3.16 In negotiations, the contractors have largely maintained the view that DVTA is mainly responsible for problems with vehicle throughput and waiting times. Since December 2002, an extensive DVTA programme of remote monitoring at its test centres, involving the analysis of some 62,000 test times, has shown that:
• test times were generally significantly lower compared with those achieved during formally-monitored time trials undertaken by a Joint Working Group, which had been established by DVTA and the contractors (see paragraph 4.4), and with the booking slots8 being operated by DVTA (see paragraph 2.11 and Appendix 5);
• the 18-minute test time required by the PFI contract was being achieved at a number of test centres. However this did not represent the full vehicle test, as it was not inclusive of smoke emissions; and
• there was evidence of significant variances in the average test times being achieved by different test centres and by individual vehicle examiners.
These results have hampered DVTA's attempts to demonstrate to the contractors the extent to which their equipment and methodologies may be responsible for failing to achieve the 18-minute test.
3.17 Complete and accurate management information on vehicle test times is essential to conduct performance monitoring for the contract. However, DVTA did not take action to collate such information from the outset. Systems to enable the collection of this data were only established in August 2003, and were not fully developed until April 2004. The absence of performance data, for a period of almost two years after live operations commenced, hindered DVTA in:
• determining which test centres were achieving good or bad test times, and identifying the reasons for this;
• establishing whether there were specific problems with the way in which its staff were operating the MOT2 equipment;
• identifying the scope for introducing shorter booking slots at better-performing test centres, and thereby increasing throughput; and
• ascertaining whether any of the range of measures available to penalise the contractors for inadequate performance (see Figure 7 below), could be initiated and, if so, to what extent.
3.18 The latest monitoring evidence available suggests that two test centres are achieving an 18-minute test and, following a programme of monitoring conducted in 2004, DVTA is satisfied that proper quality standards are being adhered to in achieving this performance. DVTA told us that one of the main benefits in introducing MOT2 has been the delivery of a more objective test process. DVTA also said that, in order to underpin operational standards on an ongoing basis, it is developing a comprehensive and more broadly based quality control regime, which will ultimately result in the processes operated by the Agency for both the practical driving test and the vehicle test receiving ISO accreditation9. DVTA is aiming to achieve ISO accreditation for all its test centres by the end of March 2006.
3.19 In our view, the early introduction of these arrangements is essential, as it will assist DVTA in establishing the extent of liability which each party bears for the failure to achieve an overall average test time of 18 minutes.
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8. Intervals in which DVTA chooses to book vehicle tests.
9. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is a non-governmental network of standards institutes from 156 countries. The ISO accreditation which DVTA is aiming to achieve for all its test centres by March 2006 is BS EN ISO 9001:2000, which will provide assurance on the Quality Management Systems being operated by the Agency.