FMG helps to keep Britain moving with Highways Agency contract win
INCIDENT management and roadside support company FMG has been reappointed to the National Vehicle Recovery Manager (NVRM) contract, worth £34.5m over seven years.
The contract covers 4,300 miles of motorways and significant A-roads and will see FMG deal with incidents on England’s Strategic Road Network, on behalf of the Highways Agency.
Following a competitive tender process, Huddersfield-based FMG, which employs 339 people, has been awarded a three-year contract, which will run from Autumn 2013, with optional extensions for four further years. FMG has managed the contract since the NVRM was inaugurated in 2008.
FMG, which last year had a turnover of £85m, helps to monitor the road network and coordinates specialist recovery operators to remove broken down vehicles, road traffic collisions, loads, passengers and coordinate incident recoveries to return traffic flow to normal, helping to minimise disruption on UK PLC and all road users.
FMG head of NVRM service, Philip Graham, said: “By working with Highways Agency Traffic Officers, FMG co-ordinates a response and gets traffic moving as soon as is practicably safe.
“We’ve worked with a wide range of bodies, including the emergency services and our recovery network, to plan for every scenario, especially managing major incidents involving LGV’s and their loads. This helps ensure there is the efficiency and expertise to deal with any challenges.”
On average, FMG deals with around 40 incidents a day, and managed over 48,000 incidents over the life of the last contract. These range from HGV’s hitting bridges, to multiple vehicle pile-ups and breakdowns in dangerous locations.
FMG CEO, John Catling, said: “This is great news for FMG and road users at large. We look forward to working with the Highways Agency well into the future. They’ve shown their considerable confidence in us, by awarding the contract for up to seven years, and we’re more than ready to accept the challenge of delivering improvements and efficiencies across the Strategic Road Network.
“Along with the obvious human impact that incidents have, congestion costs individuals and businesses time and money. By working together with the appropriate bodies and agencies, we can ensure that incidents are dealt with safely and quickly. This allows motorists to get back on the move as soon as possible, and helps to minimise the impact on UK PLC.”
