Management Consultancy Framework Four (MCF4)

Management Consultancy Framework Four (RM6309) is a Crown Commercial Service framework for buying management consultancy across the UK public sector. Public bodies use it to bring in advice on business, strategy, finance, transformation and more, without running a full standalone procurement. Suppliers win a place through open competition, then compete for or receive individual call-off contracts.

Yes. Crown Commercial Service established and manages MCF4. Crown Commercial Service became the Government Commercial Agency on 1 April 2026, so newer material may carry the GCA name, but the agreement and its reference, RM6309, are unchanged.

Ten lots: Business, Strategy and policy, Complex and transformation, Finance, HR, Procurement and supply chain, Health social care and community, Infrastructure, Environment and sustainability, and Restructuring and insolvency. Value is concentrated in Lot 3 Complex and transformation at £750m and Lot 2 Strategy and policy at £300m. A supplier can hold places on more than one lot.

Lot 2, Strategy and policy, covers corporate strategy and government policy work and is estimated at £300m. Lot 3, Complex and transformation, covers multi-disciplinary and transformational programmes and is the largest lot on the framework at £750m. Both were scored heavily on quality, 90% quality to 10% price, when suppliers competed for their places.

The framework was concluded and went live on 29 July 2025 and runs to 28 July 2027, with no option to extend. 491 tenders were received, and 219 suppliers were awarded places across the ten lots, for 407 lot places in total.

The full list is on the GCA (formerly CCS) agreement page for RM6309 and in the Contracts Finder award notice. To scope competitors, shortlist partners and see who is actually winning call-offs, use Stotles.

Both, and both apply across all ten lots. Further competition is the standard route, where a buyer shortlists suppliers with the digital filtering tool and runs a mini-competition. Direct award is available in specific circumstances that the buyer must justify.

A place on the framework only makes a supplier visible. Winners track the buyers who call off consultancy regularly, engage before existing contracts expire, and pitch against the way each lot is bought. Lot 1 Business, for instance, was awarded largely on price, so cost competitiveness matters more there than on the quality-led lots.