Support services company VT Group has been named preferred bidder by the Highways Agency to supply, manage and support its fleet of more than 200 patrol vehicles.

VT will manage the procurement, full maintenance and support requirement for the specialist patrol, resilience and team manager vehicles, which are based at 40 locations throughout England and are critical to ensuring the operation of the country’s main arterial routes.

The fleet of 4x4 vehicles will be managed from a central location in London and will involve VT utilising an accredited dealer network throughout the country to carry out repairs and maintenance of the Land Rover, Mitsubishi and Toyota vehicles.

The work, starting in April 2010 expands on VT’s fleet management work for blue light customers, which already include the Metropolitan Police, where VT maintains some 3,750 vehicles, and the New Dimension fleet of emergency response vehicles operated by fire and rescue services throughout England and Wales.