialogue	NHS trust bespoke competition
Regeneration schemes	Competitive flexible procedure	Local authority bespoke

Top buyers procuring CPV 45

The volume leaders under CPV 45 are the largest English county councils, metropolitan boroughs, and combined authorities. Lancashire County Council, Manchester City Council, Birmingham City Council, Leeds City Council, Sheffield City Council, and Liverpool City Council all run substantial annual highways and infrastructure programmes. The Department for Education indirectly procures under CPV 45 through the Schools Rebuilding Programme construction frameworks. Network Rail, Transport for London, and HS2 Ltd commission very large CPV 45 projects under their respective transport infrastructure programmes. NHS Property Services and individual NHS Trusts procure backlog maintenance and new clinical estate under the division. The Crown Estate, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, and the Government Property Agency all let major construction projects across the central government estate.

Typical contract values under CPV 45

CPV 45 contract values span the full range of UK public procurement scale. Below-threshold contracts include small-works orders for routine maintenance, typically valued at 10,000 to 100,000 pounds. Mid-range competitions under restricted or open procedures cover larger refurbishments and minor capital programmes, typically 500,000 to 10 million pounds per individual award. Framework agreements aggregate volume across years and lots, with maximum framework values commonly 50 million to 500 million pounds over four-year terms. The very largest CPV 45 notices, covering new acute hospitals, prisons, or major rail infrastructure, exceed 1 billion pounds in single-contract value and run under competitive dialogue or competitive flexible procedures with long timelines.

Compliance and certifications for CPV 45 bidders

Construction tenders under CPV 45 carry distinctive compliance expectations. CDM 2015 (Construction Design and Management Regulations) competence applies to every contractor and designer participating in a notifiable project; tender packs typically request CDM role-specific evidence. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 compliance is universal; SSIP-recognised health and safety accreditation (CHAS, Achilles Building Confidence, SafeContractor, ConstructionLine, Acclaim) is the de-facto entry requirement for most public-sector competitions, often as a pass/fail Selection Questionnaire criterion. ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management) accreditation is requested on most mid-range and above competitions. Building Safety Act 2022 competence requirements now apply for higher-risk buildings, with the Building Safety Regulator's accountable-person regime affecting tender evaluation for in-scope projects.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between CPV 45 division-level and 45-2 group-level?

CPV 45 (the 2-digit division) covers the entire scope of construction works. CPV 45-2 (group-level) narrows down to construction works for buildings specifically, excluding civil engineering and site-preparation work. A new school building project would typically carry a 45-2 primary code, with secondary codes drawing in specific disciplines (45-3 building installation, 45-4 building completion). A highways project would typically use CPV 45-2 only if it included buildings; standalone highways works generally carry CPV 45-2 series codes for civil engineering and surface works.

How do public sector buyers select between framework call-off and open competition for CPV 45 work?

Buyers tend to use framework call-offs when the work fits a known pattern that the framework was designed to deliver (housing repairs, schools maintenance, mid-range building projects) and when the framework lots cover the geography and value. Bespoke open or restricted competitions become preferable when the project is large enough to justify the procurement effort (typically above 10 million pounds), when the specification needs deeper supplier engagement (competitive dialogue), or when the framework does not cover a relevant specialism. Mini-competitions within frameworks have become common as a hybrid route, blending framework efficiency with bespoke specification work.

What construction frameworks does the UK public sector use most heavily?

The most heavily-used construction frameworks include the Crown Commercial Service Construction Professional Services framework, the LHC framework portfolio (which covers a broad range of building disciplines and is widely used by housing providers and councils), the YORhub frameworks (used by Yorkshire and Humber councils), Procure 22 (NHS-specific), the SCAPE National Construction Frameworks (widely used by councils and universities), Notting Hill Genesis Housing's repairs frameworks, and the Department for Education's Construction Frameworks. Each has its own lot structure, geographic coverage, and value bandings; suppliers typically need to win a place on multiple frameworks to access the breadth of public-sector construction work.

Do CPV 45 tenders fall under the Procurement Act 2023 or pre-existing rules?

Most CPV 45 tenders fall under the Procurement Act 2023, which took effect for new procurements from 24 February 2025. The Act covers works contracts above the higher works threshold and applies the new procedures (open procedure, competitive flexible procedure, single tender) to most construction procurement. Defence and utilities contracts remain under their separate regimes. Smaller below-threshold works orders are governed by the Procurement Act's below-threshold rules. Procurements launched before 24 February 2025 under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 continue under the old rules for the duration of any resulting contract.