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169_26 Paper Stationery, Office Storage Boxes and Associated Products

Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO

This public procurement record has 7 releases in its history.

Award

24 Jul 2026 at 15:07

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

12 Jun 2026 at 16:55

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

07 Nov 2025 at 09:45

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

15 Oct 2025 at 14:24

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

04 Jun 2025 at 16:04

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

02 May 2025 at 10:52

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

29 Apr 2025 at 14:39

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO, established a catalogue framework for the supply and delivery of paper stationery, office storage boxes and associated products. The scope covers envelopes; standard and premium adhesive labels; standard and premium repositionable notes; notebooks and pads; educational notebooks, registers and revision aids; flipchart pads; office storage boxes; archive boxes; magazine files; filing modules; and environmentally friendly boxes. Products are delivered to the ESPO distribution centre for use by ESPO and its customers across the United Kingdom, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey. This is a goods procurement covering office supplies, educational stationery, printed paper products, labels, filing systems and visual communication materials. The framework is divided into nine product-specific lots, allowing suppliers to specialise in particular ranges.

The open procedure has reached award and contract signature. Awards were made on 7 May 2026 and contracts were signed on 25 June 2026. The framework runs from 25 June 2026 to 31 March 2027, with extensions available to 31 March 2030. Awarded gross values are: envelopes £912,000; adhesive labels £1,440,000; premium adhesive labels £576,000; repositionable notes £720,000; premium repositionable notes £576,000; notebooks and pads £989,000; educational stationery £867,000; flipchart pads £1,440,000; and storage boxes and filing modules £480,000. Awards went to multiple suppliers on each lot: Banner and others for envelopes; PFW, Texet and West Design for labels; Avery for premium labels; Ample Star and Whitecroft for notes; 3M for premium notes; six suppliers for notebooks; five for educational stationery; 3M, Bi-Silque and Victor Stationery for flipcharts; and ACCO, Fellowes and Profile Education for storage products. Price and quality were weighted 80:20 for most lots and 70:30 for premium lots.

This procurement shows established public-sector demand for manufacturers, wholesalers and specialist distributors of stationery and storage products. Relevant capability includes dependable supply of defined product ranges, competitive pricing, consistent quality, product breadth and the ability to deliver to a central distribution centre serving customers across the UK and nearby Crown Dependencies. Suppliers should be able to support catalogue purchasing, provide standard and premium alternatives, and maintain reliable availability across recurring office, educational and filing requirements. The competition attracted 34 initial bids, with between one and ten final-stage bidders per lot, including substantial SME participation. Credible future competitors would therefore need focused product expertise for one or more lots, operational capacity for framework call-offs, and economic and technical capability sufficient to satisfy ESPO’s participation requirements.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

169_26 Paper Stationery, Office Storage Boxes and Associated Products

Notice Description

ESPO catalogue framework covering the supply of repositionable notes, self-adhesive labels, envelopes, notebooks, pads, flipchart pads, cardboard storage boxes, filing modules and other associated products. The Framework is divided into 9 lots.

Lot Information

Envelopes

This Lot is for the supply and delivery of envelopes including, but not limited to envelopes with windows, enveloped without windows, air cushioned envelops, board backed envelopes and large format envelopes to the ESPO distribution centre. For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove to the products listed within Appendix 1 - Pricing Schedule throughout the lifetime of the Framework so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2027), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 35 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Adhesive Labels (including ESPO's smartbuy range)

This Lot is for the supply and delivery of adhesive labels including, but not limited to multipurpose labels, recycled standard labels, spine labels and coloured labels to the ESPO distribution centre. The objective of the smartbuy products included within this Lot is to provide the best value option for ESPO customers. For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove to the products listed within Appendix 1 - Pricing Schedule throughout the lifetime of the Framework so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2027), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 35 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Premium Adhesive Labels

