Social Security Scotland: information on hiring of vehicles from Enterprise Rent A Car: FOI release

Information requested

Request for information 1:

I would be grateful if you could provide all information regarding why Social Security Scotland is hiring vehicles from Enterprise Rent A Car.

Request for information 2:

Please also provide a table showing how many vehicles have been hired for each month since Jan 2024 and the associated costs for each month. 

Response

Request for information 1:

The Scottish Government Vehicle Hire Services contract offers the provision of a car and van rental service mainly focused on the Scottish mainland and islands. Social Security Scotland, as an Executive Agency of Scottish Government, hires vehicles through this contract, from the appointed supplier, Enterprise Rent‑A‑Car. Further detail relating to the contract can be found on the Scottish Government website - https://www.gov.scot/publications/vehicle-hire-contract-2024-to-2028/

As set out in our published Corporate Procurement Strategy (Social Security Scotland Corporate Procurement Strategy 2024-2027), our framework document encourages us to “take part in collaborative frameworks and shared service arrangements to make sure we operate as efficiently as possible”. Social Security Scotland will support and use national collaborative framework agreements, including the Scottish Government’s collaborative frameworks when this approach helps to achieve our wider strategic aims.”

Using this contract ensures that Social Security Scotland accesses vehicle hire services through an approved arrangement, that has been subject to competition and meets procurement regulations. The contract enables Social Security Scotland to book vehicles directly with the supplier through a standardised process and provides consistent pricing and service levels across participating public sector organisations.

Request for information 2:

Please see the below table showing how many vehicles have been hired each month and the associated costs since Jan 2024. The figures in brackets have outstanding queries with Enterprise Rent-A-Car and await final auditing, so are subject to change.

2024	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
No. of hires	241	312	323	269	278	251
Cost	£28,582.17	£37,524.95	£42,752.73	£32,749.89	£36,184.88	£25,598.66

2024	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
No. of hires	249	298	263	246	252	191
Cost	£36,902.86	£41,053.49	£37.967.53	£38,158.29	£39,359.80	£28,183.69

2025	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
No. of hires	231	228	234	207	234	220
Cost	£36,680.01	£39,275.98	£38,466.38	£34,289.65	£37,479.35	£32,520.96

2025	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
No. of hires	212	192	224	262	254	210
Cost	£36,576.32	£34,421.12	£37,388.22	(£39,675.24)	(£47,372.74)	(£36,097.62)

2026	Jan	Feb
No. of hires	198	233
Cost	(£33,177.75)	(£45,318.85)

As a national service, face-to-face communication with local authorities, stakeholders and, most importantly, the public is necessary to ensure that we are delivering the best service possible for the people of Scotland.

We have designed our service to be as inclusive as possible. People are able to apply for social security in the way that suits them best – whether that’s online, by post, phone, or in person through our local delivery service which operates across all 32 local authorities in Scotland. The bulk of these rental costs are attributed to our Local Delivery services.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.