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E-Bikes

Stoke-on-Trent City Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

22 Jul 2026 at 10:01

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is planning a public e-bike hire concession for residents and visitors across Stoke-on-Trent. The service will provide electrically assisted bicycles for short journeys between residential areas, town centres, transport hubs, employment sites and visitor destinations, supporting sustainable, accessible and affordable travel. The appointed delivery partner is expected to design, implement and operate the scheme, including fleet deployment, parking controls and ongoing service management. The planned fleet is approximately 800 to 1,000 e-bikes. The service is intended to improve connectivity, encourage travel away from private cars, and support decarbonisation, air quality and public health objectives. The scope includes parking services and related transport equipment, with geo-fencing to manage parking and impacts on the public realm.

This procurement is at the planning stage and is not an invitation to tender. The Council is undertaking voluntary preliminary market engagement to shape its procurement strategy and specification. It expects to hold informal, approximately two-hour one-to-one meetings, including an e-bike demonstration and trial, on 10, 18 or 20 August 2026; providers are asked to register interest by 6 August 2026. The engagement is expected to conclude by 31 August 2026. Discussion topics include fleet size, deployment, commercial and revenue-sharing models, contract length, mobilisation, parking, enforcement, maintenance, charging, rebalancing, accessibility, data sharing and transport integration. The planned contract is expected to run from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030, with a possible extension to 31 March 2032.

The work is likely to suit an established e-bike sharing or micromobility operator able to provide, maintain and manage a substantial public fleet across a city. Relevant suppliers should be prepared to demonstrate practical experience in fleet deployment, charging, maintenance, rebalancing, parking management, geo-fencing and user enforcement. The Council is seeking a commercially viable model that minimises its financial risk and can operate without ongoing subsidy where possible, so commercial planning and revenue-sharing expertise will be important. Strong digital and data capability is also likely to be required, including real-time and historic usage data, origin and destination data, GDPR-compliant user information, API access, dashboards, reporting and integration with wider transport networks. Inclusive service design and future scalability are central considerations.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

E-Bikes

Notice Description

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is seeking to provide residents and visitors with a wider range of sustainable, accessible and affordable travel options, particularly for short-distance journeys. Encouraging a shift away from private car use supports both local and national policy objectives relating to decarbonisation, air quality improvement, and public health outcomes. Travel behaviour data consistently shows that a significant proportion of car trips are relatively short in length. National evidence indicates that approximately 70% of car journeys are under five miles, and around 25% are less than one mile. Many of these trips have the potential to be undertaken by alternative modes, provided that convenient, reliable and attractive options are available. In Stoke-on-Trent, factors such as topography, perceived travel time, and accessibility barriers can limit the uptake of traditional cycling. Electrically assisted bicycles (e-bikes) offer a practical solution to these challenges by reducing physical effort, extending feasible travel distances, and making cycling more inclusive for a broader range of users, including those with lower fitness levels or mobility constraints. The scheme will provide residents and visitors with a convenient, accessible and sustainable alternative to private car use, particularly for short-distance journeys, while supporting the Council's wider transport, environmental and public health objectives. The key objectives are to: * Appoint a delivery partner to design, implement and operate an e-bike hire scheme within the city, based on a commercially viable model * Introduce a fleet of approximately 800-1,000 e-bikes, scaled appropriately to ensure visibility, accessibility and network coverage across key locations within Stoke-on-Trent * Improve local connectivity by enabling short trips between residential areas, town centres, transport hubs, employment sites and visitor destinations * Encourage modal shift away from private car use, contributing to reduced congestion, improved air quality and lower carbon emissions * Increase participation in cycling by overcoming barriers such as topography and fitness levels through the use of electrically assisted bicycles * Ensure high-quality service delivery, including reliable availability, effective maintenance, and appropriate parking controls (e.g. geo-fencing) to minimise negative impacts on the public realm * Secure robust data sharing arrangements to enable monitoring of usage, performance, and outcomes, supporting ongoing evaluation and future decision-making * Minimise financial risk to the Council by seeking a commercially sustainable model, with no requirement for ongoing subsidy where possible * Enable future scalability, allowing the scheme to expand or adapt based on demand, performance and funding opportunities

Planning Information

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is undertaking market engagement to inform the development of a future e-bike concession scheme. As the Council does not currently operate an e-bike hire service, this engagement represents an important opportunity to gain a better understanding of the market, available service models and the practical considerations associated with introducing a public e-bike scheme for the first time. Interested providers are invited to attend a one-to-one meeting of approximately 2 hours (including e-bike demonstration & trial) during August 2026. The purpose of these meetings is to facilitate an open discussion with the market and gather information that will assist the Council in developing an appropriate procurement strategy and specification. The discussions will focus on, but will not be limited to, the following topics: • Fleet size and deployment strategy, including views on the proposed fleet of 800-1,000 e-bikes. • Commercial models and revenue-sharing expectations. • Contract length and mobilisation requirements. • Parking management arrangements and geo-fencing functionality. • User sanctions and enforcement measures for inappropriate parking or misuse. • Maintenance arrangements, battery charging and fleet rebalancing. • Accessibility considerations and inclusive service design. • Data sharing capabilities and reporting arrangements, including: o Real-time and historic usage data. o Origin and destination data. o Trip volumes and journey patterns. o User demographics (where available and GDPR compliant). o Demand hotspots and underutilised areas. o API access and dashboard functionality. o Data formats and reporting frequency. o Opportunities to utilise scheme data to support future transport planning, active travel investment and wider policy development. • Integration with wider transport networks and sustainable travel initiatives. • Lessons learned from comparable local authority schemes. • Key risks, opportunities and critical success factors for implementing an e-bike scheme in Stoke-on-Trent. As part of the market engagement, the Council would also welcome the opportunity to trial e-bikes to gain a better understanding of the user experience, functionality, and operational aspects of the service. Any such trial is intended solely to help inform the Council's understanding of the market and the development of the specification. It will not form part of any supplier assessment or evaluation, nor will it provide any provider with an advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement process. The engagement meetings are intended to be informal, open discussions rather than formal presentations. Providers are welcome to support the discussion with presentation slides, handouts or other materials should they wish; however, there is no expectation or requirement to do so. The Council's primary objective is to engage in constructive dialogue with providers to better understand the market and gather information relevant to the topics outlined above. Providers wishing to participate should register their interest by emailing Dasa.Kucharkova@stoke.gov.uk, confirming their preferred meeting date from the following options: • 10th August 2026 • 18th August 2026 • 20th August 2026 Please confirm your participation no later than 6th August 2026. Meeting slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to availability. Participation in this market engagement exercise is entirely voluntary and will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement process. Information obtained during the engagement will be used solely to inform the Council's procurement approach, specification development and understanding of the market.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d076
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068991-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

CPV Codes

34000000 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

63712400 - Parking services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Stoke-on-Trent City 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
STOKE-ON-TRENT
Postcode
ST4 1HH
Postcode Area
Stoke-on-Trent
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG23 Stoke-on-Trent
Delivery Location
TLG23 Stoke-on-Trent
Local Authority
Stoke-on-Trent
Electoral Ward
Hartshill Park & Stoke
Westminster Constituency
Stoke-on-Trent Central

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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.

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