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Coming up· published 14 Sept 2026

Nepro4

The Association of North East Councils Limited · Gateshead, North East

The Association of North East Councils Limited is planning Nepro4, a framework for other health and social care in Gateshead, and has published an early notice so providers can prepare before the tender opens.

Source: Find a Tender · published 14 Sep 2026 · details refreshed every 30 minutes

Key dates

  1. 2026

    Pipeline notice published

    UK1 - Pipeline Notice · 08:22

    View notice
  2. 2026

    Pipeline notice updated

    UK1 - Pipeline Notice · 21:42

    View notice
  3. 2026

    Pipeline notice published

    UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice · 16:50

    View notice
  4. Next

    2026

    Tender notice expected

    Date given in the buyer's earlier notice

  5. 2027

    Contract starts

  6. 2031

    Contract ends

    4 years after it starts

01

About this tender

In brief

The Association of North East Councils Limited is planning Nepro4, a framework for other health and social care in Gateshead, and has published an early notice so providers can prepare before the tender opens. The estimated value is £6,000,000,000, and the contract runs from 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2031 (4 years). The tender notice is expected around 20 November 2026.

It is run as a competitive flexible procedure, and the buyer marks it as suitable for SMEs. Published on Find a Tender on 14 September 2026 as notice 087047-2026, OCDS ID ocds-h6vhtk-060847.

Summary of the contracting process

The Association of North East Councils Limited, a sub-central government public authority based in Gateshead, is in the planning stage of a procurement process for the NEPRO4 framework. This process aims to procure Specialist Professional Services and Consultancy through a neutral vendor framework, continuing the long-standing NEPRO framework originally introduced in 2012. The contract will cover multiple service categories such as Financial and Insurance Services, IT Services, and Health and Social Work Services, to name a few.

The procurement process follows a competitive flexible procedure under the Procurement Act 2023, with the current framework iteration scheduled to conclude on 31 August 2027, and a tendering process expected to follow this at a later stage. The NEPRO4 tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses, especially those experienced in working with neutral vendor frameworks, to engage with a wide range of public sector projects across the UK. This procurement is suitable for SMEs and large enterprises proficient in strategic collaboration, supplier performance monitoring, and public procurement regulation.

Companies that can demonstrate strong supply chain management, value-for-money project delivery, and a commitment to social value and ESG principles will find this an advantageous opportunity to expand their public sector portfolio. The procurement documents will detail further requirements and will be essential for interested parties considering participation.

The notice in full

NEPRO3, originally NEPRO, was first introduced in 2012 acting as a neutral vendor framework delivered through a dedicated delivery partner. From the first iteration of NEPRO we have continued to grow, providing a fully compliant, outcomes-based route for procuring Specialist Professional Services and Consultancy across the public sector. The current and third iteration of the framework, NEPRO3, is scheduled to run until 31 August 2027, at which point it will be re-tendered.

The framework agreement will require a Delivery Partner to strategically work with NEPO for the delivery of Specialist Professional Services procurements across various categories for our members. It is envisaged that this will continue to be a neutral vendor framework and will have an end-to-end process of support for our users across their individual projects. The current framework agreement has 20 categories of services to procure from, as well as a supply chain of over 6,000 suppliers.

The solution will be procured using the procedures outlined in the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023). The purpose of this Pipeline Notice is to provide prior information to the market on the intentions of NEPO to procure such a framework. It is expected that the Delivery Partner will be able to meet the following, in line with ongoing business requirement discussions around NEPRO3:

  • Build a strategic relationship with NEPO, working to continuously improve the solution for our end users.
  • Deep understanding of public procurement regulations and specialist knowledge across categories to best support Members.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects of various scales across the UK public sector simultaneously and deliver value-for-money from beginning to end.
  • A strong qualified supply chain for Members to access.
  • Experience working in a Neutral Vendor framework or the evidence to provide that the supplier can.
  • Ability to monitor supplier performance and the end-to-end process.
  • Ability to work with our members to understand needs and support them with their projects, as well as building strong relationships.
  • Ability to collate and report on information for the benefit of our members and for transparency.
  • A clear focus on Social Value and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) benefits offered through the solution.
  • Ability to comply with rebate procedures.

This may be subject to amendment following from Market Engagement which is expected to take place around late February/early March 2026. 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: nepo.org/associate-membership/current-associate-members 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 is available at: 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 will be found in the procurement documents when published.

Lots: no lot details came through with this notice. The official notice and the tender pack have the full breakdown.

02

Key facts

Every field the notice carries. Anything it leaves blank is listed under its table.

Contract

Service
Other health and social care
Procurement type
Framework
Category
Services
Contract period
1 Sep 2027 to 31 Aug 2031 (4 years)
Suitable for
Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs)

Procedure

Notice type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procedure
Competitive flexible procedure
Current stage
Planning
Stages so far
Planning
Published on
Find a Tender Service

Not stated in the notice: procurement method, awardee scale.

Values

Tender value
£6,000,000,000

Not stated in the notice: lots value, awards value, contracts value.

Status

Tender
Planned
Lots
Planned

Not stated in the notice: awards, contracts.

References

Find a Tender notice
087047-2026
Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-060847
CPV code
66000000 - Financial and insurance services70333000 - Housing services71000000 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security80000000 - Education and training services85000000 - Health and social work services90713000 - Environmental issues consultancy services92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services98000000 - Other community, social and personal services
CPV division
66 - Financial and insurance services70 - Real estate services71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security80 - Education and training services85 - Health and social work services90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services98 - Other community, social and personal services
03

Location

The Association of North East Councils Limited is based in Gateshead. The area the service covers can be wider, so check the notice and the lots.
Local authority
Gateshead
Town
Gateshead
Postcode
NE8 3DF
Electoral ward
Bridges
Constituency
Gateshead Central and Whickham
Region
North East
Sub-region
Tyneside
Area
Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Country
England
04

Buyer

Contracting authority

Organisation
The Association of North East Councils Limited
Category
Services
Address
Gateshead, NE8 3DF · North East · England

Not stated in the notice: contact, phone.

05

Documents and links

Official sources for this notice. The tender pack itself sits on the buyer's portal.
06

Questions about Nepro4

When will the Nepro4 tender open?

The Association of North East Councils Limited's notice expects the tender to be published around 20 November 2026. An early notice is the time to answer any market engagement questions and gather the evidence a bid will need.

How much is the Nepro4 contract worth?

The estimated value is £6,000,000,000. The contract runs from 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2031 (4 years).

Who is the buyer for Nepro4?

The Association of North East Councils Limited, based in Gateshead, North East.

How do I bid for Nepro4?

Register on the buyer's portal named in the notice, download the tender pack and check every condition of participation before you start writing. The buyer has marked it as suitable for SMEs. Care Sync Experts writes and reviews care tender bids from £1,500 + VAT.

Want help winning this tender?

We write and review care tender bids: quality answers, case studies and social value, checked against how the buyer scores before you submit.