Provision of a Bicycle Hire Scheme in Wrexham County Borough

Wrexham County Borough Council (WCBC, ‘the Council’) is conducting market engagement for a competent organisation to operate and maintain a potential Wrexham City Borough wide bicycle hire network in Wrexham, ideally through establishment of a fully funded concession model, under The Concession Contracts Regulations 2016.BackgroundWelsh Government declared a Climate Emergency in Wales, setting ambitious plans for the public sector to be carbon neutral by 2030.WCBC declared a Climate and Ecological Emergency in September 2019, committing to make WCBC a net zero council by 2030. In line with this declaration, the Council committed to developing and adopting a Decarbonisation Plan, which will target the decarbonisation of Council operations and promote the protection and to meet the requirements of the Council’s Decarbonisation Plan / Low Carbon Transport Strategy (draft) we must increase the provision of carbon neutral transport in Wrexham.To meet the priorities of Llwybr Newydd: the Wales transport strategy 2021 | GOV.WALES, we need to move away from individual vehicle ownership to shared solutions, including car-sharing, car clubs, bicycle sharing and mobility as a service.RequirementsWCBC is looking for an organisation to work collaboratively with, to introduce a public bicycle hire scheme within Wrexham. WCBC is interested in hearing from organisations that would be willing to provide a fully-funded, concession-operating model where the supplier generates income revenue from the operation of the scheme. The operator would be responsible for bearing all costs including: operating costs, provision of the cycles and other assets, provision of the operating systems and the management and maintenance of the scheme.The provision of the service will need to conform to established best practice and demonstrate learning from previous schemes across the UK as identified through CoMoUK.The Council and organisation would agree locations for the coverage, both in the city centre, where the higher returns on investment would be expected with scope for ongoing discussions around the creation of small community bicycle share schemes in partnership with local communities. (We have identified 5 low-carbon communities to work with over the coming few years and would require these to take priority in this regard).WCBC requires organisations to consider and include the following points in their responses:-Locations• Public locations – installation in locations that are accessible to the public but not necessarily on-street e.g. community hubs, car parks, business hubs, education settings etc.• Demand management: details of proposals to map underlying potential demand for bicycle share and to ensure a mix of trip destinations including education, employment, retail and leisure.• Less populated areas – outline strategy for installation in more rural and semi-rural locations.• Level of WCBC influence on locations – requirement to work in conjunction with WCBC, to decide on suitable city centre locations for bicycles and requirement to scope out access for communities with lower population densities• Scope and scale: Details of proposals for defining the scheme area to ensure sufficient network density in city center locations as a proportion of people living in the service area within a 5-10 minute walking distanceInstallation and equipment• Bicycle specifications: Detail the make/model of bicycles and inclusive design to fit the widest range of users• Circular Economy: details of how the system will conform to a circular economy model of operation• Bicycle types: Provision of e-bicycles, pedal bicycles and Ecargo bicycles at key locations• Bicycle security: Details of proposals to ensure cycle security• Bicycle standards: Conform to ISO 4210:2014 standards for bicycles and BS EN15194:2017 for electric pedal-assist bicycles. Both e-bicycles and pedal bicycles also need to meet relevant UK safety standards, including Pedal Bicycle (Safety) Regulations 2010.• Docking: details of equipment and/or system to be used - physical docking stations/geo-fenced mandatory parking zones etc.Operation• Access for all: disabled and elderly users, families etc.• Back Office Support: details of the back end systems proposed to be used and the means of providing the booking system and customer service• Day to day operation: operational aspect of the scheme, including: maintenance, battery swapping, breakdown resolution and redistribution etc.• Green jobs: details of any job creation/volunteering/apprenticeships potential locally• Consultation – willingness and ability of organisations to commit to undertaking all aspects of full consultation with relevant stakeholders (businesses/communities/local members/residents etc.) around locations and installations• Communications, promotion and marketing; details of marketing proposals to ensure high levels of uptake and usage• Damage and anti-social behaviour: Details of proposals for prevention of anti-social behaviour, theft, vandalism and damage to equipment• Public safety: Activity to ensure safety of the user through safe and compliant use of equipment and minimization of street clutter (insurance, training, messaging, review and risk scanning, engagement with disabled people, communication plans etc.)• Docking compliance: details of proposed measures to ensure high levels of compliance.Costs• Fully-funded Model – WCBC’s preferred solution is a fully-funded model. Please outline terms of such an agreement, including any profit share arrangements.• User costs: details of proposed pricing model and any additional expected costs to the user beyond the cost of rental including ‘out of bay’ fees.• Installation - Fully project-manage the entire process for installation.• Maintenance included – outline cover to be provided such as servicing, insurance cover, repair and maintenance• Details of outline business case for ensuring sustainable operation and reinvestment to include details of any proposals for advertising and sponsorship• Apply for funding - prepared to apply for government funding initiatives to offset and contribute to the costs of installation and work with WCBC to identify suitable locations.• WCBC users: details of proposals to maximise the use of cycles by WCBC/public sector staff and services and studentsUsers• User interface – Details of how registration will be as inclusive and easy as possible e.g. must be able to pay both with and without signing up to an bicycle scheme membership• Operating system must be bilingual – Welsh and English• Contactless payments enabled• A free customer support helpline should be available in the languages of Welsh and English.• Monitoring and evaluation: proposals for assessing usage and getting feedback on the service – qualitative/quantitative• Trip and membership KPIs: Proposed targets for numbers of members and trips, rentals and length of rentalsContract• Contract Duration – organisations to calculate relevant payback and provide an appropriate contract term and provisions e.g. lease of WCBC land• Reporting: open book business model enabling WCBC to monitor KPIs transparentlyAn outline business plan is required, indicating how you would meet the proposals as stated above.Business advice and planning can be obtained free of charge from Business Wales on Tel: 03000 6 03000. Organisations are welcome to use any other business advice service that they choose.Should you wish to submit a response to this Prior Information Notice, then please ensure that your response is no greater than 10 sides of A4.The closing date for submission of the outline business plan is 12:00 noon on Friday 21 July 2023.Any queries regarding this should be sent to [email protected] .This PIN is not a call for competition and, as such, any interested party will need to express interest in any future tender (if issued) once the appropriate contact notice/s are published on Sell2Wales.NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=132929.