T0317 Rapid Charging Fund

The Rapid Charging Fund ("RCF" or "the Fund") is being established to meet a HM Government policy ambition to enable the delivery of the necessary Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) to support Government's longer-term electrification objectives. The Fund will be made available to help MSAs and Charge Point Operators (CPOs) pay for upgrade works to access additional electricity capacity, where under normal circumstance this would be uneconomic. The role of the Rapid Charging Fund team ("the Client") is to deliver the work required of National Highways in its proposed role as delivery body for the RCF. Activities will include working with the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV) to advise on the development of the Fund, running funding competitions, awarding funding to the applicants (who will then contract with other third parties to complete the works), overseeing programme delivery and onward management of contracts and performance. The Client needs to appoint a technical partner (the "Consultant") that can provide access to specialist support, advice, insight and benchmarking to develop, implement, run and monitor a successful Rapid Charging Fund. The successful partner will also support capability development within the RCF team. This will enable National Highways to harness the necessary advice, knowledge and support to deliver the objectives both within the team and the wider organisation.