The 8-year agreement commences on 1 September 2025 and involves the provision of a replacement fleet with SFS continuing as the incumbent provider managing and maintaining the council’s fleet and workshop facility. The contract was awarded through the Halton Housing National Vehicle Contract Hire and Flexi-Hire Framework.
The new fleet, which will be delivered by February 2026, comprises 30 waste collection and street cleansing vehicles, including those needed for the Council’s new food waste collection service.
Caroline Roffey, head of street scene services, HBBC, said: “We are delighted to have secured SFS as our fleet partner through to 2033. Over the next few years, we are facing notable challenges including food waste collection roll-out, a desire to decarbonise our fleet and Local Government Reform.
"We know that in SFS we have a supplier who will support us every step of the way and adapt with us when required. We heeded their excellent advice to order our food waste vehicles immediately on award and are confident that the new fleet will be in place when we need it next Spring”.
SFS first started working with HBBC in 2005 when it took over the running of the council’s workshop, invested in new equipment and infrastructure, and began supplying the authority with vehicles.
Bob Sweetland, managing director at SFS, said: “This is a significant milestone in our relationship with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and a great example of the long-term relationships we strive to develop with our customers.
“Dramatic increases in vehicle costs, over 50% in the past 5 years in some cases, combined with ever tighter budgets means that we must be flexible, innovative and meticulous in our approach. We went through every line of the vehicle specification in detail, offering solutions that would enable the council to achieve its requirements, within budget.
"I am proud of the work the SFS team has done in helping to ensure the council has a robust and future proofed fleet operation. We will continue to invest in HBBC and work in partnership to deliver an efficient and effective fleet operation.”
SFS has been delivering fleet and workshop management solutions to local authorities for over thirty years and currently operates a network of 14 workshops across the UK, nine of which are based at council depots.
In January, the company opened a new depot in Wellington, Somerset to support customers in the area and to provide a maintenance hub for rental vehicles from its own specialist short term hire division, CTS Hire. SFS has further plans to expand it workshop network in 2025.
