Highland Council New Logistics Model - market consultation exercise

Tender description

Background Through this document and other work Highland Council are undertaking a market engagement exercise to understand who may be interested in joining and/or being serviced by a new operational model for Logistics throughout the North of Scotland. Those keen to learn more and open dialogue are encouraged to respond- Highland would like to gauge interest from not only potential partners but also suppliers who may be concerned today on industry cost to serve customers in the geo-zone of the North of Scotland. We know of capability, capacity challenges at the same time as requiring more in innovation and appetite across the logistics market which are common challenges today- solving these together perhaps through a transformative approach like this could make this less formidable as a challenge and help unlock at pace new opportunities. Highland would therefore welcome views on this and especially before deciding on the optimal future delivery model. The Council currently operates its own stores process in addition to obtaining many goods directly to the services. This needs to be optimised which could also expand in conjunction with other public sector bodies and suppliers who are all facing challenges related to cost of operation, capacity and condition, regulatory compliance, and the transition to electric and alternative-fuel vehicles. This RFI will help validate market appetite, clarify delivery model feasibility (including full partnership creation with others, adding new services, operating under concession arrangements, joint venture options, or hybrids), and ultimately help to inform a robust business case for elected member consideration. At present the Council is considering future delivery model for Highland Council but this consideration could (dependant on market appetite) be expanded to include other councils, its contractors, other third-party bodies, public sector partners and logistics and delivery organisations. The main common thread is one across all who serve customers and indeed communities in the North- how do we continue to add value and operate whilst addressing the issues today and those of net zero tomorrow. As part of this request the Council is keen to explore collaborative opportunities to drive efficiencies from a range of themes, included in this but not meant to be exhaustive: - 1. sharing common drop off points and load centralisation, 2. sharing/partnering in locating new central hub and redesigning spoke locations, 3. broadening logistic services to include expediting, 4. hot shot deliveries, 5. performing mixed load to common destinations, 6. return full loading, 7. sales to contractors, 8. common procurement 9. and explore alternative delivery models collaboratively to drive service improvement.