Decision details
Electric Vehicle Charge Point Concession Contract
PDF 209 KBDecision Maker: Director of Economy and Place (Historic)
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: Yes
Purpose:
To approve the development and procurement of a concession contract to secure a delivery partner to operate and expand the countywide electric vehicle charging network in order to support the anticipated increase in electric vehicle ownership and subsequent demand.
Decision:
That:
(a) The Council undertake an open procurement process seeking a delivery partner for the operation and expansion of Herefordshire’s electric vehicle (EV) charging point network. The final procured arrangement will be operated as a Concession Contract, whereby a single supplier will be appointed to operate the EV charging scheme at no cost to the Council for a duration of a 3+1+1 year contract;
(b) The Assistant Director for Regulatory Environment and Waste be authorised to award the contract; and
(c) The Sustainability & Climate Change Manager be authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to implement the above.
Alternative options considered:
An options appraisal has been undertaken to inform the above recommendation. The alternative options are summarised below.
|
Options |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
|
1. Business As Usual (BAU) To continue with the current level of service.
|
Continue to offer a service that provides a basic level of charging infrastructure across the county. Retain existing assets. Be in a position to capitalise on grant funding made available as basic infrastructure and officer support already in place. |
Insufficient provision to satisfy current and future demands. Doesn’t contribute towards the Council’s aspiration to become carbon neutral by 2030. The current provision requires membership of the Polar network which incurs membership fees for the end user. Support of the current network requires some officer time. Missed opportunity to expand the network as will be reliant on opportunistic external funding applications. |
|
2. Withdraw the current service Leave market to the private sector
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Reduced costs to the Council due to no ongoing requirement for officer support |
Contrary to Council’s policy statements in the Local Transport Plan (LTP). Contrary to local and national policy to transition from combustion engines to ultra-low emission vehicles. Loss of existing charge points will impact existing residents who use network. Reputational damage due to withdrawal of the service. Potential future requirement to support electric vehicle charging would require starting again from scratch. Loss of parking charge income One off disconnection and removal of assets across all sites and cost of reinstating car park spaces. |
|
3. Enter market Herefordshire Council to develop capital bid to invest in EV infrastructure as an income generating opportunity |
The Council has total control over the provision of charge points and can expand the network and dictate terms e.g. open network in accordance with its needs. Potential to income generation.
|
The Council accepts all risks, liabilities and costs in relation to the provision being offered and is committed to ongoing financial support of the scheme. The Council has no identified budget for this to be an option. Risk of a shift in technology / private sector installations making Council provision unused or out of date. Reputational risk if the service is not functioning as expected. Therefore, looking to call on the expertise of those already in the market place. Increased officer time required at all stages of the process going forward. |
Wards Affected: (All Wards);
Contact: Laura Blackwell, Energy and active travel officer Email: Laura.Blackwell@herefordshire.gov.uk Tel: 01432 260530.
Publication date: 07/08/2020
Date of decision: 07/08/2020
Effective from: 14/08/2020
Accompanying Documents: