Open20 days left · closes midday, Monday 19 October 2026

23_27 Cleaning Chemicals and Hand Soaps

Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO · Local authority

In brief

Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO is looking for suppliers for medical supplies work (UK-wide).

It is a framework worth up to £7,000,000 excluding VAT: the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers, not one contract.

The contract runs for 25 months, up to 4 years with extensions, starting 1 March 2027.

It is split into 4 lots, so a supplier can bid for part of the work.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Bids close at midday, Monday 19 October 2026.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Key dates

Questions by: 5pm, Monday 12 October 2026
Bids by: midday, Monday 19 October 2026

How bids are scored

Industry-Leading Brands of Professional Standard Cleaning Chemicals

Price (Lots 1-3) 20% · Non-Price (Lots 1-3) 80%

Quality matters most. You can win without being the cheapest.

Industry-Leading Brands of Professional Standard Hand Soaps

Price (Lots 1-3) 20% · Non-Price (Lots 1-3) 80%

Quality matters most. You can win without being the cheapest.

Non Industry-Leading Brands and Supplier's Own Brand(s) of Cleaning Chemicals and Hand Soaps

Price (Lots 1-3) 20% · Non-Price (Lots 1-3) 80%

Quality matters most. You can win without being the cheapest.

ESPO Own-Brand "Smartbuy" Cleaning Chemicals and Hand Soaps

Price (Lot 4) 70% · Non-Price (Lot 4) 30%

Price matters most. Expect to compete hard on cost.

Competition

Usually high: a median of 20 bids per contract for this buyer (from 199 awards in the last 12 months).

Framework

Winning puts you on a list of suppliers the buyer can call on; it does not guarantee work. The £7,000,000 is the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers over the framework's life, not one contract.

Conditions

Suppliers pay a fee of 1% of the value of work won through this framework.

Tender documents

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

What the notice says

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 catalogue framework covering the supply of cleaning chemicals and hand soaps, including branded, unbranded and private label (ESPO Smartbuy) cleaning chemical and hand soap products. All products are for resale via the ESPO Catalogue. The Framework is divided into 4 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 is 12:00 (12 noon / 12pm) on 19 October 2026. To 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 e.g., via https://procontract.due-north.com/Register); (c) Search for tender opportunity 23_27 (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal, or alternatively via searching on https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index); (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.

Should I bid?

Tick what applies to you. Nothing is saved.

Can you prepare a good bid in 20 days?Leave time for clarification questions and sign-off.
Is a contract of about £7,000,000 a size you can deliver?Buyers often check that your turnover is comfortably larger than the yearly contract value.
Can you deliver in locations across the UK?Check the delivery locations in the tender documents.
Is one of the 4 lots a good fit?You can usually bid for one lot without bidding for the others.
Can you meet what the notice mentions: Framework agreement?The tender documents will say exactly what is required.
Are you registered on the Central Digital Platform?You need to be registered to take part under the Procurement Act 2023.
The buyer says this suits small businesses.A good sign if you are an SME, but check the requirements.

How to bid

Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.
Send clarification questions before 5pm, Monday 12 October 2026.
Make sure your bid arrives before midday, Monday 19 October 2026. Late bids are usually rejected.

Lots

Lot	Trade	Value
Industry-Leading Brands of Professional Standard Cleaning Chemicals 1 March 2027 to 31 March 2029 What this lot covers This Lot is for the supply of cleaning chemicals for use in commercial kitchens, offices and classrooms in commercial, industrial and educational environments. The products must be 'professional standard' brands that have established significant market presence and recognition within the professional cleaning and hygiene industry, demonstrated through widespread commercial use, distribution and awareness among professional users. Goods are for delivery to the ESPO warehouse, Leicester.	—	£2,500,000
Industry-Leading Brands of Professional Standard Hand Soaps 1 March 2027 to 31 March 2029 What this lot covers This Lot is for the supply of hand soaps, hand sanitisers and soap dispensers for use in commercial, industrial and educational environments. The products must be 'professional standard' standard brands that have established significant market presence and recognition within the professional cleaning and hygiene industry, demonstrated through widespread commercial use, distribution and awareness among professional users. Goods are for delivery to the ESPO warehouse, Leicester.	—	£2,500,000
Non Industry-Leading Brands and Supplier's Own Brand(s) of Cleaning Chemicals and Hand Soaps 1 March 2027 to 31 March 2029 What this lot covers This Lot is for the supply of cleaning chemicals and hand soaps for use in commercial kitchens, offices and classrooms in commercial, industrial and educational environments. The products must be 'professional standard'. Goods are for delivery to the ESPO warehouse, Leicester.	Medical equipment and supplies	£833,333
ESPO Own-Brand "Smartbuy" Cleaning Chemicals and Hand Soaps 1 March 2027 to 31 March 2029 What this lot covers This Lot is for the supply of cleaning chemicals and hand soaps for use in commercial kitchens, offices and classrooms in commercial, industrial and educational environments. The products must be 'professional standard'. All items are required to be supplied with ESPO’s own-brand "smartbuy" labelling adhered to the bottle/container. Goods are for delivery to ESPO’s warehouse, Leicester.	—	£1,166,667

Timeline

7 May 2026Pipeline notice · UK1, notice 041947-2026
28 May 2026Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 050001-2026
18 September 2026Tender notice · UK4, notice 088574-2026

Last time this was bought

777_26 Cleaning Materials and Janitorial Supplies

Won by: Lyreco UK Limited, Bunzl UK Ltd T/A Greenham, SMI Int Group Ltd, Alliance Disposables Limited and 4 more
Awarded: 27 March 2026
Value: £104,166,667
Bids: 23
Contract ends: 26 March 2028

Matched on Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO, the type of work and the title; it may be a related contract rather than the same one. Check the notice to be sure.

About the buyer

Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPOLast 12 months

Procurements

Awards

Suppliers it has used most for medical supplies

Ace Contract Flooring Limited1 contract
Aero Healthcare Ltd1 contract
Ags One Ltd1 contract
Ample Star Enterprises UK Limited1 contract
Baca Workwear & Safety Ltd1 contract

All tenders and awards from Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO

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From notice 041947-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 7 May 2026, last updated 18 September 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.