Planning

Suffolk E-Scooter & E- Bike Rental Scheme

SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

14 May 2026 at 09:33

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

14 May 2026 at 07:21

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

08 May 2026 at 14:26

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

08 May 2026 at 10:39

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council is in the planning stage of a procurement process for the "Suffolk E-Scooter & E-Bike Rental Scheme," with a primary focus on services in the public transport sector, specifically electric vehicles and bicycles. This initiative, set to launch initially in Ipswich, is part of a broader micro-mobility scheme that will include e-scooters, e-bikes, and e-cargo bikes, aiming to expand connectivity across Suffolk. The procurement process involves an open procedure with a large contract value of £4,380,000 net (£5,256,000 gross) and is scheduled to run from 4th January 2027 to 3rd January 2029, with maximum potential extension until 2032. Key deadlines include registration for market engagement by 25th May 2026, feedback submission by 29th May 2026, and optional virtual meetings by 5th June 2026, preparing for a future notice set for 14th September 2026. The opportunity is deemed suitable for SMEs and VCSEs and is expected to appeal to concession service providers.

This procurement offers a lucrative opportunity for businesses specialising in electric vehicle operations, maintenance, and related customer services, particularly those with expertise in shared mobility solutions. SMEs and VCSEs can leverage this project to expand their reach and enhance their portfolio, especially companies experienced in handling large-scale, self-sustained rental schemes. Participating businesses will gain the chance to collaborate with a public authority, thus enhancing their industry credibility and opening avenues for regional growth. The investment in sustainable transportation methods reflects a growing industry trend, providing a platform for businesses to showcase innovation and operational efficiency while contributing to environmental goals.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Suffolk E-Scooter & E- Bike Rental Scheme

Notice Description

Suffolk County Council has recently been granted provisional approval from the Department for Transport (DfT) to take part in the government's e-scooter trials. As a result we are intending to set up a micro mobility scheme which will launch in the town of Ipswich - and extend over time to help connect other areas of Suffolk. It is envisaged that the scheme will include rental services for e-bikes and e-cargo bikes as well as e-scooters. We plan to appoint a commercial operator to deliver the scheme, which we anticipate will be largely self-financing and cover all of the assets, operations, maintenance and customer service functions required.

Planning Information

The aims of the market engagement are to: • Understand the level of market interest in the proposed procurement. • Identify potential suppliers. • Provide a high-level overview of the project and its objectives; • Gather market feedback on the initial draft scope of services and proposed delivery model. Suppliers are invited to: i) Register their interest and receive access to our Briefing Pack by emailing alison.huxley@suffolk.gov.uk no later than 25/05/26. ii) Review the high level Scope of Services for our scheme (included in Briefing Pack). iii) Provide feedback on our proposals by completing the Supplier Questionnaire (included in Briefing Pack) no later than 29/05/26. iv) Request an optional virtual meeting (of no longer than 45 minutes) with the Suffolk County Council project team to discuss their service offer and/or ask any follow-up questions. Please contact alison.huxley@suffolk.gov.uk no later than 05/06/26 to request a slot (providing email contacts for your attendees).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069478
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044260-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

34144900 - Electric vehicles

34430000 - Bicycles

60112000 - Public road transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,380,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 May 2026Today
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
14 Sep 20265 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
4 Jan 2027 - 3 Jan 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
IPSWICH
Postcode
IP1 2BX
Post Town
Ipswich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH62 Ipswich
Delivery Location
TLH14 Suffolk CC
Local Authority
Ipswich
Electoral Ward
Gipping
Westminster Constituency
Ipswich

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-069478-2026-05-14T10:33:14+01:00",
    "date": "2026-05-14T10:33:14+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-069478",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "planning": {
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "042414-2026",
                "documentType": "plannedProcurementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK1",
                "description": "Pipeline notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042414-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-05-08T11:39:07+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            },
            {
                "id": "042637-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042637-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-05-08T15:26:10+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            },
            {
                "id": "044188-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044188-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-05-14T08:21:47+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            },
            {
                "id": "044260-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044260-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-05-14T10:33:14+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ],
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "The aims of the market engagement are to: * Understand the level of market interest in the proposed procurement. * Identify potential suppliers. * Provide a high-level overview of the project and its objectives; * Gather market feedback on the initial draft scope of services and proposed delivery model. Suppliers are invited to: i) Register their interest and receive access to our Briefing Pack by emailing alison.huxley@suffolk.gov.uk no later than 25/05/26. ii) Review the high level Scope of Services for our scheme (included in Briefing Pack). iii) Provide feedback on our proposals by completing the Supplier Questionnaire (included in Briefing Pack) no later than 29/05/26. iv) Request an optional virtual meeting (of no longer than 45 minutes) with the Suffolk County Council project team to discuss their service offer and/or ask any follow-up questions. Please contact alison.huxley@suffolk.gov.uk no later than 05/06/26 to request a slot (providing email contacts for your attendees).",
                "dueDate": "2026-06-18T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ]
    },
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PHVH-1657-HHMV",
            "name": "Suffolk County Council",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PHVH-1657-HHMV"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road",
                "locality": "Ipswich",
                "postalCode": "IP1 2BX",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKH14"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "Procurementbusinesssupport@suffolk.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "http://suffolk.gov.uk",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PHVH-1657-HHMV",
        "name": "Suffolk County Council"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "PA0046",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Suffolk E-Scooter & E- Bike Rental Scheme",
        "description": "Suffolk County Council has recently been granted provisional approval from the Department for Transport (DfT) to take part in the government's e-scooter trials. As a result we are intending to set up a micro mobility scheme which will launch in the town of Ipswich - and extend over time to help connect other areas of Suffolk. It is envisaged that the scheme will include rental services for e-bikes and e-cargo bikes as well as e-scooters. We plan to appoint a commercial operator to deliver the scheme, which we anticipate will be largely self-financing and cover all of the assets, operations, maintenance and customer service functions required.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "34144900",
                        "description": "Electric vehicles"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "34430000",
                        "description": "Bicycles"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "60112000",
                        "description": "Public road transport services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKH14",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKH14",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKH14",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKH14",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 5256000,
            "amount": 4380000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "procurementMethod": "open",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Open procedure",
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "specialRegime": [
            "concession"
        ],
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2027-01-04T00:00:00Z",
                    "endDate": "2029-01-03T23:59:59Z",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2032-01-03T23:59:59Z"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "status": "planned"
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2026-09-14T23:59:59+01:00"
        },
        "status": "planned",
        "amendments": [
            {
                "id": "044188-2026",
                "description": "Change to operator requirement."
            },
            {
                "id": "044260-2026",
                "description": "Change to operator requirement."
            }
        ]
    },
    "language": "en"
}