Short Term Vehicle Hire Framework
Framework Description
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council is putting in place a short-term vehicle hire framework jointly with St Helens Council. It will give the councils a call-off route to rent vehicles for operational needs, from standard cars up to specialist heavy goods vehicles. The arrangement is also being made available to other Liverpool City Region local authorities and STAR Procurement partners, so a single award could open the door to several councils.
Context & Use Case
Council services hire vehicles on a short-term basis to cover operational needs, such as peaks in demand or work that calls for a specialist HGV the council does not keep in its own fleet. Because the framework is shared across Tameside, St Helens, Liverpool City Region authorities and STAR Procurement partners, several councils can draw on the same pool of hire companies instead of each running its own tender for occasional rentals.
Scope of Services
Short-term hire of vehicles for council operations Cars and standard vehicles Specialist heavy goods vehicles Access for Liverpool City Region authorities and STAR Procurement partners
Lots
See framework link
Who Can Apply
Suits vehicle rental firms that can supply both everyday cars and specialist heavy goods vehicles at short notice, with depots or delivery reach across Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The framework is at the pre-tender stage, so there is nothing to join yet; hire companies get on by bidding when the tender is published.
Buyer Benefits
Councils get quick access to hire vehicles without running a separate procurement each time a van or HGV is needed. Pre-agreed terms with checked hire companies cut the delay between spotting a need and getting a vehicle on the road, and pooling demand across several authorities gives buyers more buying power on daily and weekly rates.
Next Steps
Use the time before the tender opens to gather the evidence a council buyer is likely to want: fleet lists by vehicle class, response times for short-notice hire, HGV operator compliance records and pricing for daily and weekly rental. Watch for the tender notice from Tameside or St Helens, and talk to any STAR Procurement partner councils you already serve about their likely hire demand.
How Athena Can Help
Athena can help a hire company get ready for this tender before it lands. Our bid writing and planning team would map your fleet, depot coverage and short-notice response against the likely questions, then build daily and weekly pricing that wins and still makes money.
If you want to reach the wider STAR and Liverpool City Region councils, our framework registration specialists can plan which other council vehicle hire arrangements to target next, and early bid/no-bid advice helps you decide whether this one is worth the effort.
