Shropshire Council Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure - Market Testing

Shropshire Council is seeking a service provider or consortium to supply, install, connect, and operate electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVCI) across the region. The Council will use Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund capital of £2,006,000 to support deployment of approximately 550 new charging devices, potentially doubling current capacity from 546 to over 1,000 devices by 2035. Devices will be located on-street or council-owned land and will primarily consist of standard 7kW chargers, with options for 22kW fast chargers and limited 50kW+ rapid chargers where network capacity allows. The successful service provider will operate under a 15-year concession contract (extendable by one year) and will own, maintain, and operate the infrastructure on Council land or highways. The Council will contribute LEVI capital funding while the service provider will make additional investment. Compensation will include an annual concession fee and/or revenue share to be determined during procurement. A formal procurement process is expected in 2026, with the competitive procedure comprising a 4-week pre-market engagement phase, two-stage competition (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire and Invitation to Tender), post-tender dialogue, Best and Final Offer (BAFO), evaluation, and contract award. Service provider appointment is anticipated for early 2027, with first charging points operational by end of 2027. This current notice is market testing to gather information; a formal invitation to tender will follow. The Council is considering whether to issue as a single contract or divide into multiple lots based on site preferences, market engagement, and further analysis. An updated EVI Strategy will be provided to bidders.