Agenda item

Decision:

That Executive recommended to the Extraordinary Full Council meeting on 13 August 2024 that Council:

1.       Approve funding up to £650k from the capital car park maintenance reserve budget to fund a replacement barrier pay on foot (PoF) car park payment system.

2.       Approve funding up to £250k from the capital car park maintenance reserve budget to fund a replacement/upgrade to the pay and display (P&D) car park payment equipment.

3.       Authorise the Assistant Director, Commercial Services, in consultation with the Joint Strategic Director, Finance, to take any action in relation to the procurement and letting of contracts in respect to the P&D equipment, this could be undertaken as a joint procurement by GBC and WBC to obtain best value for both councils.

4.       Authorise the Assistant Director, Commercial Services, in consultation with the Joint Strategic Director, Finance, to take any action in relation to the procurement and letting of contracts to replace the PoF equipment, which could be combined with the P&D procurement to enable suppliers that offer both systems to bid and maximise the procurement opportunity for the Council.

Reason(s):

Reason(s) for Recommendation:

1.       The existing PoF car park payment equipment was 13 years old and maintenance, upkeep and the availability of spares was becoming increasingly problematic. Replacement equipment would allow for the introduction of a modern, ticketless, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system providing an improved service to customers, greater opportunities to future-proof payment provision and offer flexibility to maximise income generation, better business intelligence and reduced maintenance issues.

2.       Most of the existing P&D car park payment equipment was around 10 years old. Although maintenance, upkeep and the availability of spares were not currently problematic, over the course of the next few years, this was likely to become more of an issue. More importantly, the replacement / upgrade would expand the availability of contactless technology across all pay and display car parks, providing an improved range of payment options / service for customers, the ability to introduce ticketless parking and provide greater opportunities to future-proof payment provision and offer flexibility to maximise income generation and reduced maintenance issues.

3.       A joint procurement by GBC and WBC for the P&D equipment would help derive best value through economies of scale and further increase alignment of the equipment and systems that the two organisations use. Recently GBC and WBC had adopted the same handheld enforcement devices, back-office penalty, and permit processing software and both Councils had recently taken the decision for GBC to perform enforcement duties in WBC’s off-street car parks. Combining the P&D and PoF procurements, allowing suppliers that offer both systems to bid, could help derive further savings even if their respective implementations follow slightly different timelines.

Other options considered and rejected by the Executive:

Do nothing or do only some of the recommendations.

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the Leader or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None.

The Executive considered a report that sought authority to use capital funds within the car park maintenance reserve to fund the procurement and acquisition of new car park payment equipment across all council run car parks. There was a significant risk to the council’s revenue income should the equipment fail. The ‘pay and display’ equipment replacement was proposed as a joint procurement exercise with Waverley Borough Council.  An Extraordinary meeting of full Council had been scheduled for 13 August to receive the recommendations of the Executive.

The proposals were described by the portfolio holder as a good example of how the collaboration between the two councils would bring procurement savings, increase income, offer alternative revenue streams and improve customer service to the residents of both boroughs. The capital expenditure requested reflected just 1% of the projected revenue income over a ten-year period. The Executive,

RESOLVED:

That Executive recommended to the Extraordinary Full Council meeting on 13 August 2024 that Council:

1.       Approve funding up to £650k from the capital car park maintenance reserve budget to fund a replacement barrier pay on foot (PoF) car park payment system.

2.       Approve funding up to £250k from the capital car park maintenance reserve budget to fund a replacement/upgrade to the pay and display (P&D) car park payment equipment.

3.       Authorise the Assistant Director, Commercial Services, in consultation with the Joint Strategic Director, Finance, to take any action in relation to the procurement and letting of contracts in respect to the P&D equipment, this could be undertaken as a joint procurement by GBC and WBC to obtain best value for both councils.

4.       Authorise the Assistant Director, Commercial Services, in consultation with the Joint Strategic Director, Finance, to take any action in relation to the procurement and letting of contracts to replace the PoF equipment, which could be combined with the P&D procurement to enable suppliers that offer both systems to bid and maximise the procurement opportunity for the Council.

Reason(s):

Reason(s) for Recommendation:

1.       The existing PoF car park payment equipment was 13 years old and maintenance, upkeep and the availability of spares was becoming increasingly problematic. Replacement equipment would allow for the introduction of a modern, ticketless, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system providing an improved service to customers, greater opportunities to future-proof payment provision and offer flexibility to maximise income generation, better business intelligence and reduced maintenance issues.

2.       Most of the existing P&D car park payment equipment was around 10 years old. Although maintenance, upkeep and the availability of spares were not currently problematic, over the course of the next few years, this was likely to become more of an issue. More importantly, the replacement / upgrade would expand the availability of contactless technology across all pay and display car parks, providing an improved range of payment options / service for customers, the ability to introduce ticketless parking and provide greater opportunities to future-proof payment provision and offer flexibility to maximise income generation and reduced maintenance issues.

3.       A joint procurement by GBC and WBC for the P&D equipment would help derive best value through economies of scale and further increase alignment of the equipment and systems that the two organisations use. Recently GBC and WBC had adopted the same handheld enforcement devices, back-office penalty, and permit processing software and both Councils had recently taken the decision for GBC to perform enforcement duties in WBC’s off-street car parks. Combining the P&D and PoF procurements, allowing suppliers that offer both systems to bid, could help derive further savings even if their respective implementations follow slightly different timelines.