Sofico is integrating the Leaselink e-procurement platform from Ebbon-Dacs into Miles, its contract management solution, in a collaborative venture between the two companies.

Initially the collaboration is at two major leasing and fleet management clients in the UK both of which have opted for Sofico’s Miles solution, which is installed in 26 countries worldwide. 

Implementations of Miles are currently ongoing at both companies and the integration of Leaselink within Miles will give them greater electronic purchasing power and opportunity, it says.

Leaselink links around 2,000 franchised dealers and several vehicle manufacturers to a community of leasing, rental and fleet management suppliers to electronically source more than 210,000 vehicles a year.

The initiative is not a first, however. Sofico and Ebbon-Dacs have collaborated within a number of leasing company clients in the Netherlands for several years now and see this latest development as a springboard for further integrations into fleet clients across Europe.

Roger Smith, head of Sofico UK, said the initiative which has been specially developed to provide flexible and functional end-to-end solutions for the efficient management of vehicle fleets, would bring several benefits for UK users of Miles.

“UK drivers will be able to order new vehicles directly to the supplying dealer with no other interaction required thanks to the Miles-Leaselink integration,” explained Smith.

“Once the leasing company submits the order, everything is handled within the Leaselink environment, reducing errors and providing transparent availability and delivery details.

“If the dealer doesn’t confirm the original order, the system can automatically generate an amendment quote matching the dealer’s specification. The leasing company can then choose to progress the amended order or reject the dealer proposal.

“There has been a great spirit of co-operation between the two teams involved. The integration has been largely seamless and we would be happy to work with Ebbon-Dacs with other clients and with further integrations.”

Justine Hawkins, chief commercial officer at Oxford-based Ebbon-Dacs, said: “Although we work with a number of back-office software providers, we are delighted to be working with Sofico again to provide the integration of our Leaselink e-procurement solution into Miles for two major fleet clients in the UK.

“We see the integration of Leaselink into the highly regarded Miles solution as an enabler for further UK and European expansion, giving us an enhanced ability to provide prospective clients with the systems they need to acquire their vehicle fleets more efficiently and effectively.”