Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) has signed a new four-year (plus one) contract with Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) to replace and maintain its 70-vehicle fleet, extending a relationship dating back to 2004.
NPH, which manages around 11,500 homes for West Northamptonshire Council, began the new contract on 1 March 2026, taking the partnership through to 2031 – 27 years in total.
The refreshed fleet includes 68 Ford Customs, Connects and Transits, alongside two DAF 7.5t caged tippers, supporting estate services, repairs and external works.
Vehicles feature custom racking designed with trade operatives, plus tool points and storage pods to boost interchangeability and first-time fix rates. New Custom and Connect vans are petrol hybrids, replacing diesel models, while automatic transmissions across the fleet aim to cut future maintenance costs.
NPH’s Lee Burdett praised SFS’s understanding of out-of-hours servicing needs.
‘SFS understand our business requirements and our delivery model, and that stood out in their submission,’ he said.
‘Unlike other providers they have complete awareness of the importance of carrying out all servicing and maintenance out of hours. This means we can minimise vehicle downtime, plan our trade resources in advance and maximise our productivity, therefore providing a better service to our tenants.
‘Their staff are always approachable, and they’ve built up great relationships with everyone across the organisation, including all the drivers. Put simply SFS adds value.’
SFS Managing Director Bob Sweetland welcomed the continued collaboration.
‘We work hard to retain our customers and take time to understand how each individual organisation operates,’ he said.
‘Our aim is to continually improve how we do things; to work with our customers in addressing challenges and finding solutions. We are thoroughly delighted that NPH is happy with our services and we look forward to continuing the partnership for many years to come.’
Photo: Lee Burdett from NPH with some of the new fleet © SFS
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