Donnelly’s main targets for growth are companies in and around the Fleet200, typically those with more than 500 vehicles. Discussions are usually procurement-led, a key driver of change.

“It’s about taking a different sourcing approach and they understand that,” he says. “We are seeing growing expertise from procurement in terms of strategic sourcing. They are considering less conventional approaches.”

Procurement knowledge of the intricacies of fleet operations is long overdue. But it’s by no means the case in all businesses, as Donnelly testifies.

“When we take over a fleet I am gobsmacked at the difference in the number of vehicles they actually operate compared to what they think they have,” he says.

“There is a general rounding-up of the numbers, often caused by procurement, which can mean that hundreds of vehicles are missing from the figures.”

Fleet Logistics manages 20,000 vehicles in the UK for around 50 clients. It plans to grow by 10,000 vehicles a year in the next two years, effectively doubling its size by 2014.

Cars account for 80% of business but Donnelly sees the van market as a significant opportunity for growth.

“Vans have even greater opportunities for competition to drive down cost,” he says. “It’s not just the chassis; it’s all the bits that you add to the van, such as racking, lining and sign-writing. This is a huge growth area.”

One point of differentiation Fleet Logistics has over its closest competitors is transparency on cost, claims Donnelly. The company charges a fixed monthly fee and does not seek to take profit for each part of the chain.

“We don’t take rebates or kick-backs unless they are openly declared,” he says. “Our raison d’etre is to deliver return on investment of a minimum three to one ratio. For every £1 a fleet spends with us, we will save them £3.”

Donnelly believes the UK fleet sector will move closer to the American model, which is dominated by open-ended, transparent agreements where funding is merely a commodity.

Operating leases are the favoured form of funding, with all other services de-bundled and managed by external suppliers.

“Fleet management is about optimising what you do, how you do it and what you spend on it. It is different to leasing, which is about funding an asset,” he says.

“We employ people who used to work for leasing companies so we understand how their commercial model works.”

Does this level of leasing company scrutiny result in abrasive relationships? “The majority of leasing companies embrace us,” Donnelly says.

“Why? They see us as a route to market. We might not be their most profitable source of business, but neither are we their least profitable.

“Their management fees via Fleet Leasing are £5-10 per vehicle versus £20-30 in a single-supply environment. They recognise that we are the future and single supply is not the future.”

Not everyone agrees with this controversial statement and a number of leasing companies can point to successful business models based on sole-supply contracts with large blue-chip fleets.

But even they will work with fleet management companies if their client demands it.

That said, complex sourcing strategies won’t be for all; they involve a bit of risk and require a robust financial status.

However, Donnelly bullishly states: “By 2020 the traditional single-supply leasing model will be in the minority when you look at the bigger fleets.