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Published 7 May 2026, 14:16 BST

Official UK procurement notice

235_27 Sports Equipment · UK public procurement notice

Official notice

Authority: Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO (Local council)

Framework agreement3 lotsGoodsOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Sectors: Clothing, footwear, luggage articles and accessories (18)Musical instruments, sport goods, games, toys, handicraft, art materials and accessories (37)Construction Materials & Prefab (44) Delivery: UK
Framework ceiling (notional)£3,333,333total for 3 lots · framework ceiling, not attributable revenue · 2 value updates
Submissions closed 11 Sept 2026
Lots 3see the lot list below
Framework period 2 yrs 1 moends 31 Mar 2029 · up to 28 Feb 2031 with extensions · starts 1 Mar 2027

What is being bought3 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

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 framework for the supply of Sports Equipment for the ESPO catalogues. Goods are for ESPO stock and for direct delivery to ESPO customers.

The Framework is divided into 3 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 has been extended to 12:00 (12 noon / 12pm) on 11 September 2026.

To tender (please proceed to step (e) if an expression of interest has already been completed):

(a) Go to www.eastmidstenders.org ↗ (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity 235_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.

CPV: Field and court sports equipment · Footballs · Hockey sticks · Paints · Sports bags · Sports goods and equipment · Table games and equipment · Water-bottle holders

How this framework works

From the published notice
Type
Closed framework
Call-offs
call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
Framework period
2 yrs 1 mo · up to 4 yrs from 1 Mar 2027
Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)

1% of call-off value · As a public body, ESPO has a statutory obligation to recover the costs incurred in the management of this Framework. This obligation is met by means of a Framework Fee that will be payable by Suppliers to ESPO and will be based on a percentage of the total turnover of business conducted by them under the Framework.

The Framework Fee will be at a rate of 1% for this Framework and shall be payable every three months.

For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Published description of the framework

It should be noted that the Framework could be used, as outlined in option 1 and 2 below, by ESPO where Sports Equipment is required:

Option 1 - Call-off without competition

'Calling-off' Goods from the awarded Supplier who is a) included in the Framework and b) identified as offering the most advantageous solution to ESPO's requirements, based on the Framework award decision.

For all Lots (including sub-lots), purchase orders will be placed with the awarded Supplier(s) as required by ESPO.

Option 2 - Call-off with competition (Further Competitive Selection Process)

'Calling-off' through a further competitive selection process between suppliers appointed to the relevant Lot or Sub-Lot and capable of meeting the requirement. As such, all Framework Suppliers may not be invited to every further competition.

Please refer to the tender documents for any further details.

Lots and requirements (3)Procurement structure

3 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lot · evaluation weights differ by lot
Lot #1Sporting EquipmentRenewal 2 yrs 1 moSMEPublished value£2,000,000

The supply of Sports Equipment for ESPO stock and for direct delivery to end user establishments. The purpose of this Lot is to capture a number of suppliers so that ESPO can offer its customers a wide choice of Sports Equipment and Accessories. These products are aimed at customers primarily within the Education sector and other non-departmental public bodies.

Contract period: 1 Mar 2027 – 31 Mar 2029 (2 yrs 1 mo) · up to 28 Feb 2031 with extensionsValue: £2,000,000 exc. VAT · £2,400,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligible
Extensions: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove products (i.e., those products listed within the Framework Pricing Schedule, 235_27) throughout the lifetime of the Framework, so long as they are within the Framework scope. · Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2029), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 23 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.
18925100 Water-bottle holders37400000 Sports goods and equipment44810000 Paints
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Refer to the tender documents for conditions of participation.

  • Technical & professional ability

    Refer to the tender documents for conditions of participation.

Lot #2Sporting EssentialsRenewal 2 yrs 1 moSMEPublished value£1,000,000

The supply of Sports Essentials for ESPO stock and for direct delivery to end user establishments. The purpose of this Lot is to capture a number of suppliers to provide a comprehensive range of high quality and competitively priced products that are essential items for a range of popular Sports. These products are aimed at customers particularly within the Education sector and therefore must be suitable for use within schools and other education environments.

Contract period: 1 Mar 2027 – 31 Mar 2029 (2 yrs 1 mo) · up to 28 Feb 2031 with extensionsValue: £1,000,000 exc. VAT · £1,200,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligible
Extensions: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove products (i.e., those products listed within the Framework Pricing Schedule, 235_27) throughout the lifetime of the Framework, so long as they are within the Framework scope. · Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2029), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 23 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.
18932000 Sports bags37411230 Hockey sticks37450000 Field and court sports equipment37461000 Table games and equipment
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Refer to the tender documents for conditions of participation.

  • Technical & professional ability

    Refer to the tender documents for conditions of participation.

