Since it was announced that there were two fleet managers selected by the NSW government to take over from StateFleet both have been busy selling their credentials to potential customers.
The government agencies have until the 15th April to decide between Smartfleet Australia and SG Fleet and then be ready to start on 1st July.
In a news post on the Smartfleet website, Dave Adler, Chief Commercial Officer for parent company Smartgroup, says Smartfleet is ready to roll. “The signs are very positive; the capability of our services is appealing to various agencies, and we’re happy to keep those conversations going to get the right mix of solutions for each department.”
When an announcement was made to the ASX, SG Fleet CEO Robbie Blau called the appointment further recognition of the company’s industry leadership, as well as its product and service quality.
“Our objective is to work closely with the agencies to establish a best practice fleet management approach under the new structure. Our longstanding experience with other government contracts of similar nature will greatly assist with the pursuit of this objective,” Mr Blau said.
It should come as no surprise that Smartfleet and SG Fleet were chosen because they both have experience in the unbundled model that is being used for the NSW government fleet.
The tender process for the NSW Government started early in 2015 and submission were due in April. From there many discussions were had with potential suppliers about their proposals and the best model for the NSW taxpayers. Now it’s time for the preferred fleet managers and leasing panel to start managing the fleet.
The unbundled model means the fleet manager will work with the agency to select then order the vehicle with the best fit for their requirements. Then the lessors on the panel will bid for the vehicle finance by providing an operating lease quotation with the terms and kilometres already decided.
The preferred lessor will then arrange payment for the vehicle and the fleet manager will include the monthly rental in the billing and reporting to the agency.
The implementation time frame is tight but both SG Fleet and Smartfleet are experienced in bringing on new customers so the transition should go smoothly.
