Updated 2026-08-04
NEPO (North East Procurement Organisation) is a public-sector buying consortium, originally formed by North East England local authorities but now serving as the procurement vehicle for a much wider network of "Associate Members" — councils, combined authorities, NHS bodies and other public organisations elsewhere in the UK that hold associate status with NEPO and can therefore call off its frameworks. It runs pre-competed framework agreements across categories including fleet and building materials, one of which — NEPO232 — covers electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
NEPO232, officially the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) framework, covers the purchase of goods and the installation and operation services needed to deliver EV charge points for public sector fleets and public-facing charging. In practice that spans new charge point installations, upgrades to existing infrastructure, and ongoing operational support and maintenance once chargers are live — so buyers can use it for a single-site rollout or an ongoing multi-year operating relationship with a supplier. NEPO developed the framework in partnership with Transport North East, the transport body for the North East Combined Authority, reflecting how EV charging procurement increasingly sits alongside wider regional transport and net-zero planning rather than being bought as a standalone IT or facilities purchase.
Eight suppliers were appointed to NEPO232: AMP EV, Apcoa, Believ (formerly Liberty Charge), Connected Kerb, EQUANS, Swarco UK, Ubitricity and Zest. That is a deliberately broad panel spanning specialist charge point operators, facilities and engineering contractors, and energy-services firms, which gives buyers a genuine choice of delivery model — self-funded infrastructure, a concession model where the supplier funds and operates the chargers, or a hybrid — rather than a single default approach imposed by the framework.
Access is restricted to NEPO's Associate Members and Member Authorities — a council, NHS body or other public organisation needs associate status with NEPO before it can call off the framework. Once eligible, a contracting authority selects a supplier for its specific EV project directly from the panel of eight. As with most multi-supplier framework agreements, buyers typically have the option of either a direct award to a listed supplier for straightforward requirements, or a short further-competition (mini-competition) among the panel for larger or more complex projects — the exact route depends on the value and complexity of the individual requirement, so check NEPO232's own call-off guidance before proceeding on a live project. At launch, NEPO's procurement director Steven Sinclair described the aim as giving "contracting authorities unparalleled access to flexible EV charging solutions" by working with NEPO Member Authorities and Transport North East, while Transport North East's managing director Tobyn Hughes framed it as intended to "help deliver a step change in the pace of EV charge point rollout" for the authorities using it.
NEPO232's contractual start date was 28 November 2023, with the framework publicly launched on 6 February 2024. It runs to 27 November 2027, with an option for NEPO to extend it to 27 November 2029. Like most closed frameworks, the panel of eight is fixed for the life of the agreement — there is no rolling or on-demand application route onto NEPO232 itself. Suppliers not currently on the panel who want in need to watch for the next re-procurement, which will be advertised as an above-threshold notice on Find a Tender, and in the meantime can register on NEPO's e-procurement platform, Open (open-uk.org), to see live opportunities across all of NEPO's other frameworks and any call-off competitions run under NEPO232 in the meantime.
NEPO232 sits alongside ESPO's Vehicle Charging Infrastructure framework and the Crown Commercial Service's RM6213 Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Solutions DPS as one of several national-scale routes public bodies use for EV charging procurement. For suppliers, the practical difference is membership eligibility and panel size: NEPO232 is a closed eight-supplier panel restricted to NEPO associate members, so getting a panel place matters far more here than on an open DPS like RM6213, where any qualified supplier can apply to join at any time. Buyers eligible for more than one of these frameworks will typically compare which panel already includes the supplier best suited to their project, and which route — closed framework or DPS — gives the fastest path to award for their specific requirement. Suppliers not on the NEPO232 panel are not necessarily locked out of NEPO232-driven projects either, since panel suppliers sometimes subcontract specialist installation or civils work, though the prime contract itself only goes to one of the eight.
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NEPO stands for the North East Procurement Organisation, a public-sector buying consortium that runs pre-competed framework agreements — including Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure under reference NEPO232 — that its Associate Member public bodies across the UK can call off.
Access is limited to NEPO's Associate Members and Member Authorities. A public body that is not already an associate member needs to register with NEPO before it can call off NEPO232 or any of NEPO's other frameworks.
Eight suppliers were appointed: AMP EV, Apcoa, Believ (formerly Liberty Charge), Connected Kerb, EQUANS, Swarco UK, Ubitricity and Zest.
The framework's contractual start was 28 November 2023 (publicly launched 6 February 2024) and it runs to 27 November 2027, with an option for NEPO to extend it to 27 November 2029.
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One won contract pays for decades of ChargeTenders.