Greater Shepparton City Council has endorsed a new contract for parking enforcement services and technology, paving the way for significant upgrades to parking management across the municipality while maintaining payment choice for the community.
At its October Council Meeting, Council awarded Contract No. 2428 Parking Enforcement Services for an initial five-year term, with options to extend for up to a further five years. The contract will deliver a fully integrated parking management system that combines parking enforcement, modern parking technology, payment services, permit management and customer support.
The new service model includes the replacement of parking meters, installation of additional parking sensors, enhanced reporting and analytics capabilities, improved permit and infringement management systems, and continued access to both cash and digital payment options.
Mayor, Councillor Geoff Akers, said the investment would help ensure parking spaces remain available and accessible for residents, visitors and businesses.
"Effective parking management plays an important role in supporting a vibrant and accessible city centre," he said.
"This investment will provide modern technology and improved services that help ensure parking spaces are used fairly, encouraging turnover and making it easier for people to access local businesses, services and key destinations.
"Importantly, Council has retained cash payment options alongside digital payment methods, ensuring people can continue to choose the payment method that best suits them."
The contract includes an investment of more than $811,000 in new parking infrastructure, including 83 parking metres, 55 virtual parking metres and around 500 parking sensors in timed bays, as well as ongoing service delivery, maintenance, software and customer support.
Cr Akers said the new system would deliver long-term operational benefits.
"The new service will provide Council with better data and insights to help manage parking demand, improve accessibility and support future planning. It will also streamline administration, strengthen infringement management processes and provide a more efficient and customer-friendly parking experience," he said.
"The contract has been developed to support continued growth across Greater Shepparton while ensuring our parking network remains safe, fair and effective."
The contract was awarded following a competitive procurement process that included an Expression of Interest stage, a selective Tender process and independent probity oversight. Tender submissions were assessed against a range of criteria, including value for money, technical capability, customer service, sustainability, risk management and benefits to local business.
Implementation of the new parking management system will commence following contract execution, with Council to provide further information to the community regarding any changes to parking meters, payment platforms and customer service as the rollout progresses. Importantly, this contract will not change the current cost of parking per hour.
Council is once again providing complimentary parking in Council-owned on-street parking spaces for the months of December and January. Further information will be shared in the coming weeks.
