Click here to view the fleet management guide
Click here for the fleet management leaflet
 
Each year, £200 million is spent on managing vehicle fleets throughout the public sector in Wales. The Good Practice Exchange - fleet management is a web-based tool for those involved in any aspect of fleet management. It offers guidance on fleet strategy, and the procurement, maintenance, running and disposal of vehicles. Organisations can achieve benefits including increased productivity, lower costs and reduced environmental impact.

The fleet management guide was developed following audit work at 50 sites, including local authorities, emergency services and NHS trusts. A series of audit assessments, interviews and meetings was undertaken, and individual reports were written on each organisation. Examples of good practice found are now included in the fleet management guide. This information is shared and disseminated via the Good Practice Exchange website. It was also communicated at a series of shared learning seminars involving fleet and transport managers from a variety of public sector organisations, which were held throughout Wales in May.

Over £33 million is spent each year on fuel by Welsh public sector organisations. Recent price increases will have a significant impact on these costs. The guide recommends tighter controls and monitoring of fuel usage. Opportunities have been identified to increase fuel efficiency through the introduction of fuel management programmes which include driver training in fuel efficient techniques and monitoring of fuel efficiency.

In addition, the guide recognises that there are over 16,000 vehicles used by public sector bodies, including ambulances, fire engines and refuse collection lorries. These emit some 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.  It is vital, therefore, that organisations strive to reduce the level of emissions with the expectation of promoting an environmentally responsible transport policy in line with a well run and efficient fleet.

Auditor General for Wales, Jeremy Colman, said today:
“Sharing good practice is one of the ways the Wales Audit Office promotes improvements in public services. It has always been important to get value for money from public service vehicle fleets. With fuel costs at their present levels our fleet management guide should be an essential tool”.

Notes to editors:

• The Good Practice Exchange, launched in 2007, shares the knowledge of the Wales Audit Office’s work through its own website. The web-based tool brings together good practice and case studies from the 100-plus public bodies that the WAO audits each year; this project is the first of its kind to be launched in the United Kingdom. 
• The Wales Audit Office is committed to improving public services across Wales by helping organisations find good practice and implement it. Because of our unique position in Wales, which involves a relationship with every public body, we can observe good practice in one organisation and identify other organisations where its application might be beneficial. 
• The Wales Audit Office is independent of government and is responsible for the annual audit of some £19 billion of annual public expenditure and some £30 billion worth of public assets. Its mission is to promote improvement, so that people in Wales benefit from accountable, well-managed public services that offer the best possible value for money. It is also committed to identify and spreading good practice across the Welsh public sector.

For more information please contact Allyson Male on 029 2032 0517 or email allyson.male@wao.gov.uk.