UK: Drain Center has been awarded the contract to supply Norfolk County Council's seven regional depots with a broad list of civils products. The contract, worth around £1m a year, represents what is believed to be the first highways contract undertaken by Drain Center, Wolseley's specialist supplier of below and above ground drainage.
The agreement covers the supply of a range of drainage products, plus product from Wolseley's construction materials merchant Build Center - including kerb, flag stone, aggregates, concrete rings and covers and frames.
In a move away from managing its own stores and stock, Norfolk County Council contracted Drain Center to supply its regional depots from Wolseley's national network.
This allows for better control, management and policing of stock levels, reduced wastage and "significant cost savings". The centralised nature of the supply chain means that Norfolk will receive consistency of product across its highways network, while the 48-hour delivery agreement reduces waiting and downtime.
In addition to the short-term benefits that the contract brings, Wolseley's reporting and information procedures will allow the council to predict stock levels year-on-year, tracking the nature and quantity of products used to allow for renegotiation in the future.
The intelligence will also enable Wolseley and Norfolk County Council to see exactly what is being used by each of the council's seven depots.
According to David Sorrell from Wolseley, a flexible and tailored approach is vital in a changing market place.
"Drain Center and Build Center are both established operations and experts at delivering on large scale, service-driven contracts such as this. It's our range of experience that enables us to tailor our offering to suit different markets and new operations so successfully."
David Brice of Norfolk County Council added: "We wanted to work with a supplier that could not only provide the range and scale of products we needed but also had the expertise to help us reduce and manage long term costs by aiding stock control on an ongoing basis. Wolseley through its Drain Center and Build Center businesses does this."
