Gala Leisure has re-appointed fleet management and leasing provider Fleet Alliance to provide a fully outsourced fleet management service for its fleet of 200 cars. 

Nottingham-based Gala Leisure, which operates around 130 bingo clubs in the UK, first appointed Fleet Alliance in 2010 to manage its fleet interests.

Following a thorough benchmarking exercise which looked at a number of alternative providers and also considered taking the management of the fleet back inhouse, Gala Leisure has now decided to reappoint Fleet Alliance until 2017, with a further two year option.

Jamie Brough, Head of Procurement at Gala Leisure, said: “We went through a very detailed benchmarking and review process to find the best operating model for our fleet, and concluded that the arrangement with Fleet Alliance remained fit for purpose and was very competitive.”

Fleet Alliance will be responsible for managing the existing fleet and sourcing all new vehicles using a competitive tendering approach for each new car added to the fleet, via a panel of three different funders, to indentify the most cost efficient.

Fleet Alliance will also handle all discount negotiations with vehicle manufacturers and with leasing providers over contract miles to ensure the fleet is run as cost effectively as possible.

The new arrangement also covers the Gala Leisure grey fleet of a further 200 vehicles, and Fleet Alliance will ensure that cash allowance drivers have appropriate business insurance and that the vehicles are maintained to manufacturer standards and service intervals.

Gala Leisure company car drivers, typically senior executives to middle managers and general managers of bingo halls, are able to select and identify their next company car online through Fleet Alliance’s cloud-based fleet management platform, e-fleet.

They are able to choose from a number of models within the Volkswagen Audi Group of manufacturers plus BMW as part of the Gala Leisure fleet policy.

At the same time, as part of the new arrangement, Fleet Alliance is also rolling out its award-winning e-fleet mobile app for all Gala Leisure drivers. This will allow them to automatically input their vehicle mileage, and book servicing, maintenance and MoTs, as well as providing details of suppliers of services such as breakdown and recovery, accident management and insurers, all in one place.

Brough added: ”We have a great relationship with Fleet Alliance and see them as a natural extension of our team. Their account management and driver support is of a very high standard.

“We are very much looking forward to this next period under their management of our fleet,” he added.

Fleet Alliance managing director Martin Brown, said: “We are delighted to extend our working relationship with Gala Leisure and to provide a fully outsourced fleet management service for their fleet. 

“We will continue to work closely with them to manage the fleet extremely cost effectively while providing the highest level of support for their drivers.”