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Distribution networks increasingly host distributed energy resources whose flexibility, if properly harnessed, can support grid operation. Smart-meter data provides a basis for estimating this flexibility by revealing consumption, generation, and behind-the-meter behavioural patterns. The lack of an integrated framework linking smart-meter analytics, DER availability, and operational decision-making hinders the realization of flexibility-aware smart grids. Existing approaches often treat data analytics, flexibility modelling, and distribution-level operation as separate domains. This article develops a conceptual framework that links smart-meter analytics, DER availability estimation, flexibility estimation, and decision support into a coherent system for distribution-level operation. The aim is to clarify how information can flow from metering data to actionable DSO decisions. A conceptual synthesis of literature on smart-meter analytics, DER modelling, flexibility estimation, aggregation, and DSO decision-support architectures is performed. No empirical data, simulations, experiments, or quantitative analyses are used. The framework comprises three interrelated layers: smart-meter analytics, DER availability estimation, and decision support, connected through a flexibility estimation layer. Propositions regarding data granularity, flexibility accuracy, uncertainty handling, and operational benefit are articulated. Two tables summarize DER availability indicators and framework architecture. The framework provides a foundation for future empirical testing and can guide DSOs in building flexibility-aware operational capabilities. It also clarifies how data, flexibility, and decision processes should be conceptualized as linked components of smart-grid operation.