Decision details

Date of Decision:

16/12/2025

Title:

Contract Award – Solar Canopy and EV infrastructure concession, Drummond Street Car Park

Decision Maker

(Including Job Title)

Kevin Fisher, Service Director of Property & Facilities Services

Details of Specific Delegation

Under the Sub Scheme of Delegation - Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Services, responsibility is delegated to Assistant Directors for the following:  – Page 3 refers.

In respect of procurement, contract administration and best value:

•       In accordance with Financial and Procurement Procedure Rules, matters relating to the specification for works, goods and services, the seeking of estimates, quotations and tenders, the evaluation of the same and acceptance of tenders relating to contracts for works, goods and services in accordance with approved budgets or supplementary estimates.

Decision:

To award Wenea Services UK Ltd a contract to:

1. Design, build and commission a solar PV canopy with connection infrastructure within a fixed budget utilising Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Grant funding.

2. Install and commission concessionaire’s own EV Charging infrastructure. (construction phase – supplier’s investment).

3. Operate EV Charging infrastructure under concession for a period of 15 years (operation phase).

Reasons for the Decision:

Cabinet approved the move to develop an Electric Vehicle Charging Project at Drummond Street on the 19^th June 2023

Cabinet Report and Minutes 19th June 2023

In this meeting it was resolved:

1. That Cabinet approves the £1.29m funding into the Capital Programme for the delivery of the Electric Vehicle Charging Project at Drummond Street Car Park, subject to planning approval; and

2. That Cabinet approves the procurement of a concession contract to design, install and operate the Electric Vehicle Charging systems.

This decision therefore relates to the conclusion of this procurement and its subsequent award.

This procurement was conducted in full compliance with the Council’s Financial and Procurement Procedure Rules (FPPRs), as set out in Appendix 5 of the Council’s Constitution. The process included:

• Business Case Preparation: A business case was developed and options were assessed to ensure best value for money, quality, and social value, in accordance with Council policy and Section 4 of the FPPRs.
• Competitive Procurement: A competitive procurement process was used, appropriate to the contract value, with all quotations and tenders received in writing and retained for audit purposes, as required by Sections 10 and 11 of the FPPRs.
• Consideration of In-House Provision: In line with Section 50 of the FPPRs, in-house provision was considered, and external suppliers were used only where internal capacity was unavailable.
• Authorisation and Oversight: Approval to award the contract was obtained in accordance with the thresholds and authorisation requirements set out in the FPPRs and Cabinet Report, with oversight from the S151 Officer and consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member (Sections 12 and 13).
• Regulatory Compliance and Transparency: All procurement activity was conducted in accordance with UK procurement regulations and the Council’s transparency and reporting requirements (Sections 14 and 15).

This approach ensures that the procurement process was robust, transparent, and aligned with both statutory requirements and Council policy.

The implementation of the Solar Canopy and EV Charging will enable reducing carbon emissions emitted and supporting a local transition to electric vehicles through the provision of destination and residential charging in the town centre.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

Full option appraisal is outlined in the Cabinet report of the 19th June 2023.

As part of the Procurement Process a competitive tender process was carried out and subsequent evaluation of those tenders were considered. This process is detailed in the Tender Evaluation Report (Exempt), where options on several other suppliers was considered before final award. 

Conflicts of interest declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

None declared

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

NA

Conflicts of interest declared by the Decision Maker if they sit as a Cabinet appointed representative to an outside body which relates to the decision:

None declared

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

NA

Reports or parts of reports considered

Tender Evaluation report (exempt).

This report is exempt for the following reasons:

Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)