Purpose

This
procurement initiative seeks to engage one or more charge point
operators to provide, install, and maintain electric vehicle
charging points (EVCPs) under a 15-year concession contract. The
scheme will be partially funded by a grant from the Department for
Transport (DfT), covering around 25% of
the installation expenses, with the remainder financed
privately.
 
The
Council has been allocated £247,000 from the DfT's LEVI fund to support the installation of 60
accessible chargers in Newham, and an additional £200,000
from the DfT's ORCS fund for 100
chargers across the borough.
 
With
a total of 2,928 requests from residents as of November 2023, the
Council is committed to expanding the number of EVCPs to satisfy
the increasing demand, aligning with the Government's strategy for
zero-emission vehicles.
 

Decision

Decision
 
For
the reasons set out in the report and its appendices Cabinet
RESOLVED to Agree to:
 

i) 
Commence the
procurement process to engage a charge point operator (CPO) to
install 60 accessible chargers across Newham partly funded with the
LEVI Pilot scheme grant funding, and maintain and manage the EV
chargers for a 15-year contract period with a possible extension of
1 year. The value of the contract is estimated at £820,000 in
upfront capital costs; and

ii) 
Commence the
procurement process to engage a charge point operator (CPO) to
install 100 chargers across Newham partly funded with the ORCS
grant funding, and maintain and manage the EV chargers for a
15-year contract period with a possible extension of 1 year. The
value of the contract is estimated at £780,000 in upfront
capital costs; and

iii) 
Evaluate
tender submissions based on 50% quality: 40% price: and 10% social
value. When assessing the price element, the council will
prioritise long-term financial viability of the proposal,
competitive starting tariffs in line with similar on-street EV
charging facilities in Newham and neighbouring boroughs and the
tenderer's capacity to fund at least 72% of the initial capital
outlay. Additionally, the potential revenue or profit sharing
proposals will be taken into account, albeit to a lesser extent.
The evaluation criteria will be specified in the tender
documents.

iv) 
Note that
Newham secured £200,000 grant funding from DfT’s ORCS
scheme to deliver approximately 100 chargers across Newham by 28
February 2025; 2.2.2 that Newham secured £740,000 grant
funding as part of Partnership 8, which comprises Redbridge,
Waltham Forest and Newham. Newham’s portion of the grant
funding is approximately £247,000;

v) 
Note that
the decision on contract award will be presented to Cabinet for
approval following the conclusion of the tender evaluation
process.
Alternatives Considered
 

a) 
Do-nothing.
This option would present a lost opportunity for the
council

and Newham residents. Therefore, it is not
recommended.

b) 
Varying an
existing contract and undertaking direct award – The
option

to vary the existing contract with Liberty Charge
Ltd and undertaking a

direct award was also considered. However, due to
the value of the works (at approximately £1,600,000) the
Public Contracts Regulations 2015 will not permit such a variation.
Therefore, this was not progressed.

c) 
Open tender
– Going to open tender would require more resources
and

time which would present a risk to the ORCS funded
scheme which has

to be delivered by 28 February 2025.