Network has announced that all of its
150 brokers will join the BVRLA. Membership of the association is
one of the measures Network, part of LeasePlan, announced to its
fleet brokers as part of a programme of changes to the way Network
does business, in order to improve standards among its fleet
brokers.

Tim Hudson, operations director of LeasePlan commented that the
“new proposition” is the “biggest change for the business since it
was bought by LeasePlan in 1999”.

Apart from BVRLA accreditation, Network’s brokers will have
access to an “extensive broker training suite”, and a web-based
“one-stop shop” which Network said could be used to improve
customer communications. Brokers will be signed up to Network for
three years, and will develop annual account plans in conjunction
with the LeasePlan subsidiary.

In return, brokers will agree to meet minimum volume thresholds,
and will undertake not to engage in any third-party trading.

The changes, which will be phased in from the beginning of 2009,
are designed to “foster long term mutually beneficial
relationships” between Network and its intermediary partners,
Hudson said, adding: “We can’t focus simply on signing as many
intermediaries as possible and pushing through as many sales as we
can.”

The addition of Network’s brokers to the BVRLA’s membership will
bring the total number of fleet intermediaries accredited by the
association to 200. The new members will be visited over the course
of next year to ensure they comply with the BVRLA’s standards. “If
they don’t meet them the association will work on a realistic
action plan and timeline that will get them to that point,” said
spokesman Toby Poston.

“In effect, Network has already done most of the job of
pre-vetting its brokers, so we will be able to accelerate the
process of making them full members,” Poston added. “The BVRLA’s
broker committee is getting more and more interest as brokers begin
to take notice of the benefits that accreditation can offer.”