The specialist world of fleet, as seen through the eyes of a procurement manager, will come under the spotlight at a major fleet event next week.

David Oliver, procurement manager of Red Bull Company, will speak at Fleet Live about the lessons he has learned in the fleet sector after taking responsibility for his company’s fleet.

He will address how procument and fleet functions can work more closely together, and share the advice from the professional fleet world that has assisted him the most.

“Other fleet managers have helped me, it’s a non-competitive situation,” said Oliver.

“From a procurement point  of view I have learnt to manage the whole category, and not, for example, leave safety to HR.

"By managing vehicles and insurance and fuel cards and so on, you can understand what your whole category looks like, and then you can understand what your drivers expect from the vehicles. If you can have a cateogy approach to any procurement it delivers a more timely and more efficient process.”

From a fleet perspective, procurement skillsare extremely valuable for managing suppliers and for crystalising the strategic importance of fleet to the business, added Oliver.

• David Oliver will be speaking at Fleet Live on 9 October. For more details see www.fleet-live.co.uk