---
title: "199_27 Design and Technology Materials and Equipment"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0510da"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0510da"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0510da.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0510da.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO"
published: "2026-08-05"
---

# 199_27 Design and Technology Materials and Equipment

Buyer: LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0510da

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## Summary

Leicestershire County Council, operating as ESPO, is in the Tender stage for a procurement process titled "199_27 Design and Technology Materials and Equipment". This procurement focuses on educational equipment, game kits, sewing machines, and other related materials for use in educational settings. The procurement is conducted through an open procedure with a framework agreement, allowing for both direct orders and further competitive selection. The estimated gross value is £1,600,000, with tenders to be submitted by 12:00 on 4 September 2026. Deliveries are to be made either to ESPO's distribution centre in Leicester or directly to customer premises throughout the UK. The contract is due to start on 1 January 2027 and could extend to 31 March 2028, with the possibility of additional extensions up to 33 months, subject to performance and demand. The contract's key lots include supplies ranging from educational sets to tools and paints, each suited to different educational environments.

This tender presents a lucrative opportunity for businesses involved in the supply of educational and design technology materials. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a strong track record in these areas should find themselves well-positioned to compete. The framework’s flexible structure, with its combination of direct orders and opportunities for competitive bidding among the awarded suppliers, allows businesses to align their offerings with the needs of ESPO and its customers. Given the wide scope of items and ESPO’s extensive customer base, suppliers can benefit from stable demand and the potential for steady business growth throughout the framework’s duration. Businesses specialising in delivering high-quality educational materials and technology equipment, particularly those equipped to handle large-scale deliveries across the UK, will likely find this a suitable opportunity to enhance their presence in the public sector market.

## Notice

ESPO is a trading department of Leicestershire County Council. It is a non-profit making body owned and operated jointly by six local authorities. We provide a catalogue range, providing our customers with access to over 28,000 products that cover all key areas of education and wider public sector requirements. We are establishing a catalogue framework for the supply of D&T materials and equipment for use in education settings, with goods to be delivered either to ESPO's distribution centre, Leicester, or for direct delivery to ESPO customer premises. The Framework is divided into 2 lots. Please refer to the tender documents for any further details (including further details on each of the lots) - the closing date for submission of Tenders is 12:00 (12 noon / 12pm) on 04 September 2026. To tender (please proceed to step (e) if an expression of interest has already been completed): (a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/ (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity 199_27 (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); (d) Express an interest; (e) Download the tender documents (from the ProContract Activity summary screen). Any questions or clarifications relating to this tender opportunity should be submitted to ESPO as a message on the eProcurement Portal, once an Expression of interest has been completed.

### Lot Information

Supply of Design and Technology Product Ranges - By Category

Lot 1 is for the supply of Construction Kits, Modelling Kits and Educational Sets, Coding and Robotics Educational Sets, Badge Making Equipment, D&T Components, Electronics Equipment and Components, Tools, Accessories and Furniture, 3D Printing Equipment and Accessories, D&T Classroom Machinery, and Sewing Machines & Accessories, all for use in educational environments. Delivery is to ESPO's distribution centre, Leicester, or for direct delivery to ESPO customer premises.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove products (i.e., those products listed within the Framework Pricing Schedule, 199_27) throughout the lifetime of the Framework, so long as they are within the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2028), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 33 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.

Supply of Design and Technology Product Ranges - By Sub-Lot

Lot 2 is for the supply of construction kits, recordable teaching aid devices, electricity kits, textiles machinery, classroom kits, robotics, programmable systems, 3D printers and accessories, badge making machines and accessories. Items include wood, acrylic and modelling material packs, D&T and cardboard components, glue guns and glue sticks, a variety of spray paints all for use in educational environments. Delivery is to ESPO's distribution centre, Leicester, or for direct delivery to ESPO customer premises.

Options: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove products (i.e., those products listed within the Framework Pricing Schedule, 199_27) throughout the lifetime of the Framework, so long as they are within the Framework scope.

Renewal: Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2028), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 33 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 Pre-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 to understand 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) hosted on the EastMidsTenders eProcurement Portal (www.eastmidstenders.org), and meetings (both virtual and in-person). Visits to supplier’s premises may also be used where deemed to be of particular use.
Suppliers wishing to participate in the engagement process must first express an interest as follows:
(a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/; (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity '199_27' (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); d) Express an interest.
Suppliers can then access the RFI questionnaire in the ‘Messages’ section via the ‘Activity’ dashboard once an expression of interest has been registered - the deadline for responding to the RFI is 17:00 (5pm) on 12 June 2026. Responses to the RFI as well as any questions or clarifications should be submitted to ESPO as a message on the eProcurement Portal.
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 ESPO framework, alongside any additional suppliers identified following the above expressions of interests and/or a RFI exercise.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074312-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 4 Sep 2026 |
| Future notice date | 1 Sep 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2027 - 31 Mar 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,333,333 |
| Lots value | £1,333,333 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Active |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO |
| Locality | LEICESTER |
| Post town | Leicester |
| Postcode | LE19 1ES |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF22 Leicestershire CC and Rutland |
| Local authority | Blaby |
| Electoral ward | Enderby |
| Westminster constituency | South Leicestershire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 03 - Agricultural, farming, fishing, forestry and related products
- 24 - Chemical products
- 31 - Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting
- 37 - Musical instruments, sport goods, games, toys, handicraft, art materials and accessories
- 39 - Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products
- 42 - Industrial machinery
- 44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)

### Codes

- 03415000 - Softwood
- 24910000 - Glues
- 31711100 - Electronic components
- 37524900 - Game kits
- 39162000 - Educational equipment
- 39241100 - Knives
- 42715000 - Sewing machines
- 44511000 - Hand tools
- 44810000 - Paints

## Release History

- 5 Aug 2026 at 14:31 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074312-2026
- 28 May 2026 at 08:50 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/050071-2026
- 12 May 2025 at 12:13 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020457-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074312-2026
  5th August 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/050071-2026
  28th May 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020457-2025
  12th May 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.eastmidstenders.org/
  To tender (please proceed to step (e) if an expression of interest has already been completed): (a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/ (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity 199_27 (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); (d) Express an interest; (e) Download the tender documents (from the ProContract Activity summary screen).

## Notice URLs

- https://www.espo.org/
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0510da. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0510da.json.