Imperial Commercials awarded fleet maintenance contract

10/07/12

Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service has outsourced its fire appliance fleet and equipment maintenance to a local supplier Imperial Commercials Ltd, in a new eight year contract.

The £4m contract, which took effect at the beginning of July, has been awarded to Imperial Commercials Ltd following a vigorous and robust European Tendering process which involved nine organisations.

Imperial Commercials emerged as the strongest supplier when operational resilience, risk, cost and compliance to statutory requirements were considered.

They achieved the highest overall score of all the competing tenders, and demonstrated their ability to meet the specific standards required of a fire service.

The contract covers the maintenance, repair of fire engines, special appliances, vans and cars, and some specialised equipment.  It also covers vehicle recovery, roadside assistance, MOT testing and accident repair. Imperial Commercials focus is to provide a one-stop-shop for commercial vehicles operators; two specially designed Volkswagen Crafters have also been supplied by Volkswagen Van Centre Derby to help maintain Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service's entire fleet. The bespoke vehicles have been converted on site by Mackworth Vehicle Conversion Specialists with Imperial Modular Racking, Chapter 8 conspicuity livery, heavy duty floors, light bars and internal and external LED lighting.

Matthew Lawrenson, Regional Director of Imperial Commercials said; "Imperial Commercials is proud to have won this ground breaking contract. We have well equipped facilities in Derby, Nottingham and Sutton in Ashfield, and a well-trained team of technicians, trained in fire appliance technology.  We plan to use innovative ways to reduce downtime to increase vehicle availability, in addition to providing 24/7/365 support from locally based workshops."

Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive, Sean Frayne said "Our vehicles are critical to the delivery of the service that Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service provides.  We need to be confident that our fleet is well maintained and that we have the support we need for testing and repairs.

"In these difficult economic times, competition is intense, and it is pleasing to evidence that Imperial Commercials can offer the balance of resilience, quality and overall cost, that is essential for an emergency service that public safety is so dependent on."

The procurement strategy and delivery of the outsourcing process was delivered by Munro Kempton Associates Ltd, leading independent Consultants in the UK Fire and Rescue Service, specialising in strategic procurement, contracting, fleet and transport audits, outsourcing of fleet maintenance, best value reviews including fleet management and information structure reviews, feasibility studies, economic appraisals and project management services to organisations across the Public and Private Sectors.

You can download a copy of this press release below.

 Note to Editors/Reporters

For more information contact Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service Group Manager, Pete Aykroyd on 01332 771221 or alternatively Helen Tideswell from Munro Kempton Associates Ltd on 01283 730159 or helen.tideswell@munrokempton.com