Do's and don'ts

• Do review the supplier marketplace
• Do guard against incumbent supplier complacency
• Do reassure in-house stakeholders that their specific interests are being taken into account
• Do involve the procurement department (and other departments), but the fleet team should specify requirements
• Do focus on asking clear and concise questions designed to generate specific fleet-relevant answers from suppliers
• Do seek a partnership and not a ‘them and us’ approach
• Do seek supplier references
• Do visit potential suppliers with a list of questions that address your own operational requirements
• Do talk to other fleet professionals

• Don’t outsource the process to purchasing specialists that have no fleet knowledge
• Don’t use a generic purchasing template as it is irrelevant to the product or service required
• Don’t generalise – focus on fleet specifics in compiling questions
• Don’t request one-sided non-disclosure agreements – these must be two-way and must apply mutually
• Don’t prescribe contractual documentation within the tender document
• Don’t ignore the role of building relationships with suppliers
• Don’t be embarrassed to ask for advice and help
• Don’t pretend to know all the answers
• Don’t think the lowest price is the Holy Grail
• Don’t be surprised if a contract goes bad if you haven’t carried out all the necessary checks