Fraikin is to provide fleet management services to NHS Blood and Transplant for the next three years after renewing its contract.

It means Fraikin will continue to manage 350 NHS Blood and Transplant vehicles, including emergency response cars, light commercials and 7.5-tonne refrigerated trucks, all of which collect and transport blood and blood-related products nationwide.

Tom Hammond, national fleet services manager at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “The reliability and efficiency of our emergency vehicles is paramount to the service we provide; an unexpected breakdown can literally be the difference between life and death.

“The national reach of Fraikin’s mobile technician network ensures any unexpected issues we encounter are handled quickly and effectively, while the company’s ability to structure a bespoke maintenance plan to fit around our fleet, while also adhering to strict key performance indicators, is first class.”

The KPIs set by NHS Blood and Transplant include a minimum 98% vehicle availability, a 100% MOT pass rate and a first-fix rate for any breakdowns of 99%.

The maintenance schedule is managed at Fraikin’s headquarters in Coventry, while it has also tailored the contract to include vehicles from its own rental fleet to temporarily replace any assets that are booked into the workshop.

NHS Blood and Transplant is the executive non-departmental public body of England’s Department of Health and Social Care, providing a reliable, efficient supply of blood, organs and associated services to the NHS, covering the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

It was named best kept fleet of the year in the 2014 Fleet News Awards, while in 2015 its then fleet manager Larry Bannon was inducted into the Fleet News Hall of Fame.