The Cooperative Purchasing Network Awards Office and School Supplies Contracts to Office Depot

Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODP), a leading global provider of office products, services, and solutions formed by the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax, today announced it has been awarded two contracts, valued in excess of $400 million, following a competitive solicitation process for both office and school supplies by Region 4 Education Service Center, the lead agency for The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN). TCPN offers cooperative contract solutions to K-12 schools, local governments, colleges and universities. The new agreements with Office Depot include office and school supplies, furniture, technology products and copy and print services provided at significant discounts and savings to eligible public agency customers.

“Office Depot is proud to once again have the opportunity to partner with Region 4 Education Service Center and TCPN to provide our government and education customers with unprecedented value, selection and the highest quality products,” said Steve Calkins, executive vice president, business solutions division for Office Depot, Inc. “Office Depot has enjoyed a great relationship with Region 4 ESC and TCPN spanning many years, and we look forward to continuing to serve these agencies with solutions that best meet their needs.”

TCPN is a national governmental purchasing cooperative providing commodity and service contracts to public entities throughout the country that utilize the cooperative’s contracts. Since 1997, Office Depot has served as a provider of office and school supplies and services for TCPN’s public and non-profit agencies. The continuation of this partnership provides significant savings to customers, ultimately saving taxpayers’ dollars.

“TCPN is pleased to partner with Office Depot on both the office supplies and school supplies contracts. Public agencies and non-profits will benefit from the overall value, product offering, contract management, and innovative solutions offered through the new contracts. The contracts were competitively bid, evaluated, and awarded by a lead government agency, Region 4 Educational Service Center,” said Jason Wickel, president of TCPN.

About Office Depot, Inc.

Formed by the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax, Office Depot, Inc. is a leading global provider of products, services, and solutions for every workplace – whether your workplace is an office, home, school, or car.

Office Depot, Inc. is a resource and a catalyst to help customers work better. We are a single source for everything customers need to be more productive, including the latest technology, core office supplies, print and document services, business services, facilities products, furniture, and school essentials.

The company has combined pro forma annual sales of approximately $17 billion, employs more than 58,000 associates, and serves consumers and businesses in 57 countries with more than 2,000 retail stores, award-winning e-commerce sites and a dedicated business-to-business sales organization – all delivered through a global network of wholly owned operations, joint ventures, franchisees, licensees and alliance partners. The company operates under several banner brands including Office Depot, OfficeMax, OfficeMax Grand & Toy, Reliable and Viking. The company’s portfolio of exclusive product brands include TUL, Foray, DiVOGA, Ativa, WorkPRO, Realspace and HighMark.

Office Depot, Inc.’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol ODP. Additional press information can be found at: http://news.officedepot.com.

About The Region 4 Education Service Center

Region 4 Education Service Center, based in Houston, TX, is one of the nation’s largest education service centers representing 50 public school districts and 45 public charter schools, serving more than 1.1 million students, 87,000 educators, and 1,500 campuses. This agency works with educators to deliver creative solutions that help schools to operate more efficiently and effectively. Region 4 delivers innovative solutions spanning every facet of education, from classroom and curriculum development to operations, including food service, maintenance, and budgeting. Region 4 produces educational materials available to schools across the nation and is home to one of the nation’s largest Braille production facilities.

The Cooperative Purchasing Network (“TCPN”) assists Region 4 ESC in helping other public agencies and non-profits reap the benefits of national leveraged pricing, with no cost to the member. This is accomplished by competitively soliciting proposals and awarding contracts for commonly purchased products and services. Through the TCPN solicitation process, Region 4 ESC awards contracts covering Facilities, Furniture, Office Supplies & Equipment, Security Systems, and Technology and other goods and services industries.

About The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN)

TCPN is a national governmental purchasing cooperative, established in 1997 whose contracts have been competitively bid and awarded, by a governmental entity serving in the lead agency role, to national vendors for commonly purchased products and services, including facilities, furniture, office supplies and equipment, security systems and technology. Entities that must comply with purchasing procedures mandated by state laws and regulations, like public and private schools, colleges and universities, cities, counties, nonprofits, and all governmental entities, use TCPN contracts to increase their efficiency and economy when procuring goods and services. As a national purchasing cooperative, TCPN leverages one of the largest pools of purchasing potential and allows agencies to receive a combined buying power regardless of the entity’s size. For more information about TCPN or to sign up, please visit www.tcpn.org.