Fast provision of specialist vehicles supports the delivery of mobile COVID-19 testing

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) used our Vehicle Lease, Fleet Management and Flexible Rental Solutions (RM6096) commercial agreement to help in the fight against COVID-19.

The requirement

Mobile testing is playing a key role in delivering the government’s strategy to enhance testing capabilities for COVID-19 for local communities.

To achieve this goal, the DHSC required specially adapted long wheel-based vehicles which had a range of modifications, including:

• 3 internal bulkheads
• 1 ‘dirty area’ in the rear of the vehicle to house a wash basin, hand sanitiser and clinical waste bins, and for storage of items with a wipe/wash down lining
• main compartment to house cool boxes for keeping completed tests between 8-22 degrees with a split charging system and robust shelving for testing supplies, cleaning products and PPE
• traffic management system (cones and chain fencing)
• 4 x robust gazebos
• 4 sets of tables and chairs
• PPE and first aid boxes
• various equipment to run mobile testing facility

Because of the urgent need for the vehicles, the timeline from confirming the required specification to delivery was only 10 days but with an expectation of some vehicles being made available and fully operational within 6 days.

The solution 

The DHSC had previously sourced vehicles and suppliers independently. However, on this occasion, they used our Fleet agreement to ensure the contracts which were awarded met the highest levels of probity and value for money, even during these challenging times.

An order was placed with Enterprise 10 days before the desired delivery date for all vehicles, with some ideally needed within 6 days.

Enterprise created a small project team to ensure we could source the vehicles and suppliers capable of managing the conversion to the required standards and timeframes. The team was also tasked with acquiring the large volume of specific loose items needed from a large pool of varied suppliers across the UK. 

This challenge would have been difficult in normal circumstances but during a pandemic, when many suppliers were closed or on reduced capacity and with many resources scarce, it became a major project for a team having to work remotely from each other. 

The results 

• 7 vehicles were ready for delivery on day 6, 8 were ready on day 7, and 5 were complete just 8 days after the initial order was received
• by leveraging our existing agreements and supplier relationships, we delivered against a demanding specification and timescale, the success of which was reflected through the delivery of a further 120 vehicles by Enterprise before the end of the month

This illustrates the nimbleness that Lot 4 of RM6096 can offer the UK public sector. The contract-free, flexible rental solution provides fleet operators with total flexibility over the vehicle type, duration, and specification of their requirement.

As we emerge from lockdown with the future still uncertain, we believe flexible rental, through should play an increasingly important role in fleet decision making within the public sector.

Further information 

We offer a end-to-end suite of Fleet solutions to give the public sector the power to keep their vehicles on the road in a safe, cost-effective and sustainable manner. To learn more:

• read the RM6096 web page
• visit our Total Fleet Solutions web pages
• contact our team of experts