North East Lincolnshire Case Study

Building Stronger Businesses and Communities

NELC could clearly see that Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) should support their priorities of creating a stronger local economy and community by integrating traffic management policies with effective on and off-street parking. Traffic management helps to manage congestion and flow and improves safety for pedestrians and drivers. It supports the local economy through the provisions of parking for retail, business, tourism and leisure.

A Future-Ready Parking Management System

As part of the procurement process, NELC and EQUANS undertook a full review of their parking operations and concluded that a new parking management system was required to transform the service and deliver a much improved and enhanced customer experience.

NELC wanted a future-ready system that would take advantage of new technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and would streamline their parking back-office processes. The service would move away from a paper-based system of issuing permits to a state-of-the-art digital system, significantly reducing workloads and delays and giving residents and businesses the service they expect.

In addition, there would be consideration of future integration/generic working of on-street scene-based enforcement activities undertaken by Environmental Enforcement Officers (EEOs).

The scope of the procurement was for a fully integrated IT solution to allow the issue and processing of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) and Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for civil parking contraventions and environmental crime. The system would also manage the processing of parking permits for residents and staff and season tickets for their council car parks.

NELC and EQUANS collaboratively produced a business case outlining the objectives of the project and the outcomes sought.

A Strong Bid

In 2021 NELC and EQUANS awarded their parking management software contract to Unity5 following a competitive tender process. We have a strong track record of delivering our market-leading Zatpark parking management and Zatpermit solutions in the UK. Our system has issued more than 10 million PCNs.

NELC found our ZatPark bid to be stronger than the incumbent system supplier and two further bidders, and we were delighted to be awarded the contract.

“Most of the procurement team and I had no prior knowledge of Zatpark until we started to evaluate the bids. The decision to select Unity5’s Zatpark was based on how well it met our requirements along with it being competitively priced. The quality of the technical submission and thorough software demonstration showed a great deal of effort was made. It was the best solution to allow us to transform our service and improve value for money.”

Lynne Bromley, Parking Manager, EQUANS

Unity5 Deliver Parking Solutions for Local Authorities

Our Head of Onboarding & Implementation Oli Pelliccio oversaw the delivery of the project. Oli has considerable experience in delivering enforcement projects of this scale and understands the benefits of a joined-up approach. Oli worked closely with Lynne, who would oversee the project on behalf of NELC to develop an achievable project plan. The plan outlined the resources/time and activities needed to meet the planned outcomes. With multiple stakeholders involved, it was clear that good communication was critical for the success of the project. Weekly project calls were held, to discuss progress, issues and risks. 

Phase 1 – Discovery, Customisation, and Implementation

We held discovery sessions and workshops between NELC and the Unity5 Zatpark onboarding and product teams to understand NELC requirements.

Phase 2 – Onboarding and In-person Staff Training

The onboarding plan would drive the maximum value of the new system by quickly taking advantage of process and efficiency improvements. User training is a central pillar in achieving continuous improvement, and the key to its success is to avoid a one size fits all approach. 

Phase 3 – Configuring Environmental Enforcement

Phase 3 saw the emphasis move from Parking Enforcement to Environmental Enforcement.

Digital Parking Permit Systems – Benefits

• Environmental benefit: Zatpermit software brings instant environmental benefits as paper permits have been replaced with digital versions.
• Instant updating: Digital permits can be updated when permissions are granted, which means a big reduction in re-issuing.
• Secure: Permits cannot be lost or stolen, so security is improved for both council staff and customers.
  
• Faster processing: Time needed for dealing with resident permit applicationsis reducedtypically from 4-6 weeks to just one week.

 The Positive Impact of Automation

The greater automation of the new system is providing clear benefits as NELC can deliver better service using fewer resources, and local residents and business experience a quicker and more efficient service.

NELC was able to make a positive start to its digital transformation programme, with a clear focus on improving services to its local residents and businesses. NELCs delivery of the service has moved from being labour and resource intensive to smooth and efficient. The uptake of their online services reinforces that customers want access to services 24/7.

“We thrive on creative partnerships and are really excited to partner NELC and EQUANS. We understand the increasing demands they face to provide better services and are proud of the achievements in their transformation journey. We are committed to the parking sector and have a dedicated team, who possess a wealth of knowledge and experience of our products, technology and market needs. We will continue to enhance our software and services by adopting new technologies and ideas”

Dave Herbert CEO of Unity5