VRES (Vehicle Recovery & Examination Services) C&S Contract Extension

Vehicle Recovery & Examination Service (VRES) is an MPS exhibit and secondary front-line crime fighting service, providing a vehicle recovery, removal, examination, storage and disposal service, processing over 42,000 vehicles a year with staff at two main facilities: Perivale and Charlton. Vehicles seized are involved in road traffic collisions, concerned in crime, uninsured vehicles and those seized under police powers for parking offences.

VRES outsources vehicle recovery services and requires an extension to the existing service contract which expires in March 2019. Extending the vehicle recovery contract will provide sufficient time to implement the medium-term strategy.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

• Approve the extension of the existing vehicle recovery contract from March 2019 for up to 2 years at a cost of £6.6m, funded from existing revenue budgets

1. Introduction and background

1.1. VRES is an essential MPS exhibit and secondary front-line crime fighting service, predominately denying criminals the use of roads and plays an increasing role in pursuing terrorism related vehicle crime. It operates in accordance with over a dozen regulations relating to PACE, lack of insurance, obstruction, nuisance, anti-social driving and including the Road Traffic Act 1988 Section 165 (Retention and Disposal of Seize Motor vehicles) and Regulations 2005 (RTA Regulations 2005).

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The 2-year contract extension for C&S will provide sufficient time for the VRES’ medium term strategy to be developed.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. The extension of the existing vehicle recovery contract will extend the contract with the existing supplier for two years to the value of £6.6m, to be funded from existing revenue budgets.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. The Vehicle recovery contract will be extended in accordance to Regulation 72 within the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. This has been advised as allowable under the Regulations as confirmed by DLS.

4.2. As per the Scheme of Delegation and Consent, DMPC approval is required to approve extensions to contracts with original value of £500,000 or above, when the variation or extension is greater than 10% of the original value and/or is for a period of more than 12 months.

5. Equality Comments

5.1. As extensions to existing contracts, the Vehicle Recovery extension does not change any aspects relating to equality or diversity.

6. Background/supporting papers

6.1. Report