A council asked us to quote for four weekly runs they were arranging themselves with local boats.
We watched it for a fortnight first. Two of the four were perfectly good: a boat that was going anyway, at a fair price, run by somebody reliable. Replacing those with our boats would have cost the council more money for the same outcome.
The other two were the problem, and the problem was the hour rather than the boat. Both left in the middle of the day, which meant chilled goods travelled in the worst four hours available and the receiving office was closed by the time the cargo landed.
We took over one run, moved it to the early circuit, and recommended the council keep the two that worked and shift the fourth by three hours with their existing boatman. That was the whole advice and it cost them our planning fee.
We get less work from this council than we quoted for. We get all of their chilled work, which is the part that matters.
