Decision details

The Cabinet had before it a report * from the Operations Manager for Street Scene and Open Spaces and the Head of People, Performance and Waste considering and recommending the extension of the existing contract of the Council’s fleet provision with SFS (Specialist Fleet Services Limited) by a further seven years for the reason set out within the report.

The Cabinet Member for Service Delivery and Continuous Improvement outlined the contents of the reports with particular reference to the following:

·       This report sets out the reasons to extend the existing fleet contract with Specialist Fleet Services for a further seven years from 2026 to 2033. It followed on from a decision taken by a previous administration in March 2019 to agree to a seven year contract with SFS which runs until 2026. As part of this agreement the Council had the option to extend this contractual agreement by a further seven years between 2026 to 2033. An extension of this contract would ensure that the Council continued to utilise the SFS expertise, experience, influence and buying power which had made the current fleet reliable and roadworthy with support readily available.

Discussion took place with regard to:

·       The fleet contract was critical, if the option recommended was not approved the Council would need to conduct a full 9 month tender exercise.

·       The Council currently had a specialised and nuanced contract with SFS.

·       SFS had already pledged to assist the Council in three ways:

·       Build a new depot in Wellington

·       Assist with a future Apprenticeship Programme

·       Put money aside to provide a social action fund to support future projects for the next generation.

·       An elongated tender process would put all this at risk.

·       Managers would work with SFS to ensure the Council’s ambitions regarding carbon emissions were met.

·       The interface between officers and fleet manufacturers was of vital importance in terms of driving home the need for the reduction of carbon emissions. It was confirmed that officers were already engaging in constant dialogue on this issue.

RESOLVED that:

a)    The decision to extend the contract with SFS (Specialist Fleet Services Limited) for a further seven year period to cover 2026-2033 at the earliest possible opportunity be approved.

b)    To include lease borrowing in the Capital Programme.

c)     Authorisation be given for the negotiation of the removal of the indexation rate from the master contract for all new vehicles as soon as possible and replace it with a fixed rate for the term of the individual contract.

 (Proposed by Cllr J Wright and seconded by Cllr N Bradshaw)

Note: * Report previously circulated.