Specialist Professional Services NEPRO 3
Framework Description
NEPRO3 is NEPO's solution for specialist professional services, available to all NEPO member and associate member authorities. It is delivered by NEPO's partner, Bloom, which manages a network of pre-accredited suppliers across 20 service categories. The current version started on 1 September 2019 and runs to 1 September 2027, with an option to extend to 1 September 2029. It builds on an approach NEPO first set up in 2012.
Context & Use Case
Public bodies use NEPRO3 when they need specialist expertise for a specific project without running a full procurement each time. Bloom manages the route to market: buyers describe the project, and the work is placed with specialists from the pre-accredited supplier network. NEPO reports more than 7,000 projects delivered through NEPRO3 to date.
Scope of Services
Specialist professional services across 20 categories Project-based specialist expertise for public sector buyers Access to a network of pre-accredited suppliers Project management of engagements by Bloom
Lots
See framework link
Who Can Apply
The framework itself is a single-supplier arrangement with Bloom, so there are no framework places for other firms to win. Consultancies and specialist professional services firms reach NEPRO3 work by becoming pre-accredited suppliers in Bloom's network.
Buyer Benefits
Buyers want quick, compliant access to specialists for one-off projects without a separate tender each time. NEPRO3 gives them a governed route across 20 categories, with Bloom handling sourcing and management of engagements. A model refined over more than a decade gives buyers confidence in how projects are run and controlled.
Next Steps
Visit nepro.org.uk, which NEPO's framework page points to, and contact Bloom about becoming a pre-accredited supplier in the categories you cover. Prepare public sector case studies, team profiles and day rates so you can respond quickly to project opportunities. NEPO's current term runs to September 2027, with a possible extension to 2029.
How Athena Can Help
Work through NEPRO3 comes as individual project opportunities, so each response matters. Athena's supplier accreditation support prepares the policies, case studies and evidence you need to become pre-accredited in Bloom's network.
For each project opportunity, our proposal writers help you write proposals that win, built around clear win themes, and our pricing for public projects helps you set day rates and fixed fees that compete and still make a profit.
