Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Solutions (VCIS)

Find a range of solutions to help develop the charging infrastructure for electric and hybrid vehicles with this dynamic purchasing system (DPS).

Updates

27/02/2025: Support for an open tender route. For authorities that are looking at an open tender route to deploy supplier funded chargepoint infrastructure (not through a CCS commercial agreement) we have developed draft configurable templates to help reduce the time, cost and resources needed when preparing invitations to tender.

These templates reflect current best practice for on-street public chargepoint concession contracts and include customisable tender templates, draft concession contract terms and conditions, and a draft commercial response template that is aligned to the principles set out by the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Support Body.

For more information please download this guide which also includes some links to draft templates.

21/08/2024: Update on supplier-funded solutions: the requirements relating to supplier-funded or part-funded contracts for vehicle charging infrastructure vary significantly from one buyer to another. Variables include the level of control and risk taken on by the supplier, as well as the amount of any part payment for the service. These variables may have an impact on the rules that apply in a particular procurement.

CCS has no current plans to remove the supplier-funded filter from our VCIS DPS but we strongly advise customers to seek their own legal advice when considering the supplier-funded route to deploy charging infrastructure.

The commercial category team is available to discuss individual requirements but they are not able to offer legal advice. If you have any questions, please email the team.

28/02/2024: This DPS has been extended by 2 years. The expiry date is now 7 April 2026.

Description

This agreement offers customers in central government and the wider public sector access to products and services that support vehicle charging infrastructure, such as charge points. Buyers can purchase a full end-to-end solution or specific elements to support the transition to low emission vehicles. Use our fleet portal to help you find the right vehicle solution for your organisation.

The agreement offers the following services:

  • consultancy and feasibility
  • civil design and installation 
  • provision, installation and maintenance of hardware
  • software and back-office solutions
  • lease and purchase of products
  • full end-to-end service

This agreement uses a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) which helps customers find relevant suppliers through a filtering system.  

There is no maximum length of contract awarded from this agreement. 

Spaces on this agreement are not limited. Suppliers who meet the needed selection criteria can be appointed to the VCIS agreement.  There is no cost to suppliers applying to join this agreement.

CCS supports public sector deployment of Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure through two agreements:

  • Transport Technology and Associated Services (TTAS)
  • Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Solutions (VCIS) dynamic purchasing system (DPS).

Find out about the key differences between the two and explore some example procurement scenarios. 

 

Benefits

  • you can build specifications, competitions and contracts in a way that suits you
  • an automated, electronic process reduces administration time
  • new suppliers can apply to join at any point, increasing your choice
  • more choice through an increased scope/scale of service offerings 
  • filtering of supplier offering which ensures suppliers receive notifications of relevant competitions
  • filtering of supplier offerings helps cutomers/buyers shortlist most appropriate suppliers to invite to further competition
  • supports local economies and social value
  • enables access to wider supply chains for specialist services 

Products

Please read the ‘How to Buy’ tab below for detailed instructions on how to find out which suppliers are on this framework.

Service1: Funding Options

Service 1 – options relating to funding streams; buyer funded (purchase or lease), supplier funded models or funding model to be decided.

Expires: 07/04/2024

Service 2: Products and Services

Service 2 – various products and services are available dependent on the funding option being used. These include consultancy and feasibility, groundworks (civil engineering and construction), hardware and accessories, installation and decommissioning services, servicing and maintenance, software and back-office solutions and end-to-end service.

Expires: 07/04/2024

Products and suppliers

Please read the 'How to buy' tab below for detailed instructions on how to find out which suppliers are on this agreement.

Lot 1: Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Solutions (VCIS)

Expires:

How to buy

 Make sure you have received the necessary budget approval before using this agreement.

  1. Register as a buyer. Note: although pages are headed ‘Supplier Registration’ this is also where you can register as a buyer.
  2. Once registered go to the VCIS DPS and agree to the terms of use.
  3. On your ‘Manage Your DPS Category Exports’ page you will now see an option labelled ‘Appointed Suppliers’. Click on the link to create a new category export. This is how you filter the suppliers that can meet your requirements. 
  4. When creating a new category use the filtering tool (select all that apply) to specify your requirements and click the ‘Filter’ option. This will create a list of appropriate suppliers.
  5. Save your filtered list of suppliers by clicking the ‘Save Category’ option. From your ‘Manage Your Category Exports’ page you can then export the list of suppliers and contact details (the export is to an Excel spreadsheet).
  6. Quit the DPS
  7. Use the list to run a further competition. Invite the suppliers identified by the DPS to bid against your detailed specification, evaluation criteria and contract format.
    1. the list is valid for only 2 working days from the date of its creation because new suppliers may apply to join at any point 
    2. if your call for competition excludes eligible suppliers it potentially breaches procurement regulations 
    3. if you don’t use your list within 2 working days you will need to get a fresh supplier list (steps 3.2 to 5) by clicking the “Search Again” option for your export 
    4. you can use CCS’s eSourcing tool to run a call for competition — the tool is free to use for public sector buyers, or you can use your organisation’s own procurement tool
  8. Allow at least 10 days for supplier responses, or longer for more complex requirements
  9. Evaluate the responses
  10. Request from winning supplier(s) any evidence you need that they can meet your requirements. Set them a deadline for submitting evidence of 2 days.
  11. If you’re satisfied with the evidence, award the contract
  12. Where appropriate, notify of the award on Contracts Finder. More details are available in the attached documents and on this video.

Documents