This Lot is for the supply and delivery of premium adhesive labels including, but not limited to laser address labels, laser shipping labels, resistant labels, recycled quick peel labels and jam free labels to the ESPO distribution centre. For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove to the products listed within Appendix 1 - Pricing Schedule throughout the lifetime of the Framework so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2027), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 35 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Repositionable Notes (including ESPO's smartbuy range)

This Lot is for the supply and delivery of repositionable notes including, but not limited to branded repositionable notes, recycled notes, extra sticky notes, pop up notes and repositionable index tabs to the ESPO distribution centre. The objective of the smartbuy products included within this Lot is to provide the best value option for ESPO customers. For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove to the products listed within Appendix 1 - Pricing Schedule throughout the lifetime of the Framework so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2027), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 35 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Premium Repositionable Notes

This Lot is for the supply and delivery of premium repositionable notes including, but not limited to standard colour notes, extra adhesive notes, recycled notes and repositionable index tabs to the ESPO distribution centre. For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove to the products listed within Appendix 1 - Pricing Schedule throughout the lifetime of the Framework so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2027), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 35 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Notebooks and Pads (including ESPO's smartbuy range)

This Lot is for the supply and delivery of notebooks and pads including, but not limited to twin wirebound notebooks, project books, casebound notebooks, shorthand notebooks, pocket sized notebooks and refill pads to the ESPO distribution centre. The objective of the smartbuy products included within this Lot is to provide the best value option for ESPO customers. For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove to the products listed within Appendix 1 - Pricing Schedule throughout the lifetime of the Framework so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2027), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 35 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Educational Notebooks, Registers and Revision Aids

This Lot is for the supply and delivery of educational notebooks, registers and revision aids including, but not limited to diaries, planners, education books, registers, index and revision cards, revision notepads and laboratory books to the ESPO distribution centre. For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove to the products listed within Appendix 1 - Pricing Schedule throughout the lifetime of the Framework so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2027), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 35 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Flipchart Pads (including ESPO's smartbuy range)

This Lot is for the supply and delivery of flipchart pads to the ESPO distribution centre. The objective of the smartbuy products included within this Lot is to provide the best value option for ESPO customers. For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove to the products listed within Appendix 1 - Pricing Schedule throughout the lifetime of the Framework so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2027), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 35 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Office Storage Boxes and Filing Modules

This Lot is for the supply and delivery of office storage boxes and filing modules including, but not limited to storage boxes, archive boxes, magazine files and environmentally friendly boxes to the ESPO distribution centre. For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove to the products listed within Appendix 1 - Pricing Schedule throughout the lifetime of the Framework so long as they are in line with the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2027), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 35 months. This is dependent on ESPO, ESPO Customers, and market needs, as well as the performance of sales. Total estimated values captured in this notice include the option to extend the framework as noted above.

Planning Information

The purpose of the Preliminary market engagement (PME) is to cover a range of topics designed to best explore our requirements in a possible future procurement. These topics may include: 1. develop ESPO's requirements and approach to the procurement 2. help better identify suitable suppliers in the market and their supply chains 3. understand products/service offerings from suppliers and the marketplace in general Engagement with suppliers is anticipated to be a mix of methods, including Requests for Information (RFI) and meetings (both virtual and/or in-person). Visits to supplier's premises may also be used where deemed to be of particular use. For the purposes of this Preliminary market engagement (PME), please express your interest as follows: (a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/; (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity '169_26' (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); d) Express an interest. Please access the Messages area/section of the eProcurement Portal (ProContract / EastMidsTenders - Messages can be accessed via the Activity dashboard once an Expression of interest has been completed) for any further communications on this preliminary market engagement, including the RFI documentation - optional responses are required by 12/05/2025. In the case of any questions or clarifications relating to this PME, these should also be submitted to ESPO as a Message on the eProcurement Portal (again once an Expression of interest has been completed). Notwithstanding the above process, as this procurement exercise is a renewal of an existing ESPO framework, ESPO reserves the right to engage with some, all or none of the incumbent suppliers appointed to the existing framework, alongside any additional suppliers identified following the above expression of interest and/or RFI exercise. Suppliers should note that this is a preliminary market engagement exercise (and NOT a competitive tender process at this stage). The participation of a supplier in this preliminary market engagement will not constitute any contractual agreement between the respondent and ESPO. A supplier's participation, or lack of participation, in this preliminary market engagement shall not impact the ability of the supplier to participate in any resulting tender exercise. Suppliers should note that any interest indicated does not constitute a commitment to participate in any future tendering exercise.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-050945
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070390-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

