Decision details

To award a contract to Simon Bailes Ltd for the supply of 1 x small electric panel van at a cost of £32,838.85 plus VAT.  This sum includes £55 for the first registration.

Ubico, on behalf of Cheltenham Borough Council, operates a number of small panel vans to deliver services across the borough.

On this year’s capital replacement plan, there is an internal combustion engine van, a Ford Transit Connect Panel Van VF55 VOK due for replacement, which is now 17 years old and beyond economical repair.

This vehicle has been identified as being suitable to be replaced by an electric vehicle that is available on the market at this time.

This procurement is in line with the cabinet decision dated 30 November 2021 approving moving to alternative fuels or away from internal combustion engines for all our fleet and plant a quickly as practicable, where alternatives are available and within available resource to support our climate change ambitions to be net zero by 2030.

Ubico has recently carried out a tender exercise via the TPPL framework for the procurement of this vehicle, which will be funded from within existing budget for asset replacement approved by Council as part of the budge setting process for 2022-23.

The cost of livery will be additional and funded from within the same budget.

1.    Officers have considered whether the service could continue to be delivered without this vehicle and concluded that it could not.

2.    Purchasing a new petrol or diesel vehicle would not be consistent with the council’s climate-related ambition to be net carbon zero by 2030.