New plan to save public sector fleets announced

A new framework agreement has been put in place that could save public sector fleets millions of pounds through the purchase of vehicles at an average discount of 24 per cent. The new arrangement has been compiled by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, and will set terms and conditions for suppliers. More than 35,000 vehicles are expected to be purchased through the new scheme each year, bringing in an overall value of around £553 million. Last year, CCS provided more than £110m of savings to the struggling public sector through various fleet agreements, with more than 32,000 vehicles being purchased through one of their operations. A spokesman for the agency said that more public sector operations would now move to work within a CCS arrangement in order to 'take advantage of the discounted rates'. The programme is now the official framework through which the government departments procure vehicles but devolved agencies such as health departments, schools and councils have the option of opting in or out. The new agreement also covers the bluelight sector with bodies such as police, fire and rescue, ambulance trusts, the Highways Agency as well as the Marine and Coastguard Agency and other agencies with specific vehicle requirements all likely to use it in future. The CCS has also worked closely with the UK police forces as part of developing the agreement to ensure that it provides the specific vehicle types required by the police. In addition to their work covering vehicle purchases and the supply and fit of tyres, a number of other arrangements are in place covering vehicle conversion and re-conditioning as well as the provision of other fleet necessities such as electric charging installations, fuel cards, liquid fuels and insurance services. The new vehicle purchase framework agreement provides access to a wide range of different vehicles across different 'lots' including cars, 4x4s, commercial vehicles, buses, coaches and motorcycles, working with a total of 41 different suppliers.