Contractors are now being put on standby for a final round of market engagement on the new Collaborative Delivery Framework 2 (CDF2) after a one year delay in procurement.

The new setup replaces the existing £3bn framework that brought together BAM Nuttall, Kier, Jackson Civil Engineering and VolkerStevin, alongside designers Arup, Atkins, Jacobs and Jeremy Benn Associates.

CDF2 will run for eight years from 2027 to 2035.

It will cover the full range of flood and coastal management works, including asset maintenance, refurbishment, design and construction. The Agency wants bidders capable of blending environmental innovation with civil engineering delivery, combining nature-based schemes with traditional flood defences.

Formal tenders are now expected to be issued in March 2026, with draft documents and bidder packs available for review via the secure Quatrix portal.

Projects will range in size from £1m to £150m, divided into design and construction lots. Smaller works between £1m and £5m will be procured separately from larger projects above £5m.

In-person market engagement sessions will be held on Tuesday 21 October at Mary Ward House, Tavistock Place, London, followed by an online event on Tuesday 4 November.

Access requests for documentation and event registration should be sent to [email protected].

The new £5bn programme is being procured by the Environment Agency with Defra’s commercial team and is set to become one of the largest flood resilience delivery frameworks in the country.