North East EV charging programme faces procurement reset

The North East Mayoral Strategic Authority is developing a new procurement approach for a £5m electric vehicle charging programme after concluding that its original procurement approach could not proceed.

Transport director Tobyn Hughes told the authority's Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 20 October that the proposed purchasing framework was unsuitable for the type of contract required. Officers believe they have identified an alternative but cannot yet provide a firm timetable for appointing a supplier or installing chargers.

The disclosure follows a September 2025 decision by the authority to award a £5m contract to a selected provider. A year later, the authority issued a new preliminary market engagement notice to explore alternative procurement arrangements.

The difficulty affects the first phase of the region's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) programme, part of a £15.8m government-funded initiative intended to expand access to public charging.

Responding to questions from councillor Greg Stone, Hughes explained that the authority had originally intended to use a regional framework established through the North East Procurement Organisation.

However, consultation with the seven constituent councils and legal examination had exposed problems with that approach.

"We've concluded that it's not possible to take forward the approach that was originally intended," Hughes said.

The difficulty concerns the structure of a concession contract, under which commercial operators install and operate charging facilities, collect payments from motorists and agree commercial terms with councils. Those arrangements must account for the ownership of land and equipment, the allocation of revenue and the different commercial prospects of charging locations.

Hughes said officers were now evaluating another approach in consultation with the councils.

"It is work in progress and it will take a number of months to conclude," he told the committee, before explaining that the contract would then need to go to market.

From contract award to fresh market engagement

The authority announced the LEVI funding in February 2025, setting an ambition to install more than 1,000 additional charging points by 2030.

The programme is primarily intended to help residents without off-street parking, particularly those unable to charge vehicles on their own driveways. Rural communities and areas with limited commercial charging provision were also identified as priorities.

In September 2025, the authority's chief executive Henry Kippin signed a delegated decision recording the award of a £5m Phase One contract to a selected provider. The supplier's identity was withheld on commercial confidentiality grounds.

Gateshead Council subsequently approved entering into a three-party contract with the supplier and combined authority in December 2025. The decision also authorised the installation of charging equipment on council property and land.

Those decisions show that the programme had progressed towards contracting. However, the published records do not establish whether the original contract was ultimately signed, terminated or replaced.

On 17 September 2026, the combined authority issued a preliminary market engagement notice for Phase One, seeking views from potential suppliers on alternative procurement arrangements.

The notice considered options including an open-market concession contract, with charging equipment potentially remaining in council ownership. It also sought feedback on commercial terms involving fixed annual supplier payments followed by revenue sharing.

The notice expressly stated that the exercise did not constitute the start of formal procurement. It gave an estimated contract commencement date of April 2027, which is not a confirmed installation timetable.

What happens next

The procurement difficulty does not affect every EV charging investment in the region. Officers told the committee that separate programmes were continuing, including investment in charging facilities on publicly owned land and car parks.

Hughes said the authority was seeking arrangements that would deliver value for money and provide as many charging points as possible for residents.

He hoped officers would be able to give more specific information about suppliers and delivery timescales in the coming months. The immediate task is to complete the revised procurement approach before taking a contract to market.