Almost everything written about a framework contract like DIGIT-TM stops at the same point: the tender is won, the CVs are submitted, the story ends. What happens to those same CVs over the following two, three, four years of a live contract gets far less attention, even though it is where a consultant’s position can actually be lost or protected.
A framework contract does not freeze the moment it is signed. Consultants leave, get sick, get promoted, or simply reach the end of one four-year cycle and roll into the next. Each of those moments still runs through a CV. This post walks through what that actually looks like in practice inside DIGIT-TM.
TL;DR
- A mid-contract substitution is usually triggered by a consultant leaving for personal reasons, illness, or a performance issue the commission has flagged.
- When that happens, the commission has two options: cancel the contract outright, or request a substitution.
- A substitution does not go back to the open market. Finding the replacement is the company’s own responsibility, and companies often prefer it that way, since an open competition makes the position harder to secure again.
- The replacement CV still has to meet the same format and compliance bar as an original submission, with similar seniority and experience, and the commission has to formally accept it before anyone is interviewed.
- Consultants already inside a framework contract are typically carried forward into the next one. DIGIT-TM I, II, and III have each run four years, with renewals close to a direct award rather than a fresh competition.
- Switching companies mid-contract is generally not allowed, with one documented exception: the commission can cut and reopen a position to justify a promotion, a rate change, or a near-site to far-site move.
- Consultants have been downgraded a level because a CV’s claimed experience did not hold up under review, and qualified people have been skipped for interview because technical skills were not spelled out clearly enough.
What Actually Triggers a Mid-Contract Substitution
A framework contract like DIGIT-TM is awarded for a fixed multi-year term, but the individual consultant staffed against it is not guaranteed to stay in place for the whole of it. Two triggers come up repeatedly: the consultant can no longer continue, most commonly for personal or health reasons, or the commission raises a performance concern.
Once that happens, the commission is not limited to one response.
Can the commission just end the contract instead of asking for a replacement?
Yes. Cancelling the position outright is one of the two options available to the commission.
The other is requesting a substitution, which keeps the position and the budget line active. If the outgoing consultant is leaving the company entirely rather than just the assignment, there is typically a window of 10 to 15 days that the company covers unpaid to onboard whoever replaces them.
Why the Replacement Doesn’t Go Back to an Open Tender
A substitution is structurally different from a fresh Service Request. The commission does not put the vacant position back on the market. Finding the replacement is the contracted company’s own responsibility.
This is often the outcome companies actually prefer, since it protects a position they have already secured. Competing for the same role again through an open tender would make it meaningfully harder to hold onto.
| Aspect | New submission (open tender) | Mid-contract substitution |
|---|---|---|
| Goes back to the open market | Yes | No, sourcing the replacement is the company’s own responsibility |
| CV format and compliance bar | Full format and review against the Service Request | Same format and bar, reviewed against the existing role and level |
| Commission approval required | Yes | Yes, the substitution still has to be formally accepted before interview |
| Timeline pressure | Set by the tender or Service Request | The company holds priority for a limited window, typically around two weeks, though this exact figure has not been formally confirmed, before the request could move further |
What the Replacement CV Still Has to Prove
A substitution being simpler to arrange than an open tender does not mean the CV requirement gets lighter. It still has to hold up on its own terms.
“It’s not just sending a LinkedIn profile to replace someone. It has to be a proper CV, and it has to be aligned with the position.”
Can the replacement’s CV skip the usual compliance checks since it isn’t a brand new role?
No. It has to meet the same format and the same minimum experience level as the original submission.
The role, the budget line, and the level are already established, which does make the process somewhat lighter in practice. But the CV still has to be proposed to the commission, and the commission still decides whether to call the replacement for interview. If the CV does not clearly match the required level and experience, the commission can decline to proceed with it.
“The CV has to be aligned with the position. The CVs are proposed to the commission, and it’s the commission that decides who gets called for interview.”
Why Long-Standing Consultants Get Carried Into the Next Contract
The substitution scenario covers what happens when someone leaves. The more common outcome, over the life of a framework contract, is that a consultant simply continues, not just through the current term but into the next one.
DIGIT-TM has run through three consecutive generations, DIGIT-TM I, II, and III, each covering a four-year term. Consultants already placed inside the commission are typically retained and renewed into the next generation rather than re-competed from scratch.
“The hard part with the commission is getting in. Once you’re in, it’s the commission itself that wants to keep you, and you can sign with whichever company you choose, always with the commission’s agreement.”
That renewal sits closer to a direct agreement between the consultant and the commission than a new competition. It is a real advantage for the consultant, and it is directly tied to the multi-year structure of DIGIT-TM III itself, where a four-year runway means CV readiness stops being a one-off tender exercise.
