Inakalum – Tees Valley – Local Logistics Agent
Inakalum is contracted to survey the mobile coverage in the 5 councils that make up the Tees Valley Combined Authority – Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. To carry out the surveys, Inakalum places its mobile surveying kits in the waste collection trucks operated by the councils, and they monitor the mobile coverage of the mobile networks as the trucks drive their daily routes. Inakalum has a requirement for a local logistics agent to manage the delivery, collection and charging of our mobile surveying kits to/from the waste collection trucks in the council depots in each of the council areas.
What You’ll Be Doing
Council waste collections are carried out weekly between Tuesdays and Fridays, usually between 7am and 4pm (times may vary slightly between councils). Inakalum’s mobile coverage surveying kits need to be placed in the cabs of the waste collection trucks before the trucks leave the depot, with all kits (up to 6, depending on the council) in place 15 minutes before departure time. The kit batteries last for 2 full days’ waste collection, so they need to be collected, usually at 4pm, and charged overnight every second day, and returned, fully charged, to the trucks the following morning before they leave the depot.
The kits are small units, roughly the size of a shoebox, and, depending on the number of council trucks in operation, up to 6 kits may be needed for a depot. Full training will be provided on how to charge the kits, and Inakalum monitors the kits remotely so no in depth knowledge of how the kits work is required. Your only responsibility, apart from delivering and collecting the kits to/from the truck depots, will be charging the kits (see below).
The Area
Inakalum will be working with all 5 councils in the Tees Valley area, so you may be required to travel to any of the waste collection depots in these areas on any given day. It is likely that 2 surveys in different council areas will be running simultaneously, but the delivery/collection and charging of kits will be planned so that visits to different depots happen on alternate days and do not clash with each other. Inakalum will schedule these site visits.
Availability
You must be available on weekday mornings for one hour from approximately 6am to 7am (exact timing depends on travel time to council depots) and afternoons for one hour from approximately 3:30pm to 4:30pm. It is expected that only 1 hour per day should be required for 4 days of the week, 1 hour each on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and 1 hours each on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, when only one council is being surveyed (this will double if two councils are being surveyed simultaneously). Inakalum will pay you a minimum of £100 per week throughout the contract period (see Your Fee below for details).
Contract Duration
Darlington council survey has been completed, so there are only 4 council areas to be surveyed. It is expected that these surveys will take between 10 and 12 weeks, but Inakalum can’t commit to a definite timeframe until the final surveys are underway. If, during any week there is no surveying taking place and your services are not required, Inakalum will pay a weekly retainer fee of half the normal rate for those weeks.
Own Car
You will need your own car to transport the surveying kits to/from the council depots. Because of the size and weight of the kits, other forms of transport (bicycle, motorcycle, etc.) are not suitable. You will be responsible for your own transport costs, but a fuel allowance, as detailed below, will be paid per site visit.
Android Phone Familiarity
In order to participate in this project, you must have be fully familiar with the operation of an Android phone, including starting/stopping Apps and changing the phone’s Settings. No knowledge of Inakalum’s proprietary Apps is required and full training will be given on any Android phone operations to be carried out, but these are expected to be occasional and infrequent.
Kit Charging
You will be responsible for charging the surveying kits in your home. A standard 220V A/C domestic power supply will suffice for charging the kits, but you will need enough space in a suitable, well-ventilated area in your home to lay out up to 6 surveying kits (each roughly the size of a shoebox) during charging. If you do not have facilities for charging the kits as described, you will not be eligible to apply for this contract.
You will be opening and closing the kits and preparing them for charging (moving the phone cables from the battery packs to the charging unit), charging the kits, reconnecting the phone cables to the battery packs, and closing the kits. Occasionally, you may be required to restart the phones in the kits and restart Inakalum’s 3 proprietary Apps on the phones. This is normally only needed when a phone’s battery discharges fully, but every effort will be made to prevent this from happening. Full training in the charging of the kits and restarting of the phones will be given and online support will be available as required.
Training
Full training in the transport, handling and charging of the kits will be given and on-site support will be provided during your first two days to ensure you understand what is required and to answer any questions you have, and online and/or telephone support will be available throughout the contract.
Liaising With Council Staff
Inakalum will manage the relationships with the council waste management teams, but you will be required to interact with them on a daily basis, to ensure the kits are placed in the correct vehicles. Occasionally, trucks need to be taken off the road for repairs or maintenance, and it will be your responsibility to liaise directly with the team leader in the council depot to ensure that the kits are placed in the replacement vehicles in such cases.
Your Fee
You will be paid a fee of £20 per site visit with a minimum of 4 site visits per week guaranteed, plus an additional £20 per week for kit charging (£100 per week guaranteed). For the avoidance of doubt, a site visit entails travelling to/from a council depot and either placing kits in the trucks in the depot, or retrieving kits from the trucks. On days where both kit delivery and retrieval are required, you will be paid for 2 site visits. In addition, you will be paid a fuel allowance of £5 per site visit, but no other travel or other expenses will be paid. For weeks during the contract period where no surveying takes place and your services will not be required, a retainer fee for those weeks of £50 will be paid.
Mobile Communications
You will be required to have your own mobile phone with sufficient credit so that you can be contactable by the Inakalum team, and so that you can contact Inakalum support should any issues arise.
Your Details
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