Decision details

To award a contract to Watling JCB Ltd. for the supply of one Waste Materials Handler for the sum of £122,556.00 plus VAT.

The council’s environmental services provider, Ubico, operate the bulking shed at Swindon Road depot to manage the transfer of our domestic kerbside recycling. On this year’s vehicle replacement plan there is a waste materials handler that is used in the Bulking Shed.

This procurement exercise will replace equipment that was 11 years old, which has already been disposed of in October 2021, as it had to be taken out of service due to the extent of the repairs that were not considered financially viable given the age of the equipment.

Ubico is currently hiring a replacement materials handler however purchasing a replacement is the most economic solution.

As part of the procurement process, and as part of the council’s carbon neutrality plan, it is necessary to establish if vehicles being replaced can be replaced with alternative fuelled vehicles.

There are no alternative fuelled vehicles of this type that are suitable and available of the market at present therefore the replacement vehicle will be diesel fuelled but will operate on the cleanest and greenest diesel engine available, a Stage 5 Diesel Engine which can move to HVO as soon as is practically possible.

The waste materials handler will be funded from within the existing 2021/22 capital replacement budget and replaces the equipment set out on line 6 of the replacement plan.

Internal consultation has taken place with the relevant officers and the Cabinet Member Waste, Recycling and Street Services and Cabinet Member Climate Emergency. Cabinet report dated 30 November 2021 also approved the replacement of this equipment.

Officers and the Cabinet Member support the decision being taken to replace the materials handler.