Westmorland and Furness Council has launched a major tender for the provision of public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, supported by nearly £3.7 million in government grant funding.
The tender, which is open to two concessionaires, is split into two lots. The first lot, valued at £121,707,080 including VAT, covers the provision and maintenance of on-street charge point infrastructure. The second, worth £162,302,064 including VAT, relates to the provision and maintenance of car park and cluster member charge point infrastructure. Combined, the total tender value is £283,008,144.
According to the tender documentation, the council intends to use the funding to deliver more than 900 EV charge points across the area, both on streets and in car parks. The initiative forms part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) grant, a government programme designed to expand local EV charging, particularly for residents without off-street parking.
Other local authorities that have previously benefited from the LEVI grant include Warwickshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire, North Yorkshire, Blackpool and Devon.
The contract is scheduled to run for almost 15 years, from 21 January 2026 until 30 December 2040. Tenderers are able to bid for one or both lots but may only be awarded a single lot.
Cluster member charge points, one of the key components of the second lot, are defined as collections of charge points located together to serve EVs in a particular area or site.
The tender submission deadline is 12pm on 13 November, with the award decision expected on 12 December. Evaluation of bids will be weighted 75 per cent on the quality of the service offered and 25 per cent on cost.
According to the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, which supports the transition to zero emission transport, the LEVI fund has two primary objectives: to deliver a significant increase in local, primarily low-power, on-street charging infrastructure across England, and to accelerate commercialisation and investment in the local EV charging sector.
The councils on street charge point tender includes hundreds of mandatory locations the winners of the tender must install EV charge stations including dozens in Penrith and across Eden the council plans will see located on or next to existing streetlights to provide power connectivity for the new charge points.
In Penrith the list of mandatory locations in the council tender that form just part of the planned 900 charge points across the Westmorland and Furness council district includes:
Graham Street, Wordsworth Street, Lowther Street, Arthur Street, Folly Lane, Beacon Edge, Brentfield Way, Scotland Road, Raiselands Croft, Howard Street, Clifford Road, Victoria Road, Mary Langley Way, Castle Drive, Ash Road, Alexandra Road, Musgrave Street, Beatham Court.
Carparks will also see new charge points installed as part of the second lot in the councils tender process but although companies can bid for both tenders the council has said the the tendered will be awarded to two separate companies to deliver.
The locations for the councils mandatory locations in Penrith and a Eden that the winning company must install charge points at set lamppost.
Then select "Add to Home Screen"
