EV Charging Points framework

The Scottish Government has committed to phasing out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and tenant demand for electric vehicle charging is growing steadily. For social landlords, the challenge is that many tenants live in properties without private driveways or dedicated parking, which means they cannot install their own home charger. Landlords who plan and invest in shared charging infrastructure now will be better placed to meet that demand as it grows and will avoid the higher costs and disruption of reactive installation when the pressure is more acute. There is also a wider context: providing EV charging access is increasingly seen as part of delivering homes that are genuinely fit for the future, and it connects directly to the net zero and sustainability commitments that most Scottish housing associations and local authorities have now made publicly. 

The funding landscape for EV charging in social housing has evolved over recent years. The UK Government’s Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme has been replaced by the EV Chargepoint Grant, which provides funding towards the cost of installing charge points at residential properties for eligible users. Social landlords may also be able to access funding through Transport Scotland initiatives and through the Scottish Government’s wider decarbonisation investment programmes. The picture changes regularly, and the most effective approach is to take specialist advice on what your organisation is eligible for before committing to a procurement strategy. Suppliers on this framework can advise on funding options as part of a feasibility or consultancy engagement. 

This is one of the most common practical questions for social landlords considering shared EV charging infrastructure. Smart charge point management systems allow landlords to track usage by individual users and generate billing data, which can be used to recover the cost of electricity from tenants either directly or through a third-party payment platform. The right approach will depend on your tenancy agreements, your treasury management policies, and the appetite of your organisation to manage an ongoing billing relationship with tenants. Some landlords choose to work with a charge point operator who takes on the billing and management function entirely, effectively removing that complexity from the landlord. Suppliers on this lot can advise on the options and help you choose the model that fits your organisation. 

Flatted and tenement properties present specific challenges that do not arise in houses with private driveways. The main issues are power supply capacity, cable routing from the electrical intake to parking areas, and the management of shared infrastructure serving multiple households. Older tenements in particular may have limited electrical supply capacity that needs upgrading before charge points can be installed. Getting a proper site assessment done before committing to a scheme is essential: a good feasibility study will identify the constraints, set out the options, and give you a realistic cost picture before you go to procurement. Suppliers on this framework can carry out that assessment work as well as delivering the installation itself. 

Yes, and for most social landlords a phased approach is the most practical way to deliver EV charging at scale. Rather than trying to install infrastructure across your entire stock simultaneously, a phased programme allows you to prioritise the sites with highest demand or greatest feasibility, learn from early installations, and build the business case for further investment. The framework supports phased delivery through both direct award and mini-competition routes, and our team can help you structure a call-off arrangement that gives you flexibility to add sites over the life of the programme without needing to return to procurement each time. 

EV charging sits alongside renewable energy, low carbon heating, fabric improvements, and smart energy management as one component of a broader net zero strategy. For social landlords, the most effective approach is to think about these elements together rather than procuring them in isolation. A property with solar panels and battery storage can potentially use that generated electricity to power on-site charge points, reducing the cost of charging for tenants and improving the economics of the overall investment. The PfH Scotland Decarbonisation and Retrofit Framework covers all of these elements, which means landlords can develop a coherent, integrated approach to decarbonisation rather than managing a series of disconnected procurement exercises with different contractors. 

A good specification for EV charging works should cover the number and type of charge points required, the power output needed, the locations and any groundworks or cable routes involved, requirements around smart charging and load management, the maintenance and servicing arrangements expected, any cost recovery or payment system requirements, and the standards and certifications that installed equipment must meet. It should also address tenant communication and engagement, particularly for communal installations where multiple households will be affected by the works. Our team can provide template specification support and help you develop a brief that reflects your specific requirements and gives suppliers enough information to price accurately and competitively. 

For a direct award to the highest-ranked capable supplier, the process can move quickly once your specification is in place. A well-managed direct award can typically reach contract signature within a few weeks. A mini-competition takes a little longer but can normally run from invitation to award within four to six weeks for a straightforward scheme. For larger or more complex programmes involving multiple sites or significant infrastructure works, additional time for design development and pricing may be needed. Getting in touch with our team at the early stages of your planning gives us the best opportunity to help you structure a procurement timeline that fits your programme requirements.