Decision details

To award a contract to James A Cuthbertson Ltd to supply one BIMax 145 3 x 55Kw Fully Automatic Baling Press (as per quotation supplied), complete with Material Stamper at a cost of £345,834.50 AND to supply one Baler Infeed Conveyor 2000mm Wide Steel Belt at a cost of £137,098.00 plus VAT.

Total cost £482,932.50 plus VAT

Ubico, on behalf of Cheltenham Borough Council, deliver environmental services across the Borough. When Ubico Ltd was established in 2012, Cheltenham Borough Council arranged to purchase the existing baler and other sort line equipment from a third party for use by Ubico on its behalf. All the equipment, which was old at the time of purchase, is business critical and is used in the bulking shed at Swindon Road to sort recycling materials collected at kerbside in Cheltenham. The equipment is now very old and prone to mechanical failures, leading to recurring repair costs and unplanned operational downtime. These issues are impacting productivity and the economic handling of recyclable materials for sale by the council.

The proposed purchase of a replacement baling press and infeed conveyor which will be funded from within existing budgets will provide a more reliable and consistent level of performance, significantly reducing mechanical disruptions and associated revenue spend on repairs and maintenance. Replacing this very old, out of date equipment will result in an upgrade to more modern functionality to increase the range and quantity of materials which can be sorted and baled (including cartons and flexibles), improve reliability and operational resilience as well as maximising the income received for the sale of the materials.

All equipment purchased can be ‘lifted and shifted’ to an alternative location if required in future and will enable the council to better meet the new legislative requirements of Simpler Recycling as well as supporting any changes in material volumes as a result of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

Ubico have carried out a procurement exercise through the TPPL framework UN30118.

A further procurement exercise will be carried out to replace the remainder of the equipment in the bulking shed for the same reasons as set out above.

Officers have considered whether the service could continue to be delivered without this equipment and concluded that it could not as it is business critical to the operation of the bulking shed and delivering the authority’s commitment to kerbside recycling. The replacement equipment will also better support the collection and sorting of additional materials set out within the new Simpler Recycling legislation.