New vehicle contracts
benefit state agencies
-- GSD Offices of Fleet Management and Procurement Services,
December 2005
The GSD Offices of
Fleet Management
and Procurement Services
partnered to establish the car and truck
contracts for fiscal year 2006. Both of these
vehicle contracts incorporate several benefits
for state agency and other political subdivision customers.
Highlights of the contracts include:
The car contract has been expanded to
include
passenger vans which were previously
in the truck contract. Since passenger vans have
fewer specifications and options, this modification
will enable passenger vehicles to be
processed more quickly for customers.
For easier access, the minimum requirements
for vehicles are now published in the contracts
so that purchasers can see what has been included
on each item.
Contract items are now based on the State
of Ohio requirements and are not dependent
on the U.S. General Service Administration
and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for
information. This will allow future bids and contracts
to be published on an accelerated timeframe
dependent only on the manufacturer's release
of vehicle specification data.
The organization of the truck contract
has been modified so that trucks are
grouped in terms of engine horsepower and payload capacity.
The vehicle descriptions included
in the contracts have been updated to
eliminate redundancies and to make
vehicle selection easier for state
agencies and political subdivisions.
Vehicles included in the contracts
were evaluated using a total cost concept
that includes manufacturer options such as
keyless entry, power windows and warranties.
Using a total-cost concept will promote
competition among suppliers and result in
the best overall value to the state and taxpayers.
New this year, the truck contract
includes a hybrid vehicle. As in past years,
the contracts include vehicles that run on
alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
Finally, another item that is being implemented during
the acquisition cycle is the proactive notification
of contract addenda. The Office of Fleet Management
will distribute a copy of contract addenda to their
contacts after they are issued by the Office of Procurement Services.
It is anticipated that early notification will enable
customers to complete requests ahead of the
manufacturer's build-out dates, thereby ensuring
that customers are not shut out of purchasing
a vehicle because of a late request.
For more information, please contact
William Simon,
senior fleet analyst in the Office of
Fleet Management, at
william.simon@das.state.oh.us or call (614) 644-3309.
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