The overall structure
The framework consists of ten technical parts, numbered from zero to nine, and a separate administrative volume. The administrative volume carries the contractual clauses.
The administrative volume contains clauses of a legal and contractual nature: definitions, conditions of execution, payment arrangements, acceptance, price revision. It is there that the definitions taken from public procurement rules appear.
The technical parts cover the works, in an order that approximately follows the sequence of construction operations: questions of tendering and site first, then earthworks and foundations, structural elements, roofing, and so on through to external works.
That chronological organisation is a design choice, not an arbitrary convention. It makes searching easier for anyone who knows how a site runs, and makes the structure predictable.
The exact list and the content of each part are to be consulted in the framework itself, which is accessible online. Online consultation avoids working from a superseded version.
The composition of an element
The framework calls element the basic unit of its content. Each element has three components.
| Component | Content |
|---|---|
| The index | numbering placing the element within the classification |
| The title | short designation |
| The description | detailed content, divided into headings and subheadings |
The classification is the framework's table of contents, and an element's index is its position in that table. The framework also uses the term general provisions for elements at the upper levels of the classification.
The description is the part that commits. It states what the work comprises, and the title does not replace it, as the article on item, quantity and unit recalls.
What the chronological structure helps
Three practical benefits.
Searching is intuitive for a construction professional. Looking for a roofing prescription amounts to asking at what point in the works it arises.
Omissions are more visible. Going through the classification in order amounts to going through the site, and a missed stage stands out.
The organisation of the bill follows naturally. A bill built in the order of the classification is readable by any practitioner in the market, which eases comparison of tenders.
What it hinders
Two limits are worth knowing.
A project does not always follow the standard sequence. Major refurbishment, phased works or intervention in occupied premises depart from the standard order, and the structure of the framework then no longer reflects the actual sequence.
Some works belong to several moments. Site set-up, protection of works and waste management run throughout. Attaching them to a single part is conventional, and one must know where the framework has placed them.
A practical consequence follows: the structure of the framework is a good drafting plan, but it is not a construction programme. Confusing the two leads to understating continuous works.
The link with coding
That hierarchical organisation makes the framework an enumerative classification system: each element occupies a single position in a hierarchy. Each element is therefore found through its index rather than its description.
That distinguishes it from the systems used to classify objects in a digital model, and that difference explains the difficulty of attaching quantities. The subject is covered in the articles on the federal framework and coding and on measurement, BIM and coding.
What this means for a professional
Three rules.
Follow the order of the classification when drafting, rather than imposing a personal order. The document will then be readable by others.
Treat continuous works separately, checking where the framework places them and ensuring they are neither omitted nor counted twice.
Do not confuse the index with the content. Two elements with neighbouring indexes may cover very different works, and only the description says so.
This article reflects the structure of the framework at the date of checking and serves professional orientation. It does not replace consulting the official source.