FLEET operators are increasingly using high technology to keep tabs on their outsourced operations according to Car Fleet Control. The fleet management software specialist is attributing strong demand for its products to company car operators using computer systems to monitor the performance of their suppliers.

The company said its software business was booming as companies sought to gather their own information to monitor outsourcing arrangements or identify the most cost-effective route for control of fleet costs.

Car Fleet Control managing director Greg Connell said: 'We are well aware of the syndrome where a company outsources its fleet and, from an initial study, is able to identify that it will make savings. However, over a period of time, the price of outsourcing seems to rise, and they become aware that the fleet management company may be recovering initial competitiveness via price rises. But it's difficult for them to prove because all their fleet management information comes from the outsourcer.'

Car Fleet Control's principal products - Eurofleet and Fleetbase - are both compatible with Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 and the company also holds Microsoft approval for its software.