Regardless of which government is
elected to run the UK next year, unprecedented cuts in public
spending lie ahead – meaning potential business for public sector
lessors.
NHS chief executive David Nicholson has warned
that the next four years could demand efficiency savings of more
than £10 billion (€11.2 billion).
A traditional stumbling block to public sector
leasing – especially in the NHS – has been inconsistency in
decision making between different financial controllers. Now,
though, it seems that public sector bodies are more and more
willing to outsource their procurement decisions to other
parties.
At present, PASA, the NHS Purchasing and
Supply Agency, is being dismantled, and responsibility for leasing,
and the national framework for operating leases, has passed to NHS
Supply Chain, a joint venture with German logistics company
DHL.
Meanwhile, other companies are looking to take
on management responsibilities for public sector fleets, and will
be keen to increase the utilisation of leasing.
One such company is service provider and
former warship builder Vosper Thornycroft (VT), which manages 4,000
vehicles for the Metropolitan Police, as well as the 14,000
non-military vehicles operated by the Ministry of Defence.
Paul Lester, VT’s chief executive, says his
company is talking to local authorities and NHS Trusts about
leasing vehicle fleets on their behalf.
Any company involved in fleet management or
the leasing of specialist vehicles should be looking hard for ways
to present themselves to fleet decision makers in the public sector
this year.
