Dorset buys eight RCVs to replace fire-damaged fleet

Following the fire in November, waste collections were disrupted in the Weymouth and Portland areas but resumed after Dorset council hired temporary vehicles (see letsrecycle.com story).

The council then tendered for 18 pre-used RCVs, saying the dependency of hiring replacements in order to maintain waste services was “not economically viable”.

A contract award document published on 27 January said Dorset council did not have sufficient time to comply with standard open procedure timescales for the procurement of replacements.

Instead, according to the document, the council “considers this to be a state of urgency which it has duly substantiated. Accordingly, the Council is using the accelerated time limits permitted under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (regulation 27.5 for the open procedure) in respect of this procurement.”

The council has acquired eight vehicles worth a combined £746,000 from suppliers including Riverside Truck Rental, Endurance Vehicle Solutions, CP Davidson and Sons, and Specialist Fleet Services trading as CTS Hire.

However, it did not receive any acceptable tenders or requests to participate for the other 10 vehicles. A Dorset council spokesperson told letsrecycle.com the procurement process had not yet concluded.

RCVs

Dorset council bought five 26 tonne RCVs from Riverside Truck Rental. It paid £89,000 for two and £62,000, £120,00 and £125,000 respectively for the other three vehicles.

It also bought a 26 tonne RCV for £39,500 from Endurance Vehicle Solutions and £81,500 for an 18 tonne RCV from CTS Hire, alongside another vehicle for £140,000 from CP Davidson and Sons.

The council has not yet found suppliers for several more 26 tonne RCVs and a 3.5 tonne cage tipper, among other vehicles.

Fire

Dorset council received a Fire Investigation Report from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, which concluded that the fire started under the bonnet of one of the RCVs.

Heavy rainstorms and high winds in Chickerell that afternoon led to rainwater entering the vehicle’s electrical circuits, the fire service suggests. This caused a short-circuit, igniting the internal components of the vehicle and allowing the fire to take hold.

Following the fire, several specialist insurers provided tips to letsrecycle.com on how local authorities could avoid similar incidents (see letsrecycle.com story).