ALD secure Thames Water Sole Supply Contract
ALD Automotive has secured a three year sole supply contract with Thames Water, who presently operate a fleet of some 2,700 vehicles and mobile plant equipment, which includes 1,600 light commercial vehicles, 700 essential business user company cars and 50 HGVs.
Currently more than 750 units, mainly vans and company cars, are leased from a number of different suppliers. In the current financial year, to 31 March 2010, 500 vehicle leases will expire with Thames Water now set to replace all those units through ALD Automotive.
The agreement for contract hire with maintenance relied heavily on ALD’s commitment to ongoing investment in online fleet management functionality.
Terry Loizou, group fleet and transport services manager at Thames Water, said: “We have a number of vehicle leasing suppliers, but we wanted to consolidate arrangements with one organisation to increase efficiencies and further improve fleet management reporting.”
About 30 contract hire and leasing organisations responded to Thames Water’s tender document and Mr Loizou said: “ALD Automotive had a lot of competition but, the company delivered on all the key requirements within our tender specification, but it was their investment in IT that was crucial in winning the contract.”
ALD Automotive’s ‘threesixty’ suite of online fleet management applications is allows customers to bespoke their requirements to reflect individual fleet policies and procedures.
Mr Loizou said: “ALD’s system will be used as a one-stop shop asset management inventory solution.”
Thames Water plans to create a ‘mini IT fleet management solution’ within ALD Automotive’s system that will have outright purchased vehicles and units sourced from other leasing providers added to it. ALD Automotive will offer a range of other services, for consideration by Thames Water in the future that could include risk management.
Mr Loizou said: “We will ultimately have one consolidated management reporting system that will further improve fleet efficiency and effectiveness. The synergies that ALD is able to deliver as a result of their IT investment will undoubtedly deliver improved levels of fleet management”
ALD Automotive managing director Keith Allen said: “We have a range of continually evolving, easy to use, online fleet solutions, totally integrated into our core management systems, providing flexibility and speed for both ourselves and our customers.
“Thames Water recognised that our investment in sophisticated IT solutions could significantly aid fleet management and vehicle utilisation. While we were obviously competitive on price, our flexibility in being able to help Thames Water achieve their desire for a complete vehicle inventory management solution underlines the critical role that web-based IT has in today’s fleet marketplace.
“Our technological developments add real value for customers and, as the Thames Water contract highlights that is where we score in utilising innovation to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.”
See also:
