Mitie has won a £4.5 million contract to install and maintain electric vehicle (EV) charge points for the Environment Agency.

The deal builds on its existing relationship of delivering facilities management for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The new partnership will see it establish an EV charging network across over 100 sites across the UK and maintain it for an initial two-year contract term, with the option to extend for three more years.

Mitie will design and install approximately 450 EV chargers and be responsible for their operation and maintenance during the contract.

Pradyumna Pandit, managing director of sustainability and energy services at Mitie, said: “As the operators of one of the UK’s largest electric vehicle fleets, we are delighted to be sharing our expertise with the Environment Agency through this exciting partnership.

“As organisations continue to commit to sustainable fleets, it is imperative that there is sufficient infrastructure in place for electric vehicles to charge.

“This contract is a great example of how we are using our EV experience to help more organisations accelerate towards their zero emission targets.”

Minimising its impact on the environment will be central to how Mitie delivers this contract. For example, with around 2,500 electric vehicles on the Mitie fleet, survey and installation teams will use EVs across the contract wherever possible, reducing transport emissions in the delivery of the chargers.

The contract will also see the introduction of software that remotely connects the chargers, allowing the Environment Agency and Mitie to monitor how each charge point is performing in real time.

The software will also identify any faults or issues that need repairing, performing remote fixes and restarts where possible.

This, it says, will drive quicker fix times and reduce how often engineers need to physically visit sites, ensuring charge point downtime is kept to a minimum.