---
title: "79_27 Educational Furniture"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06936f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06936f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06936f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06936f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO"
published: "2026-05-28"
---

# 79_27 Educational Furniture

Buyer: LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06936f

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## Summary

The procurement process initiated by Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO, seeks to establish a framework for the supply of Educational Furniture, with a focus on delivering goods to ESPO's distribution centre in Leicester and directly to customers throughout the UK. The process is currently in the planning stage, with pre-market engagement scheduled to conclude by 19th June 2026. Interested suppliers need to express their interest by 12th June 2026 to participate in requests for information prior to the formal tender stage. This engagement is aimed at identifying suitable suppliers for various lots, including tables, chairs, and storage units, classified under the industry category of furniture and furnishings. The procurement is facilitated through a framework agreement, with contracts anticipated to commence on 1st April 2027 and span until March 2029, potentially extending to 2031.

This procurement presents substantial growth opportunities for businesses operating within the educational furniture sector. The engagement process allows companies to showcase their capacity and supply chain capabilities, positioning themselves as key suppliers within ESPO's expansive product catalogue, which caters to the education sector and broader public sector needs. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are particularly encouraged to participate, as the framework will include multiple product lots, offering diverse entry points for businesses to compete and potentially secure long-term contracts. The total anticipated value of this procurement underscores significant demand, enabling suppliers to expand their market presence and client base across the UK educational and public sectors.

## 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 conducting preliminary market engagement with the intention of establishing a framework for the supply of Educational Furniture. The products covered by this proposed Framework will be purchased for re-sale, and orders will be placed according to demand. Delivery shall be to ESPO's distribution centre in Leicester, and for delivery directly to ESPO's customers throughout the UK. The Framework is envisaged to include the following Lots (subject to change): Lot 1. ESPO Smartbuy Range Lot 2. Core Tables Lot 3. Specialist Tables Lot 4. Chairs and Stools Lot 5. Bean Bags and Cushions Lot 6. Metal Storage and Trays Lot 7. Storage and Library Furniture Lot. 8 Metal Lockers Lot. 9 Wooden Lockers Lot. 10 Changing Room Furniture Lot. 11 Hazardous Storage Cupboards Lot. 12 Early Years Furniture The above Lot structure is for information only and some details may be amended within the invitation to tender. This Pre Market Engagement aims to identify capable suppliers in the market with track record in delivering goods within this product category. We are requesting information from relevant organisations to help us define our requirements (please refer to the Engagement process description section of this notice for further details). This is not a call for competition. Tender documentation is not yet available.

### 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 '79_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/049997-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 4 Sep 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £18,333,333 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| 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

- 39 - Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products
- 44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)

### Codes

- 39000000 - Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products
- 44421700 - Boxes and lockers
- 44421720 - Lockers

## Release History

- 28 May 2026 at 06:42 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049997-2026
- 7 May 2026 at 13:09 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041959-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049997-2026
  28th May 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041959-2026
  7th May 2026 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.eastmidstenders.org/
- 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-06936f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06936f.json.