CONTRACTS for the supply of up to 10,000 lease cars to NHS employees will be awarded by the National Health Service Transport Managers Association next month. A total of 33 companies have been invited to tender for the contracts as a result of the association's long-running row over official lease car contracts negotiated by NHS Supplies.

The closing date for tenders has now passed and it will take the NHSTMA committee about three days to prepare a shortlist of between five and 15 suppliers, with the contract likely to be awarded by August 10, according to NHSTMA chairman John Dewar.

The dispute arose after the list of NHS suppliers was cut from 14 to four, with one independent contract hire company - Automotive Leasing - alongside the fleet funding arms of Ford, Vauxhall and Renault.