Glasgow City Region has launched a tender to appoint a private charging point operator (CPO) to deliver and manage one of Scotland’s largest public electric vehicle charging networks, as local authorities step up preparations for rising EV adoption.
The proposed contract would see a single operator take responsibility for installing more than 3,000 new charge points and assuming control of over 600 existing council-owned units across eight local authority areas surrounding Glasgow. Officials said the deal, backed by more than £3.6 million in Scottish government funding, would run for up to 20 years and represents the largest contract of its kind in Scotland.
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The project spans Glasgow City Region, including the councils of Glasgow City, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire. Once appointed, the CPO will be required to deliver a full end-to-end electric vehicle charging infrastructure service, covering installation, operation, maintenance and back-office systems.
According to the contract summary, the operator will be responsible for migrating around 627 existing charge points and installing a minimum of 3,034 new units at council-owned sites and on-street locations. An initial Invitation to Participate was issued in December 2025, with the contract expected to be awarded in late 2026.
“The CPO will be required to provide a full Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure turnkey service via a 20-year concession contract,” the contract document said, outlining responsibilities that include supply, installation and long-term operation of the charging network.
Fiona Hyslop, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, said the project is intended to support an expected surge in electric vehicle use. “The demand for electric vehicles is going to dramatically increase over the coming years. We need to be ready to support that transition and the delivery of over 3000 new charge points across the City Region will do just that,” she said.
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Hyslop added that the programme would improve access to charging for residents without private parking. “The City Region partners are delivering one of the most significant public EV charging projects in the UK, one which will make charging a car so much easier and accessible for the many thousands of residents who don’t have driveways,” she said.
