Newcastle City Council has carried out a fleet renewal programme for its fleet of Swingos, replacing 11 five-year-old models with 11 new examples of the compact sweeper.
The council went out to tender under the TPPL (The Procurement Partnership Limited) framework agreement in a process that involved not only senior managers and decision-makers, but technicians and drivers as well.
They reviewed models from a number of manufacturers before opting for the Swingo again, replacing the fleet on a like-for-like basis on an outright purchase, five year replacement cycle.
Newcastle City Council fleet manager Peter Morton, who led the tender process and is responsible for a fleet of 750 vehicles, ranging from cars to HGVs, said: ‘We think the most appropriate way of carrying out a procurement of this nature is to involve everyone from the decision-maker to the end user.
‘That way a decision isn’t made simply on a cost basis, but is also made from the perspective of the people actually driving and maintaining the machines.’
The Swingos attracted a series of positive comments during the assessment process. Users liked the standard tyres, which made replacement straightforward, and the fact that, in a high maintenance environment, the Swingo was straightforward to maintain by both mechanics and drivers alike.
The drivers liked the high and comfortable driving position, the all-round visibility, easy to use controls and the air conditioned cab. The Swingo also offers high suction power thanks to hydraulically driven high-performance suction fan.
‘Although Newcastle is quite a compact city, being about 10 miles across and six miles wide, we have a variety of different surfaces which we need to keep clean at all times,’ said Peter Morton.
‘These include cobbled areas, tarmac pavements and block-paved squares where larger sweepers would cause damage with their wider tyres. But the size of the Swingo, and its manoeuvrability and flexibility, make it ideal for cleaning and sweeping these areas.’
