Contractors on alert for £5.2bn housing framework A mammoth £5.2bn residential development and construction framework covering the South of England has opened for tender. The residential delivery and development framework is organised by Southern Construction Framework, a joint venture between Hampshire Council and Devon County Council. The framework is set to run for four years and will be available to all public bodies across the South. The agreement has been broken down into four lots, two covering design-and-build contracts and two covering development deals. The design-and-build lots are split between schemes of 10-75 houses and schemes of more than 65 houses. The development lots are split on the same basis. SCF said it expects to appoint contractors and developers to more than one lot.