--- title: "NEPO425 - Volume Cut Sized Copier Paper and Production Specialist Paper" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078c08" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078c08" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078c08.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078c08.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "THE ASSOCIATION OF NORTH EAST COUNCILS LIMITED" published: "2026-10-20" --- # NEPO425 - Volume Cut Sized Copier Paper and Production Specialist Paper Buyer: THE ASSOCIATION OF NORTH EAST COUNCILS LIMITED Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078c08 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078c08) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078c08.json) ## Summary The Association of North East Councils Limited, trading as the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO), plans to establish a multi-supplier framework for supplying and distributing volume cut-sized copier paper and specialist production paper. The range covers paper for copying, printing and writing, including carbonless, perforated, embossed, gummed and self-adhesive paper. Supplies are intended for delivery to contracting authority establishments across the UK, for NEPO member authorities and associate members to use. NEPO is acting as a central purchasing organisation on behalf of public bodies. Organisations wishing to use the resulting agreement will need to register as a NEPO Associate Member. The intended users include current and future associate members and other contracting authorities permitted to use the agreement. This procurement is at the planning stage: NEPO has set out an intention to buy, but has not invited tenders. It expects to publish a future procurement notice by 25 February 2027. The buyer plans a preliminary market engagement questionnaire, accessible from 20 October 2026, with responses due by 12 noon on 30 October 2026. Optional online consultation sessions are planned between 2 and 13 November 2026; suppliers can register to attend by 12 noon on 30 October. The expected route is a multi-supplier framework, with one lot and a contract period running from 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2031. Estimated value is £12 million excluding VAT (£14.4 million including VAT). The planned framework is relevant to suppliers able to source, supply and distribute a broad range of copier and production papers to public-sector sites across the UK. The product scope includes standard cut-sized copier paper as well as specialist grades and formats, including carbonless, perforated, embossed, gummed and self-adhesive paper. Suppliers with the operational capacity to serve multiple public authorities and deliver across a geographically broad customer base are likely to be well placed. NEPO is using early market engagement to understand supplier interest and obtain input on how the future provision should be shaped. Businesses can use the questionnaire and optional consultation sessions to contribute to that planning; participation is not a tender bid and does not confer an advantage in the later procurement. No particular accreditation or technical qualification is set out at this stage. ## Notice The Association of North East Councils, trading as the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO), is seeking to establish a multi-supplier, Framework for the provision of Volume Cut Sized Copier Paper and Production Specialist Paper, for a contract period of 48 months. The Framework will provide for the supply and distribution of Volume Cut Sized Copier Paper and Production Specialist Paper products to a variety of Contracting Authority establishments on behalf of NEPO Member Authorities and NEPO Associate Members. NEPO is a Centralised Procurement Authority as defined in the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23), providing central purchasing activity on behalf of Contracting Authorities. The agreement will be available to NEPO Member Authorities and all current and future Associate Members. Current Associate Members are listed in the Associate Member section of the NEPO website at: https://www.nepo.org/associate-membership NEPO intends to make the agreement available for use by all Contracting Authorities throughout all administrative regions of the UK (as defined by the Procurement Act 2023). A list of permissible users available at: http://www.nepo.org/associate-membership/permissible-users Organisations wishing to access the NEPO agreement will be required to register as a NEPO Associate Member in the first instance. Further information can be found at: www.nepo.org Further and full information regarding Contracting Authorities that may use the agreement can be found in the Procurement Documents. ### Planning Information NEPO intend to publish a preliminary market engagement questionnaire via Open eTendering system (www.open-uk.org). The questionnaire responses will help NEPO design the framework by providing the level of market interest and provide insight from suppliers on the shaping of the future provision. The questionnaire will be made accessible via the Open eTendering system on 20 October 2026 with a submission deadline of 12 noon Friday 30 October 2026. Suppliers wishing to access and complete the questionnaire must first register on the Open eTendering system using the following link https://www.open-uk.org. For guidance on how to create an account or submit your questionnaire response through Open, please visit https://www.open-hub.org/training to access the available Training Guides. If you need technical assistance from the Open Support team, this can be requested via open.support@nepo.org. PLEASE NOTE: Open is accessible 24/7 however, technical support is available Monday to Thursday 08:30 - 17:00 and Friday 08:30 - 16:30. NEPO also intends to hold virtual market consultation sessions for interested suppliers between 2 November 2026 and 13 November 2026. These sessions will include a presentation and provide an opportunity for suppliers to ask questions. Suppliers wishing to register attendance should access Microsoft Bookings via the link provided within the market engagement questionnaire on Open, by 12:00 noon on Friday 30 October. Attendance at the Microsoft Teams meetings is optional and does not provide suppliers with an advantage in any future related procurement. Presentations and Q&A from the session will be published as part of the procurement process. Attendance also does not constitute as an intention to tender for any future related procurement. Please note the above information may be subject to change. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099086-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Framework | | Procurement category | Goods | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 20 Oct 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 25 Feb 2027 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 2031 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £12,000,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | THE ASSOCIATION OF NORTH EAST COUNCILS LIMITED | | Locality | GATESHEAD | | Postcode area | Newcastle upon Tyne | | Postcode | NE8 3DF | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | | ITL 3 | TLC43 Tyneside | | Local authority | Gateshead | | Electoral ward | Bridges | | Westminster constituency | Gateshead Central and Whickham | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 22 - Printed matter and related products - 30 - Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages ### Codes - 22990000 - Newsprint, handmade paper and other uncoated paper or paperboard for graphic purposes - 30197610 - Composite paper and paperboard - 30197620 - Writing paper - 30197630 - Printing paper - 30197640 - Self-copy or other copy paper - 30197642 - Photocopier paper and xerographic paper - 30197643 - Photocopier paper - 30197644 - Xerographic paper - 30199100 - Carbon paper, self-copy paper, paper duplicator stencils and carbonless paper - 30199110 - Carbon paper - 30199120 - Self-copy paper - 30199130 - Carbonless paper - 30199300 - Embossed or perforated paper - 30199310 - Embossed or perforated printing paper - 30199320 - Embossed or perforated writing paper - 30199400 - Gummed or adhesive paper - 30199410 - Self-adhesive paper ## Release History - 20 Oct 2026 at 14:58 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099086-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099086-2026 20th October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.nepo.org - http://www.nepo.org/associate-membership/permissible-users - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.nepo.org/associate-membership - https://www.open-hub.org/training - https://www.open-uk.org ## 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-078c08. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078c08.json.