ESCC - JC - Concession Contract for the Provision of an Electric Vehicle Charge Point Network for East Sussex

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) is procuring a Concession Contract for the provision of Electric Vehicle (EV) Charge Points, together with the ongoing management, operation and maintenance of the charging network.

ESCC has secured £4.441 million of funding through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, which will be provided as a subsidy to support deployment of the network.

The network is intended primarily to support residents without access to off-street parking who are therefore reliant on public charging infrastructure and the majority of the charge points will be at on-street locations.

The minimum level of infrastructure required by ESCC is:

• 1590 Standard charge points (up to 7.9kW)
• 20 Rapid charge points (50kW to 149kW)

The successful Tenderer must deliver infrastructure at the mandatory sites identified by ESCC. In addition, the successful Tenderer may propose further sites, additional charge points and an alternative portfolio mix, provided that the minimum infrastructure requirements are met.

As ESCC is not specifying the exact number of charge points to be operated under the Contract, it is difficult to estimate the total value of the concession, as this will depend (among other things) on the final portfolio of charge points included within the successful Tenderer's proposal.

The value of the concession over the Contract Term has therefore been estimated as being between £160 million and £830 million. This estimate is based on two modelling scenarios:

Scenario 1: Minimum charge point infrastructure, 5% utilisation growth:

• 1,590 Standard 7kW charge points and 20 Rapid 50kW charge points;
• Charge points delivered over 4 years;
• Standard utilisation starting at 10%, Rapid starting at 6%, 5% utilisation growth per year from Year 5 onwards;
• Starting tariff of £0.54/kWh for Standard and £0.82/kWh for Rapid charge points, indexed annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI);
• £4.441m LEVI subsidy.

Scenario 2: Enhanced charge point infrastructure, 10% utilisation growth:

• 2000 Standard Plus 22kW charge points and 75 Rapid 149kW charge points;
• Charge points delivered over 4 years;
• Standard Plus utilisation starting at 8%, Rapid starting at 6%, 10% utilisation growth per year from Year 5 onwards;
• Starting tariff of £0.54/kWh for Standard Plus charge points, and £0.82/kWh for Rapid charge points, indexed annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI);
• £4.441m LEVI subsidy.

The estimated contract value is provided for procurement purposes only and does not constitute any guarantee of future revenue. Actual revenue levels will vary over the Contract Term (15+1+1 years) and may be affected by a range of factors outside ESCC's control, including but not limited to:

• The number of charge points included within the successful bid;
• The power ratings of the charge points provided;
• EV uptake and changes in vehicle affordability;
• Utilisation of on-street charging infrastructure;
• Developments in charge point technology;
• Developments in EV and battery technology;
• Availability of charge points and downtime associated with maintenance and repairs;
• Changes in customer charging behaviours and charging arrangements;
• Future Government policy, funding and investment in the EV sector;
• Electricity market prices and wider energy costs; and
• Local Government Reorganisation and any resulting changes to Local Authority boundaries or responsibilities.

Please note, the date for publication of the tender notice is estimated. This date is subject to approval to proceed from the funding body.