Price is not the most important factor to take into account during a procurement process, warns FleetLocum.

Instead, a company should also look at other quality and service issues to ensure it gets the best overall deal.

Tony Donnelly, chief executive of Goodwood Corporate Mobility, parent company of FleetLocum, said: “Fleet procurement is hugely complex.

“Price is a factor in every procurement process, but it is far from the only one in fleet and should not dominate at the expenses of other vital quality and service issues that are critical if vehicle operating excellence is to be achieved over the life-time of a contract.”

When procuring vehicles and fleet services, Donnelly added it is business-critical that, even if using a specialist procurement company or the tender process is being overseen by an in-house procurement department, fleet decision-makers should take a step back and clearly identify their requirements and establish the criteria before being involved in the decision-making process.

He added: “Businesses must ensure that they are absolutely in the driving seat when specifying vehicles and fleet services and thereby fully engaged in the procurement process.”