摘要: |
The company's start is traced back to a happy combination of finance, competence and a customer. In 1992, Sweetland was working in local authority operating leasing for a bank, and was introduced to Serco, the big facilities management company, which had purchased the local authority direct labour organisation from Northampton County Council. As part of that contract, Serco had to provide new vehicles on contract hire, but didn't want to use its own balance sheet to do so. Sweetland recalls: "We got together and had a tripartite contract and structure which enabled the bank to fund vehicles, Serco to maintain them, but to deliver them at one price to Northants. That worked, so we wondered, was this something we could sell to other companies?" In the event, a joint venture company was set up (in Northamptonshire) to offer this. |