Procurement for the provision, maintenance and operation of on-street Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure

Reading Borough Council (RBC) is inviting tenders from suitably qualified operators for the provision of a network of EV charging infrastructure.

It is envisaged that this network will primarily consist of at least 1,500 standard speed on-street EV chargers that utilise the existing on-street lamp column network for power where possible. Where this network is inadequate, unsuited to the requirements of the site selection process, or otherwise inappropriate for use as EV charging infrastructure, the provision of EV chargers via new or alternative electrical supply may be required.

The scope of the contract includes: - Delivery of a full solution EV charging solution from planning, project management and sourcing, to installation and commissioning, to operation and maintenance, and finally, decommissioning - Operation of the service will be on a concession basis, with the supplier taking on financial and operating risks, including financing capital costs and revenue. - Delivery of a solution that is compliant with the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) and Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP). - Delivery of a solution that is compliant with PAS 1899, as far as practicable - The operator will be required to work with Distribution Network Operators to upgrade network connections. - The operator will be required to obtain and manage all necessary consents and licences.

This opportunity is offered on a concession basis. This means that the operator will be responsible for all financial and operational risks of this contract, including revenue generation.

RBC will be providing a limited subsidy to the preferred bidder. This subsidy is provided through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (LEVI) which has been secured to support the "at-scale" adoption of EV charging infrastructure within the Borough and to encourage resident adoption of electric vehicles, particularly in areas that may not yet be commercially viable.

The contract is due to commence in October 2025 and will be for an initial period of 15 years, with the option to extend for an additional period of 12 months.

As this is a concession contract, the total value is based upon the anticipated level of revenue generated by the supplier. This is estimated to be in the region of £190,000,000 over the entire contract period, based upon: - £766,000 of LEVI subsidy - Estimated revenue from EV charging activities which has been calculated as an average price of £0.60 per kWh, across 1,500 on-street standard charges (averaging 5kW), utilised on average for 30% of the day, over 16 years.

However it must be noted that the total value of this contract may vary considerably, according to wholesale energy prices, EV take-up, speed of charge point roll out, availability of any additional subsidy payments, any change in the number of chargepoints installed etc.

The contract terms are provided within the doc...

Additional information: Organisations interested in expressing an interest in this procurement should download the procurement documents which are available on the Council`s e-tendering ortal at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc/aspx/Home and complete as instructed.

The Portal is free of charge - to register please follow the supplier registration guidance which is available on the Portal. Contractors wishing to be considered for this tendering opportunity must complete the tender documents and return them electronically via the Council`s e-tendering portal.

Please note: you must register your interest via the Council`s e-tendering portal if you intend to submit a tender. All communications regarding this procurement exercise will be conducted through the Council`s e-tendering portal including requests for clarifications or general enquiries. The procurement documents will be available for download up until the closing time and date for tender submissions; it is the organisation`s responsibility to ensure that they download the documents in ample time to ensure that they can be completed and returned electronically, along with supporting documents, prior to the closing time and date stipulated.

Before completing the tender, Bidders should ensure that the e-mail address that has been used to register their organisation will be checked regularly, as the Council`s e-tendering system will generate automatic notifications to this e-mail address when there are updates, changes or messages sent relating to the project. Bidders should also check that their organisation`s details are correct and kept up to date.

Technical questions and assistance regarding the use and operation of the Portal should be addressed to the In-Tend Help Desk - e-mail: [email protected], telephone number +44 8442728810.

Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No