Lot #3'ESPO' Branded Sports EquipmentRenewal 2 yrs 1 moSMEPublished value£333,333

The supply of 'ESPO' Branded Sports Equipment for ESPO stock and for direct delivery to end user establishments. The purpose of this Lot is to appoint a supplier(s) who can provide ESPO customers high quality and competitively priced Sports Equipment as part of our ESPO branded range. All products within this Lot will feature the "ESPO" name and branding on the design of the product. These products are aimed at customers particularly within the Education sector and therefore must be suitable for use in schools and other Education environments.

Contract period: 1 Mar 2027 – 31 Mar 2029 (2 yrs 1 mo) · up to 28 Feb 2031 with extensionsValue: £333,333 exc. VAT · £400,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligible
Extensions: ESPO reserves the right to add or remove products (i.e., those products listed within the Framework Pricing Schedule, 235_27) throughout the lifetime of the Framework, so long as they are within the Framework scope. · Once the initial period of the contract has ended (i.e., 31 March 2029), there is an option to extend the framework by up to a further 23 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.
18932000 Sports bags37451300 Footballs
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Refer to the tender documents for conditions of participation.

  • Technical & professional ability

    Refer to the tender documents for conditions of participation.

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored

Lots publish different evaluation splits; there is no single procedure weighting.

LotQualityPriceSplit
1 · Sporting Equipment80%20%
2 · Sporting Essentials20%80%
3 · 'ESPO' Branded Sports Equipment20%80%
Conditions of participation · identical on every lot2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Refer to the tender documents for conditions of participation.

  • Technical & professional ability

    Refer to the tender documents for conditions of participation.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 20–80 points depending on the lot; most lots put it at 80 points.
  • “235_27 Sports Equipment” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Goods
Notice status
Closed
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Framework agreement
Who may use this agreement
Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
7 May 2026, 14:16 BST
Last source update
4 Sept 2026, 11:06 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 1 Dec 2026
Authority reference
235_27
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-074917
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Field and court sports equipmentFootballsHockey sticksPaintsSports bagsSports goods and equipmentTable games and equipmentWater-bottle holders
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069376 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: East Midlands Tendering
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free regional portal
Appointment period ends
11 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
1 Sept 2026, 17:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)

call-off levy · 1% of call-off value · As a public body, ESPO has a statutory obligation to recover the costs incurred in the management of this Framework. This obligation is met by means of a Framework Fee that will be payable by Suppliers to ESPO and will be based on a percentage of the total turnover of business conducted by them under the Framework.

The Framework Fee will be at a rate of 1% for this Framework and shall be payable every three months.

For further details, please refer to the tender documents.

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Refer to all instructions captured via www.eastmidstenders.org ↗

Timeline

7 May 2026 → 1 Mar 2027 · 9 dates
  1. Planning notice published171 days ago
    7 May 2026, 14:16 BST
  2. Market engagement106 days ago
    10 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST

    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 www.eastmidstenders.org ↗; (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity '235_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 03 July 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.

  3. Tender notice published79 days ago
    6 Aug 2026, 15:59 BST
  4. Clarification questions by53 days ago
    1 Sept 2026, 17:00 BST
  5. Latest notice published51 days ago
    4 Sept 2026, 11:06 BST
  6. Next notice expected50 days ago
    4 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
  7. Admission / appointment period ends44 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown
    11 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
  8. Today
    25 Oct 2026
  9. Award decision expected byin 38 days
    1 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
  10. Contract startsin 127 days
    1 Mar 2027

Notice history

10 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 7 May 2026
  1. Pipeline notice published
    7 May 2026, 14:16 BST
    UK1
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    28 May 2026, 10:32 BST
    UK2
  3. Published value published: £3,666,667
    28 May 2026, 10:32 BST
  4. Tender notice published
    6 Aug 2026, 15:59 BST
    UK4
  5. Published value updated to £3,333,333
    6 Aug 2026, 15:59 BST
    was £3,666,667
  6. Status changed to active
    6 Aug 2026, 15:59 BST
  7. Procurement method changed
    6 Aug 2026, 15:59 BST
  8. Deadline published: 7 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
    6 Aug 2026, 15:59 BST
  9. Tender notice published
    4 Sept 2026, 11:06 BST
    UK4
  10. Deadline moved to 11 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
    4 Sept 2026, 11:06 BST
    +4 days · was 7 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
Published amendments (1)

The Tender submission deadline has been extended to 11 September 2026, 12:00pm.

Routine re-releases (4)
  • 2026-05: 1 release · 7 May 2026

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PYDD-1122-TCVN Barnsdale Way, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester, East Midlands, LE19 1ESContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (6)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsTo 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 235_27 (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMids…
  • Technical specifications tenderTechnical specificationsPlease refer to the tender documents (see above for further details including summary instructions on how to access these).

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender
  • Preliminary market engagement notice planningPreliminary market engagement noticeUK2Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
  • Pipeline notice planningPipeline noticeUK1Pipeline notice on Find a Tender