Balfour Beatty, the global infrastructure services group, has awarded Lex Autolease a contract worth over £100 million to manage its UK company car and light commercial vehicle fleet.  

The five-year contract sees Birmingham-headquartered Lex Autolease assume responsibility for 6,000 vehicles which are used across all of Balfour Beatty’s UK operating companies.   

Lex Autolease will supply vehicles on a contract hire basis and provide a comprehensive range of fleet management services including service and maintenance, accident management and core vehicle hire. 

The transfer of services has been accelerated by the sale and leaseback of the majority of the fleet, which includes assets from legacy lease providers and will be supported by an ongoing programme of specialist consultancy designed to identify and unlock future cost savings.

Balfour Beatty is reliant upon its vehicle fleet to deliver many of its key services, Its commercial vehicles in particular play a crucial role in maintaining the UK’s infrastructure and as such operate in challenging conditions that require specialist equipment such as tail lifts and access platforms. 

Andy Omerod, managing director from Balfour Beatty Plant & Fleet Services, said: “We have partnered with Lex Autolease following a comprehensive review of fleet requirements across our UK businesses. 

"This contract will deliver immediate cost savings and enables us to focus internal fleet resources on our strategic capability of heavy goods vehicle provision and specialist plant and equipment services.

“Optimised fleet management plays a critical role in ensuring our clients throughout the UK receive a high level of service from Balfour Beatty. 

“Lex Autolease demonstrated they have the capability to manage complex fleet requirements across numerous industry sectors and we look forward to a productive partnership with them in the forthcoming years.”    

Lex Autolease secured the contract following an extensive tender process during which it demonstrated the scale, systems and experience needed to help Balfour Beatty’s fleet operation undertake transformational change.
     
Tim Porter, managing director of Lex Autolease, said: “Balfour Beatty plays a vital role in creating and maintaining the infrastructure that keeps the UK’s economy functioning and it is a source of pride to secure this agreement. 

“The significant investment that we have made in our large corporate fleets proposition, which saw us to create a bespoke service specifically to meet the needs of businesses with complex fleet requirements, was a significant factor in securing this contract.”