Issue details

Proposed decision

(i)    APPROVE the procurement and subsequent contract award for Bus Stop Maintenance and Civils

(ii)  To DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director of Growth Environment & Transport, to take relevant actions to facilitate the required procurement activity.

(iii)To DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director of Growth Environment & Transport in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to take relevant actions, including but not limited to, awarding, finalising the terms of and entering into the relevant contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary, to implement the decision

(iv) To DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director of Growth Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to award extensions of the contract in accordance with the relevant clauses within the contract.

·     Reason for the decision

Kent County Council (KCC’s) existing Bus Stop Infrastructure & Information Management contract is due to expire in April 2026. As this contract covers a statutory duty of the authority, KCC needs to procure and award a new contract to deliver this activity.

The new contract will also potentially be utilised to support the delivery of bus stop related initiatives in KCC’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) should BSIP funding

be forthcoming beyond the 2025 – 2026 financial year. A key decision is required as the usage of external funding will mean potential expenditure of over £1m. However, the value of the contract without external funding is anticipated to be under £1m.

·     Background

As the Highway Authority, Kent County Council (KCC) has a duty to maintain the public highway and to ensure where reasonably practical that safe passage is available. The provision and maintenance of bus stop infrastructure is a key part of this duty, supporting access to Kent’s local bus network.  Kent has for many years issued a contract known as Bus Stop Infrastructure and Information Management (BSIIM) which facilitates the maintenance of its existing bus stop assets to a suitable standard. This existing contract covers maintenance work such as the replacement of timetable cases, flags and clearway plates and also facilitates the posting of bus timetable information and the placement of temporary bus stop when this activity falls outside of the responsibility of commercial operators (e.g. for KCC contracted services).

KCC also considers requests for and installs where and when appropriate new bus stops and undertakes civils repairs and groundworks. This activity includes works such as the provision of bus stop poles, bus boarder kerbs and hardstanding areas (as per the Equalities Act 2010), dropped kerbs and crossing points, and bus stop clearway markings. This is currently managed and procured on an individual site basis.

Due to an upcoming contract end date for BSIIM (March 2026), an opportunity has been identified to combine the above two activities, delivering contract management and delivery efficiencies and best value for the Council for these services, in line with the Council’s policy of Securing Kent’s Future. The intention is to deliver a combined contract providing Lot A - BSIIM and Lot B - Bus Stop Civils to commence from 1^st April 2026.

The contract would also provide an improved model for the delivery of any bus stop infrastructure initiatives related to Kent’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) should further funding become available to The Council for this purpose beyond the 2025/2026 financial year.

Options (other options considered but discarded)

Option 1: To have standalone contracts for BSIIM and bus stop civils:

Discarded – Whilst this would allow The Council to fulfil its duties, it is viewed that this model would not deliver best value or the optimum means of delivering bus stop infrastructure and contract management.

Option 2: Procure only a BSIIM or Civils Contract

Discarded – This would not take advantage of the opportunity to bring delivery and contract management efficiencies and to deliver best value for The Council.

Conclusion:

The above options have been discarded, and therefore we will be proceeding to tender for a joint contract including both BSIIM and Civils elements.

How the proposed decision supports Framing Kent’s Future 2022-2026: (https://www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-council/strategies-and-policies/corporate-policies/our-council-strategy)

The decision supports the priority to deliver Infrastructure for communities, ensuring people have access to safe and efficient travel options and that all communities can benefit from a strong social infrastructure.

Financial Implications

The contract value of the existing BSIIM contract is £101,710.67 per annum, running for three years with a one year extension adjusted for inflation at £112,618.49. The total value of the contract during its active period is therefore £435,411.59.

The Council also currently allocated £60,000 per annum through its Policy & Strategy budget on bus stop civils works. Of this, approximately £25,000 per annum is spent on maintaining existing infrastructure. £35,000 per annum is allocated to upgrading the network where opportunities arise, including bus boarder kerbs, bus stop clearways, installation of hard standing etc.

The new contract combining both activities will utilise the same Policy & Strategy budget allocation. The cost of the statutory “BSIIM” related activities and essential repairs is anticipated to increase due to inflation; these costs will be absorbed by the £35,000 allocated to proactive works. The new contract is therefore not expected to result in increased costs to the authority.

The new contract value is therefore estimated at £500,000 for three years, with yearly extensions individually costing £160,000. The overall cost to the authority utilising both extensions is anticipated to be approximately £820,000.

The value of the contract beyond the above core work is dependent on opportunities linked to external funding (e.g. Kent’s Bus Service Improvement Plan) which may put the value of the contract over £1m during its lifespan of potentially five years. Any activity that will be subject to a further key decision as a result of external funding will be taken through the appropriate governance.

Equalities implications

An EQIA has been completed for this proposed contract  Several positive impacts have been identified regarding accessibility of the Public Transport Network. Procuring this contract will support the authority with efficiently providing ‘bus boarder’ kerbs and clearways compliant with DfT and Equalities Act guidelines, along with posting of paper timetabling information for groups with lower digital skills.

EQIA categories that stand to benefit the most have been identified as:

·   Disability - through improved accessibility to the Public Transport network via wheelchair friendly boarding points etc

·  Carers – as above

·   Age – as above, but older groups are more likely to benefit from posting of paper timetabling information. Younger groups are less likely to own their own vehicle and therefore benefit from improved bus stop infrastructure

·  Pregnancy & Maternity – benefit from improved accessibility, particularly those with limited mobility or pushchairs & prams

·  Single Parent Families – as above

No negative impacts have been identified as impacting categories protected through   equalities legislation. The Public Transport EQIA officer has reviewed & accepted the proposal and no mitigations have been noted as required.