Fleets should be wary of 'simplistic outsourcing'

Following the growing trend within the public sector to outsource tasks and services in a bid to cut costs and improve efficiencies, fleets are being particularly urged to be careful with properly managing their road operations. Outsourcing expert and independent strategic advisor, John Tizard, has spoken out and urged fleet managers and operators to think carefully about the pros and cons of outsourcing and ensuring it remains fit for purpose. Significant cuts made by the Chancellor across the public sector are yet to take effect. Around three-quarters (75 per cent) of savings are still to be made. Subsequently, enormous strain is being placed on public sector fleets to cut costs themselves wherever possible, often to the detriment of the organisation. Mr Tizard, said: "Simplistic outsourcing is disastrous. If you put the emphasis on the 'out' _ 'it's nothing to do with me' _ you've got major problems. "There is an expectation that there will be a different relationship between the public sector and private sector suppliers. "If you are going to move to an outsourced solution for fleet management, you've still got to have the client capacity to manage that. You've got to be absolutely clear what you want to get from it." Many public sector organisations have successfully negotiated an outsourcing contract to save considerable funds. Back in April, Lincolnshire Police struck a £200 million, 10-year outsourcing deal with G4S to operate a fleet of 400+ vehicles, saving up to £28 million. At IT Fleet Automotive we appreciate the need to underpin the fundamentals of any business when outsourcing the management of fleets, from storage and refurbishment right through to transport. That's why we've developed our very own FleetPlus software solution to manage the diverse needs of the modern fleet professional. Developed to manage in-house fleets efficiently and effectively, FleetPlus has already proven very effective for tracking and managing costs across a fleet vehicle's entire lifecycle. FleetPlus has been utilised across a wide range of market sectors, from construction and distribution through to finance and the emergency services, so we have a proven track record for handling specialised fleets. If you would like to discuss your fleet management requirements with us you can call our friendly team today on 01473 313057 or drop us a line using our online enquiry form.