Vehicle procurement collaboration between 34 organisations announced

THE biggest vehicle procurement project in police and emergency services history will see 34 organisations work together to save over £7million.

This ambitious plan, spearheaded by West Midlands Police, pulls together the vehicle buying power of police and fire and rescue services from across the country from Devon & Cornwall through to Lincolnshire.

The success of the project is down to the expertise and professionalism of the procurement and fleet departments across the organisations.

As a result, more than 3,000 vehicles will be ordered by the organisations over the next two years, with 1,200 of them being built in Britain and 130 of them coming to Cambridgeshire.

As the biggest vehicle collaboration of its kind in the UK, it is estimated that the overall spend resulting from this contract is in excess of £100million when taking in to account the ‘whole life’ costs of the vehicles – the initial purchase along with fuel, maintenance, parts and repairs. The group will make savings of between six and seven million pounds.

Breaking that down locally, the vehicle whole life costs for Cambridgeshire is estimated at about £3.5million with a saving of more than £93,000.

The contract is for the full range of police vehicles, from the ‘beat’ cars, through to the high performance cars used for traffic and motorway policing. Suppliers were selected from a list of companies on the national government framework agreement, specifically for ‘blue light’ services.

David Wilkin, WMP’s Director of Resources and the national policing lead for the procurement of vehicles commented: “A vehicle purchasing collaboration between police forces and partners on this scale has never been seen before and I am delighted to say that it has been a huge success in terms of the savings made and how well the organisations have worked together.

“The success of this group builds on the achievements of a large scale vehicle procurement project led by West Yorkshire Police earlier in the year.

“While cost is clearly a driving factor, the most important aspect is that these vehicles need to be the safest ones available for our staff and the public.

“How we buy and operate them has to represent good value to the public. We are committed to ensuring that where possible the associated costs will be invested in the region, whether that is fuel purchases or using local garages and businesses for parts and repairs.

“All suppliers in the process had to demonstrate their working relationship with local dealerships to ensure that going forward, maintenance of the vehicles such as warranty repairs are carried out locally, ensuring we continue to support the local economy.”

Sir Graham Bright, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire, said: “This initiative demonstrates how significant savings can be achieved through the police and fire service working together and pooling their buying power.

“My priority has always been to maintain local policing, and better procurement such as this will help achieve that goal. This deal represents a good deal for the taxpayer as well as the Constabulary.”

Note to editors:

The group has selected the following suppliers:

• Cars: General Motors UK Ltd t/a Vauxhall, Volvo, BMW
• Vans: Ford, General Motors UK Limited t/a Vauxhall

For matters relating to the project please contact the West Midlands press office on 0121 626 5858.

Queries relating to the Cambridgeshire savings should be directed to the Cambs press office on 01480 422480.