Running Repairs
The Metropolitan Police Service's fleet of vehicles take a lot of
punishment during their working lives. Providing the maintenance
and repair resources to keep them on the road is a challenge in
itself.
To put that into some kind of day-to-day perspective, think of it
in terms of a vital policing resource that covers more than 63
million road miles a year, working 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. Getting the best out of that resource was the responsibility
we undertook when, in 2006, we started to deliver a
support-services contract to manage some 3900 vehicles (including
all specialist equipment) and provide associated services extending
to lease and hire.
The pressing issue at the time was to provide a safe, available and
reliable fleet. We took a number of steps to increase availability
and to get every asset working as closely as possible to its full
potential by introducing a succession of new systems, each one
custom-designed to speed up progress and improve specific aspects
of service delivery.
Basing our workshop operations at two Babcock purpose-built £10
million facilities in South East and North West London, we
introduced state-of-the-art information technology and estimating
systems to speed up work allocation. We reduced response times and
repair-turnaround times. We brought in tailored asset-management
software that enabled us to analyse trends in detail, highlight
where we needed to concentrate our resources and pinpoint where we
could further improve efficiency. We also invested in 15 new mobile
maintenance response units, capable of carrying out 500 hours of
maintenance every day on London's roads. It's a logical idea that's
dramatically reduced the amount of time it takes to get defective
vehicles back into action.
It is, of course, stating the obvious to say that this level of
service doesn't run itself. The people involved are absolutely
critical to making everything happen - how effectively they
communicate and collaborate decides the success of the outcome. In
this regard, the team providing first-line contract support carries
considerable responsibility. For the latter part of 2010, some of
this responsibility fell to graduate trainee placement Ross
Rattray, who didn't waste any time in making the permanent role of
Contract Support Manager his own.
Ross was initially chosen because he had already shown promising
contract-management skills elsewhere, and senior manager Tony
Marston recognised his potential. "He wanted more involvement in a
more complex role; not just project management, and not just
dealing with one particular business stream. So assisting in the
running of a big contract like the Met Police was the perfect next
step."
As a Contract Support Manager, Ross's time is largely divided
between attending service delivery meetings, managing contract
compliance and developing the contract further - always with an eye
on making further efficiency improvements.
Says Tony: "Ross is very engaged at the customer level - very
involved in dealing with the day-to-day activities and issues, and
also with line management responsibilities. I have to say that I
haven't treated him as a graduate, but more like a new employee.
He's working every day with senior managers and directors - right
at the centre of the operation."
Tony is at pains to point out that in whatever capacity they join,
any graduate entering Mobile Assets can look forward to a similar
level of exposure. "You want to make sure that every graduate is
getting as much training, coaching and work shadowing as they
possibly can, and aren't just left to get on with it." He adds:
"It's absolutely vital that graduates are given every opportunity
to explore their entire skill set and are exposed to every area of
business, so they can make informed career choices as they
progress. Working on a contract like this is a huge learning curve
for anybody, whether a graduate or not. But if they've got the
capability, drive and the enthusiasm to learn then there's really
nothing to stop them."
Perhaps the most telling testament to Ross's own efforts comes in
the form of professional recognition. In December 2010, our work on
the Met contract was formally acknowledged when Mobile Assets was
awarded an industry specific accreditation PAS 43 by the British
Standards Institute, after a rigorous two-day assessment of our
breakdown and recovery service capabilities that Ross effectively
project-managed. The fact that this is the first Babcock contract
to receive such accreditation reflects huge credit on his abilities
- and will do no harm at all to either his or our prospects on
forthcoming contracts.
The Metropolitan Police contract forms part of Babcock's Mobile
Assets business which takes a dynamic approach to fleet management
contracts - transforming delivery and approach. In 2011, the
business was named 'Emergency Services Supplier of the Year' for
its innovative work on the Met contract.