What is NEPO?
NEPO, the North East Procurement Organisation, is a consortium of 12 local authorities in North East England that procures goods and services on behalf of its member councils. NEPO is one of the longest-established regional buying organisations in the UK public sector.
The 12 NEPO member councils are: Durham County Council, Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside, Northumberland County Council, South Tyneside, Sunderland City Council, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Hartlepool, and Redcar and Cleveland. Together they cover a combined population of over 2.5 million across the North East region.
NEPO operates as a shared procurement service: councils bring category requirements to NEPO, which runs the competitive procurement exercise on their behalf and establishes a framework or contracts that member councils call off from. Suppliers listed on a NEPO framework agreement can provide goods and services to any of the 12 member councils without competing for each individual call-off contract.
What NEPO procures
NEPO operates frameworks across a wide range of categories commonly required by local authorities. Construction and civil engineering works, highways maintenance, and property management are substantial categories given the combined property and highway estate across 12 councils. Information technology, managed print, and software platforms are procured both as frameworks and as individual contracts for major systems projects.
Facilities management (cleaning, catering, security, and grounds maintenance) is let through NEPO frameworks and used by councils for their offices, leisure centres, and community buildings. Professional services including legal advisory, management consultancy, HR, and audit are procured for specialist work across the membership. Fleet management and vehicle maintenance cover the combined vehicle fleet of 12 councils.
Social care and community services are commissioned individually by each council rather than through NEPO frameworks, due to the local nature of care provision. These contracts are advertised separately by each council on their own procurement portals and on Find a Tender.
How NEPO tenders are advertised
NEPO procurements above the relevant threshold are published on Find a Tender. Framework establishment exercises, individual call-off tenders, and pre-qualification exercises are all advertised publicly. NEPO also operates its own procurement portal where supplier registration and tender responses are managed. Individual member councils publish their own below-threshold procurement on Find a Tender and their own e-tendering systems, alongside participation in NEPO frameworks.
How TenderSignal covers NEPO opportunities
TenderSignal shows NEPO procurement notices from Find a Tender and the NEPO open portal, alongside individual notices from all 12 member councils across their own procurement systems. Set your North East England region filter and relevant CPV codes, and receive a matched digest of NEPO framework exercises and individual council procurement notices, weekly free or daily on Pro. TenderSignal also alerts you when NEPO framework application windows open on Find a Tender, so you can apply before the window closes.
NEPO tender FAQ
Which councils are members of NEPO?
The 12 NEPO member councils are: Durham County Council, Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside, Northumberland County Council, South Tyneside, Sunderland City Council, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Hartlepool, and Redcar and Cleveland.
How do I get on a NEPO framework?
NEPO framework exercises are published on Find a Tender when application windows open. Suppliers submit a response to the relevant framework lot, demonstrating technical capability, financial standing, and pricing. Successful suppliers are awarded framework status and can then receive call-off orders from any of the 12 member councils for the framework's duration, typically two to four years. TenderSignal alerts you when NEPO framework procurement exercises are published.
Does NEPO advertise tenders publicly?
Yes. NEPO framework establishment exercises and above-threshold individual procurements are published on Find a Tender. TenderSignal includes the full FTS feed alongside all 12 member council procurement portals, so you see the NEPO procurement landscape in one matched digest, weekly free or daily on Pro.