New Dumfries facility sets the standard in Scotland

17 May 2007

Dumfries and Galloway Council is setting new standards in partnership working with the private sector, with its Combined Services division operating out of a dedicated new vehicle maintenance facility, shared with contract hire service provider Fraikin.

The Combined Services fleet encompasses over 700 items of plant and equipment, with Fraikin responsible for managing approximately 300 of these, ranging from street sweepers and grounds maintenance vehicles through to 26 tonne refuse collection and recycling trucks.

Based on the Garroch Business Park, two miles outside Dumfries and adjacent to the A75, the new facility is being transformed to house multiple parts of the Council’s fleet, with Combined Services and Fraikin, together with the Dumfries & Galloway Fire Rescue Services, amongst the first tenants to move in.

Brian Warren, Business Unit Director at Fraikin, explains: “In the past we have shared workshops with council staff on other sites, but this new set-up takes the concept of partnership working to a whole new level.  Our engineers are working side-by-side with Combined Services’ own technical staff, sharing not only the workshop and equipment, but also offices, roles and responsibilities.”

“There are no lines drawn down the middle of the site either, and work bays and equipment are utilised equally by both teams.  Similarly, in the administration office, staff from both organisations sit together and work as a joined-up unit,” he adds.

The site occupied by Combined Services and Fraikin has been completely refurbished, transforming an ex-ICI manufacturing facility into one of the most state-of-the-art commercial vehicle workshops in Scotland.  It features eight full-length work bays capable of accommodating even the largest trucks and buses, plus space for a further seven light commercials.

Geoff Lewis, Corporate Director of Combined Services, explains: “In 2004 we identified that there was a significant opportunity to pursue closer partnership working, with the principal aim of developing a more efficient operation of the business with the potential for greater savings.

“The availability of a large section of Garroch Business Park came at the perfect time, allowing us to transfer into the new site just months after signing an early extension of our contract with Fraikin, which will run until March 2012,” he adds.

One of the major benefits which have resulted from the contract renewal is the early replacement of 23 of the Council’s refuse collection vehicles.  Delivered on April 1 (2007), approximately two and a half years early, the new trucks have provided an opportunity to re-configure the fleet to better suit both current and future recycling targets in the local area.

Mr Warren adds: “The investment made in Dumfries is a prime example of a local authority developing the infrastructure to support the modern nature of today’s commercial vehicles.  Such advances are likely to bring multiple benefits, including improved maintenance efficiency and a further reduction in unexpected vehicle downtime.”

The new facility is featured in the May issue of Scotland’s Transport News magazine, which reports that Dumfries and Galloway is leading the field in demonstrating that entering such an arrangement with a suitable partner, in this case Fraikin, can provide the basis for continuing real step change in how public services are delivered in Scotland.