Hire of Fleet Vehicles — UK Public Procurement Procedure

Background to the requirement: The fleet is managed by Synchronicity Care Limited representatives and is a 24 hour, 365 days a year operation. The fleet is used to carry supplies, post, medical equipment and pathology items to various locations throughout the North-east of England. The fleet requires 22 vehicles in total, 5 x Luton 3.5 tonne with tail lifts multi-drop vehicles transporting stores / supply cages, sterile services trolleys (capes), linen supplies and ad hoc duties to various sites. The remaining 17 are a mixture of small and medium sized EV's and ICE vehicles that are used as multi-site vehicles delivering post, supplies (non-caged), pathology samples, estates maintenance and smaller ad-hoc duties. The premises involved are wide ranging including Health Centres, Doctor Surgeries, hospitals and other institutions. The need for a flexible vehicle is a much-needed requirement. The successful supplier will be responsible for the provision of the courier vehicle fleet including a comprehensive service and maintenance contract covering all safety, maintenance and repair work related to operating the vehicle fleet. This includes responsiblity for the following items for the duration of the contract: o Relief vehicle delivered to Darlington Memorial Hospital or University Hospital of North Durham while servicing of vehicles or breakdowns occur (must be fit for purpose and of equal or greater specification to that of the vehicle it is replacing) and supplied at vehicle exchange time. o Replacement tyres - fair wear and tear. o Fluids, lubricants and windscreen wipers - related to the continued use of the vehicle. o Full maintenance and service o Mandatory and preventative inspections on the vehicle and its equipment including tail-lift - tail lift inspections must meet The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 o Windscreen / glass replacement. o Customised livery as directed by the Trust representatives. o NHSV Class (taxation exempt disc) o Vehicle driver training as required to demonstrate vehicle functionality. o 24/7 Breakdown recovery assistance, RAC or equivalent within 1 hour of receiving breakdown call including a dedicated breakdown contact number; Failure to repair the vehicle on the road, must be recovered and a replaced with another vehicle of equal or greater size and specification within 2 hours. o Puncture repair service including mobile with a response time no greater than two hours.