Published: 08 December 2006
Cutting Costs AND Carbon Emissions on Government Vehicles
A £1 billion four-year deal to make government cars and vans cheaper and cleaner is set to reduce carbon emissions on government vehicles and save the taxpayer £100 million.
In what is billed as one of the largest ever collaborative procurement exercises in the UK public sector, 15 vehicle manufacturers will be providing vehicles to over 38 government departments and organisations.
The deal, which will be open to the entire public sector, will allow organisations to replace their existing fleets with greener, cleaner vehicles at a reduced cost, in line with the government's target for reducing carbon emissions from its vehicles by 15% by 2010/11.
The Department for Work and Pensions, which is heading the initiative, is forecast to save at least £5 million on the cost of its fleet and to cut CO2 emissions by around 4,500 tonnes.
Lord Hunt, minister at the Department for Work and Pensions, said:
"I am pleased that the efforts of DWP, OGC and departments across government have resulted in this groundbreaking deal.
It is an excellent example of collaboration that will not only contribute to the Government efficiency goals but will also help the public sector to hit its targets on vehicle emissions."
The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has developed what it calls a ground breaking model to allow participating government departments to see the full financial cost & carbon footprint of their vehicle needs; and thus plan future vehicle purchases, including switching to cleaner, cheaper to run models, to achieve their target environmental and efficiency savings.
Further Information:
Details of scheme – email fleet@ogc.gsi.gov.uk
OGC: Getting better value for your fleet
Sustainable operations on the Government estate: targets
UK Government Sustainable Development
Sustainable Development Commission UK (SDC)
DfT: Sustainable Travel
The Carbon Trust
Related Articles:
Intelligent Transport
Green Travel
Mobile Monitoring of Traffic Pollution
Foresight on Transport
Proposal for London-wide Low Emissions Zone
Fighting Climate Change Locally
Office of Climate Change starts work
Sustainable behaviour targets for government estates
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