22 - Printed matter and related products

30 - Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages

39 - Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products

CPV Codes

22111000 - School books

22800000 - Paper or paperboard registers, account books, binders, forms and other articles of printed stationery

22816300 - Sticky-note pads

22853000 - File holders

30190000 - Various office equipment and supplies

30192800 - Self-adhesive labels

30197621 - Flipchart pad

30199000 - Paper stationery and other items

39132000 - Filing systems

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£8,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£8,000,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£4,986,667 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£4,986,667 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
21 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
27 Jun 2025Expired
Award Date
7 May 20263 months ago
Contract Period
25 Jun 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LEICESTER
Postcode
LE19 1ES
Postcode Area
Leicester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF22 Leicestershire CC and Rutland
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Blaby
Electoral Ward
Enderby
Westminster Constituency
South Leicestershire

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
45
Supplier Names

3M UNITED KINGDOM PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

3M UNITED KINGDOM PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY (01123045)

ACCO UK LIMITED

ACCO UK LIMITED (00197754)

AMPLE STAR ENTERPRISES UK LIMITED

AMPLE STAR ENTERPRISES UK LIMITED (09347228)

BANNER GROUP LIMITED

BANNER GROUP LIMITED (05510758)

BI-SILQUE VISUAL COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS LIMITED

BI-SILQUE VISUAL COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS LIMITED (03093943)

CCL LABEL LIMITED (04310986) - t/a Avery UK

CCL LABEL LIMITED (t/a Avery UK)

CROMWELL POLYTHENE LIMITED

CROMWELL POLYTHENE LIMITED (02230104)

FELLOWES LTD

FELLOWES LTD (00865306)

HAMELIN BRANDS LIMITED

HAMELIN BRANDS LIMITED (05680323)

HARLOW PRINTING LIMITED

HARLOW PRINTING LIMITED (00435445)

HERITAGE ENVELOPES LIMITED

HERITAGE ENVELOPES LIMITED (02035889)

MOROAK LIMITED (03734189) - t/a Blake Envelopes and Packaging

MOROAK LIMITED (t/a Blake Envelopes and Packaging)

NUCO INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

NUCO INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (03195826)

PFW LABEL SOLUTIONS LTD

PFW LABEL SOLUTIONS LTD (13599665)

PLASTOREG EASTLIGHT LIMITED

PLASTOREG EASTLIGHT LIMITED (14839297)

PROFILE EDUCATION LIMITED

PROFILE EDUCATION LIMITED (06280226)

SAMUEL GRANT (LEEDS) LIMITED

SAMUEL GRANT (LEEDS) LIMITED (02708462)

TEXET SALES LIMITED

TEXET SALES LIMITED (01656138)

Victor Stationery OU (registered with the Tallinn City Court Registry Department, Estonia - Registration code 10990423)

WEST DESIGN PRODUCTS LIMITED

WEST DESIGN PRODUCTS LIMITED (02723202)

WHITECROFT ESSENTIALS (LYDNEY) LTD

WHITECROFT ESSENTIALS (LYDNEY) LTD (08843941)

WIGSTON PAPER LIMITED

WIGSTON PAPER LIMITED (11120462)

WILLIAM SINCLAIR & SONS (STATIONERS) LIMITED (00602428) - t/a Sinclairs

WILLIAM SINCLAIR & SONS (STATIONERS) LIMITED (t/a Sinclairs)

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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