The Portfolio Holder Decision Meeting of Harrow Council, held on Thursday 27 June 2024, saw Councillor Paul Osborn, Leader of the Council, approve plans for the procurement of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The meeting also noted that no declarations of interest, petitions, or public questions were received.

Residential Electric Vehicle Charge Point Infrastructure Procurement

The primary decision made at the meeting was to approve the procurement of new electric vehicle charging infrastructure for residents of Harrow. This decision authorises officers to abandon a previously approved procurement route through Oxford City Council's Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). Instead, Harrow Council will proceed with an open tender process, or alternative suitable means, for the provision of approximately 225 lamp column EV charge points and 47 flat and flush technology EV charge points. The successful charge point operator will be responsible for the installation, commissioning, and maintenance of these facilities. The contract for the lamp column chargers will have a term of 10 years with a 5-year extension option, while the flat and flush chargers will have a 7-year term with a 3-year extension option. Delegated authority has been given to the Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Highways, to make necessary changes to tender documents and to award the contract(s) following a compliant procurement process.

The decision was made to enable the expansion of EV charging infrastructure on public assets, supporting Harrow residents in transitioning to electric vehicles and contributing to the decarbonisation of transport within the borough. This aligns with the Council's Climate and Nature Strategy 2023-2030, specifically its Green Mobility theme, and the Corporate Plan's objective to double the number of EV charging points on Council assets. The report highlighted that failure to proceed with this procurement could put the Council's allocation of grant funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) at risk.

The Council has secured £720,840 in funding from OZEV for Phases 2, 3, and 4 of the 'on-street' residential charging locations. This funding requires match funding from the successful charge point operators, with percentages varying by tranche (25% for tranche 2, 40% for tranche 3, and 50% for tranche 4). The report noted that the majority of the grant funding is expected to be retained by the Council for civil works and signage, with the remainder covering installation costs. The successful bidder will also be expected to propose a percentage income share with the Council, which is anticipated to contribute modestly towards savings targets.

The procurement process will be managed in accordance with the Council's Contract Procedure Rules and, where applicable, the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016. Bidders will be evaluated on a combination of commercial (50%), quality (40%), and social value (10%) criteria. The report also detailed previous EV charging installations by Harrow Council, including slow, fast, and rapid chargers, and noted the increasing demand from residents, particularly those without off-street parking.

The meeting also noted that no interests were declared, no petitions were received, and no public questions were submitted. The decision was deemed urgent and call-in was waived by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.