Decision

To award a contract to Motus Commercials Ltd for the supply of two 3.5T Fiat Ducato Chassis Cabs c/w LVCT Low Floor Grounds Maintenance Bodies for £54,297.68 each plus VAT and £375.00 each for 12 months road find licence and 1st registration fee.  Total Cost = £109345.36

Procurement was undertaken by Ubico via the TPPL framework.

Reasons for the decision

Ubico, the Council’s environmental services provider partner, operate the Council owned vehicles delivering grounds maintenance services across the borough.  On this year’s vehicle replacement plan there are two small vans that are old and beyond economical repair and therefore need replacing – a Ford Transit Connect registration number VK04GAX and a Ford Transit Beavertail registration number VO09TVX.

The vehicles to replace the above vehicles are 3.5t chassis cabs fitted with low floor grounds maintenance type bodies, which give better payloads than older beavertail type vehicles.  Because the load bed is low to the ground, this vastly reduces the risk of falls when loading and unloading machinery and equipment.

Although there are electric chassis cabs available on the market at the current time, the payloads that are achieved when fitting the above mentioned body type is vastly reduced due to the weight of the body, this make this unfeasible for the operation that these vehicles are required to perform.  These vehicles will be fitted with the latest Euro 6 diesel engines, and be fuelled by HVO not diesel.  In addition, these vehicles will be fitted with eco-driving telematics to deliver more efficient driving techniques which will further reduce carbon emissions and raise mpg.

Procurement was undertaken by Ubico via the TPPL framework following several tender exercises and manufacturers being unable to fulfil the order.

Alternative options considered

Officer have considered whether the service could continue to be delivered without this vehicle and concluded that it could not.