The One Exception: When Someone Can Actually Change Companies
Inside a live framework contract, a consultant generally cannot move to a different contracted company while their current assignment is running. This is the default rule.
Once a consultant is inside a framework contract, are they locked into one company for the whole term?
In practice, mostly yes, with one clear exception.
The commission can decide to cut the existing position and open a new one, which creates room for a company change. This typically happens specifically to justify a promotion, a rate increase that would not have been possible under the existing contract terms, or a change between near-site and far-site work, since companies price those differently and not every company covers both.
Where CVs Cause Real Damage: Downgraded Levels and Skipped Interviews
Most of what happens to a CV after a contract is won is procedural. This part is not: two recurring failure modes trace back to the CV itself rather than to the process around it.
“I’ve seen it happen many times, that because of the CV, the level gets downgraded. There are gaps in the CV, and when it’s reviewed closely, the professional experience being claimed doesn’t actually hold up.”
The second failure mode is quieter but just as costly: a CV that is accurate but not explicit enough to be matched properly.
“What happens a lot is the CVs don’t tick all the boxes, and people don’t get called for interview. The CVs have to be reviewed very carefully, with every technical skill spelled out clearly enough to match the client’s requirements.”
This second problem is likely to get worse, not better, as competition under DIGIT-TM III intensifies across the multiple groups now bidding into it. A CV that is technically accurate but vaguely worded is functionally invisible to whoever is matching it against a client’s requirements.
What This Means for How You Maintain CVs During a Live Contract
None of the above is a one-time task handled at submission and then forgotten. Each scenario, a substitution, a renewal, a level review, depends on a CV that is current and specific at the moment it is actually needed, not at the moment it was first submitted years earlier.
- ✓Start sourcing a replacement immediately once a departure is known. The priority window a company holds is short.
- ✓Treat a replacement CV with the same rigor as an original submission, not as a formality because the role already exists.
- ✓Review technical skills for explicit, matchable detail on an ongoing basis, not only ahead of a new tender.
- ✓Do not let overstated experience sit unreviewed on a CV that is already active inside a contract. It is a documented cause of level downgrades.
- ✓Watch for the legitimate route to a company change, a promotion, rate adjustment, or site-location shift, since it is the one scenario where the commission itself reopens the position.
This is exactly the kind of moment where a CV record that stays consistent and easy to update matters as much as it did at the original submission. Companies managing CV management for consulting companies across a multi-year framework contract are dealing with the same underlying requirement each time a substitution or a renewal comes up: a CV that still holds up to the same scrutiny as the day it was first submitted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers a consultant substitution mid-contract?
Most commonly the consultant can no longer continue for personal or health reasons, or the commission raises a performance concern. Either way, the commission can choose to cancel the position or request a substitution.
Does a substitution CV need the same compliance level as a new submission?
Yes. It has to match the required format, seniority, and experience level, and the commission still has to formally accept it before the replacement is interviewed.
Can a consultant switch companies while a framework contract is running?
Generally no. The one documented exception is when the commission itself decides to cut and reopen the position, typically to allow a promotion, a rate change, or a move between near-site and far-site work.
Do consultants automatically get carried into the next contract generation?
Typically yes. Across DIGIT-TM I, II, and III, consultants already placed inside the commission are usually retained and renewed into the next four-year term rather than re-competed from scratch.
Can an overstated CV actually get a consultant downgraded once they’re inside a contract?
Yes. This has happened in practice: a CV’s claimed experience gets reviewed, does not hold up, and the consultant’s level is downgraded as a result.
Is there a fixed deadline to find a replacement consultant?
There is a limited window during which the company holds priority to find its own replacement before the request could move further, typically around two weeks, though this exact figure has not been formally confirmed.
Final Thought
Every article about a framework contract tender ends the same way: the award is announced, the CVs went in, the story is over. Inside the contract, the CV work does not stop there. It resurfaces every time someone leaves, every time a level gets reviewed, and every time a four-year term rolls into the next one.
None of those moments reward a CV that was accurate once and never looked at again. They reward one that still holds up, in detail, whenever the commission actually reopens it.
If your team is managing consultants through a multi-year framework contract and needs their CVs ready the moment a substitution or a renewal comes up, it’s worth seeing what keeping that record current actually looks like.
About the Author
Three years of turning Sprint CV’s workflows into tutorials, videos, and guides people actually finish taught António Teixeira what separates a feature nobody adopts from one that sticks. He is part of the team that writes the guides, walkthroughs, video tutorials, and blog content that help recruitment and consulting teams get more out of the platform, translating every product update into content clients can act on immediately. Connect with António on LinkedIn
