About us | ESPO

As a public sector owned professional buying organisation (PBO), we specialise in providing a wide range of goods and services to the public sector. We’re not just a catalogue; we offer a comprehensive, one-stop shop solution to our customers, providing access to over 100 specialist frameworks and bespoke procurement services, along with our catalogue range of over 28,000 products.

With over 40 years’ experience, we’re here with free support and advice from our expert teams whenever you need it. What’s more, any surplus made after recovering our costs goes straight back into the public purse.

Being public sector owned ourselves, we understand our customers and the challenges they face – after all, we’re one of you! That’s why our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that providing a compliant route to buying goods and services should include true best value prices year-round, and ongoing support and guidance for procurement, no matter how simple or complex.

Take a look at our latest customer reviews:

Where you can find us

Our head office and warehouse is based in Leicester, right in the heart of the country, enabling us to distribute across England, Wales and Scotland with quick, reliable delivery. If you ever need support, we have dedicated Account Manager support available for the whole of the UK, as well as our friendly Customer Services team just a phone call away.

We also have a depot based in Arbertillery, Wales and we’re proud to serve our Welsh customers with the support of local Welsh employees including a local Key Account Manager.

Our history

We’ve grown from humble roots, originally established in 1981 to support our member authorities with their procurement. Over 40 years later, we’re now one of the largest PBOs in the country, serving all of England, Wales and Scotland.

Don’t worry, we’re still 100% public sector owned and managed by six member authority councils: Leicestershire County Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Norfolk County Council, Warwickshire County Council, and Peterborough City Council.

Our people make us, our values shape us

Our values guide everything we do here at ESPO, helping us to provide the best possible service to our customers and operate in a way that’s in line with our public sector ethos.

Part of the ESPO family

Not a public sector body? Don’t worry, over the years we’ve expanded our offering to provide our expertise and services to a wider group of customers, including Private sector business and those outside the UK. SO whatever your business, you can benefit from the best practice procurement that ESPO specialise in.

The following brands are all part of the ESPO family, so keep a look out:

Specialists in early years resources and support. A one-stop shop for early years settings, providing everything from learning resources in line with EYFS to furniture to cleaning and catering products.

A trusted and reliable supplier of education resources for overseas international schools, available through our global network of distribution partners.

We offer everything from early years to secondary resources in line with the UK curriculum.

Providing organisations outside of the public sector scope with a simple route to access over 60 Service Agreements covering a whole range of provisions from energy supply to fitness equipment to advertising solutions.

We give back to UK school and nursery settings through our unique cashback reward initiative which is supported by Sainsbury's/Argos. This scheme to exclusive to ESPO and Eduzone customers.