Purpose

The report sought permission to award a contract to Bike Right Limited to deliver the BikeAbility Programme in Tameside following a procurement process which was conducted fully in accordance with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council Procurement Standing Orders and in conjunction with OJEU requirements via the CHEST (the Northwest procurement portal). This follows an Executive Decision to commence the tender for the new Bikeability contract approved in November 2025.

The contract was for a period of 27 months commencing on 1 January 2027 at a total cost of £0.353m for the duration of the contract. The funding for this service was subject to the council receiving grant funding from Active Travel England, the allocation for each year of the contract was:

Year 1 (2026/2027) = Maximum funding available £0.033m

Year 2 (2027/2028) = Maximum funding indicative £0.159m

Year 3 (2028/2029) = Maximum funding indicative £0.161m

Year 2 (2027/28) and Year 3 (2028/29) funding was subject to the council being allocated the grant. Activity during the contract period would be closely monitored by the council. Providers were required to record activity and will only be paid against the actual number of sessions delivered in the period.

Decision

 RESOLVED

(i)                 That Approval be given to the award of the contract for the Bikeability Programme to BikeRight Limited.

(ii)               That it be Noted that grant funding for Year 1 (2026/27) has been allocated and accepted on behalf of the council. Funding for Year 2 (2027/28) and Year 3 (2028/29) of the contract has not been allocated. If the council do not receive this funding the contract will cease on 31 March 2027.

Alternative options considered

Option 1: Reject the funding – This was not the recommended option. Delivery of Bikeability supports the local authority’s statutory responsibility to promote road safety and reduce road casualties.

Grant funding is made available annually for all local authorities in England, use of which is monitored by the Bikeability Trust on behalf of the Department of Transport. Bikeability cycle training for all children brings a wide range of benefits:

•         As a public health intervention; addressing childhood physical inactivity, obesity and the mental health crisis

•         Equipping children with vital life skills; pupils not only learn to cycle but they also gain independence, social skills and a sense of wellbeing.

•         Increases road safety; after Bikeability, children are better at responding to risks and report increased confidence.

•         Increases cycling as a transport choice; after Bikeability training children are more likely to cycle to school and for leisure.

Supporting the development of physical literacy, physical activity, and a lifelong relationship with movement through cycling enables children to lead active lives, contributing to the reduction of cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and a number of other inactivity related health conditions in later life.

Option 2: Award the contract to an alternative provider – This was not the recommended option. A compliant procurement process was undertaken and BikeRight Limited achieved the highest overall score and was therefore identified as the preferred bidder. Awarding the contract to an alternative provider would not reflect the outcome of the evaluation process and could expose the Council to procurement challenge.