First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO), which owns approximately 11,000 homes in the borough, has renewed its fourth consecutive contract with Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) for the provision of its fleet.
The five-year contract comprises the provision of approximately 90 vehicles as well as fleet maintenance. This is the fourth time that SFS has been successful in winning the tender to manage the vehicle stock for the not-for-profit housing association.
Dave Thomas, Head of Property Care, FCHO said: “We invited both customers and colleagues from across the organisation to take part in scoring each bid, based on quality versus price, and SFS came out as number one.
“We have been working with SFS for over 15 years and we are very happy with their high standard of service and professionalism. However, it is important that we continually strive for the best value for money. Therefore, we go out to tender at the end of each contract period to make sure we have the best deal the market-place can offer. Once again SFS has proven that they are most suited to our business needs and we look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship.”
The vehicles, which are primarily Peugeot, will be used by FCHO cleansing staff, caretakers, and repairs operatives including roofers, plumbers and bricklayers. To save costs the specialist racking installations managed by SFS during the previous contract will be transferred into the new vehicles.
Dave continued: “A particular benefit of this contract is flexibility. If we need to provide additional services, such as extending our grounds maintenance capabilities, SFS is able to provide the necessary vehicles.”
The first tranche of vehicles comprising 11 Peugeot Expert Long vans are being delivered by the beginning of July and the remaining vehicles will follow over the next few months, subject to possible delays caused by the continuing impact of COVID-19.
A KPI of the contract is to maximise local spend and, where possible, use local suppliers. In accordance with this, SFS has sourced local companies to assist with the provision and maintenance of vehicles. The vehicle livery will be carried out by Grlabels4signs and HTF Commercial Repairs will be responsible for the repair and routine maintenance of the vehicles, supported by SFS engineers as necessary.
Bob Sweetland, Managing Director, SFS said: “We are very pleased to have retained FCHO as customers for a fourth term. We invest a great deal of time and resources into understanding our customers’ operations and their individual requirements. We look forward to continuing to help FCHO maintain their high standard of housing stock.”
As well as being committed to giving its customers the highest possible quality of service, FCHO supports the wider community of Oldham, through funding opportunities for events and projects, as well as initiatives focused on employment, skills and reducing poverty.
SFS has been delivering contract hire, fleet and workshop management solutions to the public and private sector since 1992. The company has a network of workshops and operates its own municipal vehicle hire division, CTS Hire.
SFS can provide the full range of vehicle and plant solutions from short term vehicle hire to contract hire, with the ability to meet the most complex fleet requirements.
For more information about Specialist Fleet Services tel: 01604 234601; email [email protected]
SFS on social media: Facebook - @SpecialistFleetServices; Twitter - @SpecialistFleet
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