Nottingham City Homes hope to achieve top marks by investing in Fleet Director
Nottingham City Homes manages Nottingham City Council's rented and leasehold domestic and corporate properties. With a fleet of 312 Citroen light commercial vehicles it is responsible for collecting the rent and maintaining around 29,000 homes and 1,000 leasehold properties. It employs over 1,000 people.
As a public sector organisation it has a commitment to provide excellent services, cost effectively. To support best practise initiatives and as part of a business audit, Nottingham City Homes looked at how it could manage its fleet better. A decision was made to procure the fleet privately from Citroen and invest in a fleet management system.
Pete Smith, Procurement and Operations Support Manager, comments: "As an organisation we are accountable to the city of Nottingham and its residents. We looked at ways to streamline our business, at the same time as improving customer service and keeping our drivers happy. Citroen proved to be the best vehicle partner, providing us with reliable, comfortable and economical vans. Through our agreement we managed to save £325,000 in vehicle ownership costs this year."
Nottingham City Homes also explored the various fleet management systems on the market. Pete Smith was not only looking for one that offered value for money, but he needed it to be easy to use, provide the relevant information correctly and assist the company in its lone working programme. Trafficmaster's Fleet Director was chosen above six other fleet management systems.
"Citroen's partnership with Trafficmaster offered us the best commercial package," said Pete Smith. "With Smartnav navigation as standard on Citroen vans and the ability to add on Fleet Director, it seemed the perfect solution. This is not an easy decision however. If I felt that it could not do the job I wanted it to do, then no matter how simple the proposition was, I would have sought an alternative fleet management system."
All 400 of Nottingham City Homes' drivers now have access to satellite navigation, real-time traffic information, 24 hour emergency and breakdown assistance and better working controls.
In addition Pete Smith hopes this partnership with Trafficmaster and Citroen will help Nottingham City Homes achieve two stars in its Audit Commission inspection later this year. Achieving the two stars would release £165 million to make homes more decent for city council tenants in Nottingham. Pete Smith comments: "I truly believe this investment will support our drive to achieve two stars."
This investment in Fleet Director and new vehicles will also help Nottingham City Homes efficiently manage a new £142 million repairs contract that it recently won. Over the next five years it is responsible for repairing and maintaining all Nottingham's city council properties.
"I know that it would be virtually impossible to maintain high standards and meet customer expectations without the adoption of Fleet Director. With this system we know where all our drivers are, send them to jobs that are nearest to them, guarantee time of arrivals and on the whole become more productive. In addition the reporting tools give us the ability to drill down into costs and analyse vehicle activity, making sure that drivers are working effectively. This is the start of new business future for us," Pete concludes.