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320 FW 2 |
Supersedes 320 FW 2, FWM 073, 03/11/93 Date: October 31, 2008, as amended 07/30/2009 Series: Vehicle and Equipment Management Part 320: Motor Vehicle Management Originating Office: Division of Contracting and Facilities Management |
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2.1 What is the purpose of this chapter? This chapter describes:
A. The Service requirements for analysis and planning prior to acquiring a motor vehicle.
B. The standards each Region uses to:
(1) Comply with Service fleet management goals,
(2) Evaluate motor vehicle use,
(3) Replace vehicles, and
(4) Maximize fuel efficiency.
2.2 What is the scope of this chapter? This chapter applies to all motor vehicles we own, lease, and manage through other means, including motor vehicles we obtain from the General Services Administration (GSA) Interagency Fleet Management System.
2.3 What are the authorities for this chapter? See 320 FW 1.3 for a list of authorities for all the chapters in Part 320.
2.4 What terms do you need to know to understand this chapter? See 320 FW 1.5 if you need a definition for a term used in this chapter.
2.5 Who is responsible for motor vehicle acquisition planning? We describe our general responsibilities for motor vehicle management in 320 FW 1.6. Following are our specific responsibilities for day-to-day motor vehicle acquisition planning.
A. The Chief, Division of Contracting and Facilities Management (CFM):
(1) Establishes a Servicewide method to:
(a) Evaluate vehicle utilization versus utilization standards in Exhibit 1, and operating and maintenance costs, and
(b) Determine life-cycle cost and replacement guidelines for motor vehicles.
(2) Ensures that motor vehicle acquisitions are in compliance with applicable Executive Orders (E.O.), laws, and policies, including the requirements for:
(a) Adequate justifications for acquiring vehicles,
(b) Use of alternative fuels,
(c) Reductions in petroleum fuel use,
(d) Alternative fuel purchases, and
(e) Vehicle minimum specifications and costs.
(3) Reviews Service vehicle performance data to ensure accuracy and timely submission and makes requests to Regions to correct data when necessary.
(4) Submits vehicle performance information to the Department as required.
B. Regional Property Managers:
(1) Implement vehicle acquisition and planning efforts for their Regions.
(2)
Ensure that vehicle acquisitions, leases, repairs, and replacements are
consistent with the requirements in this chapter, the 5-Year Fleet Plan, and
applicable E.O.s, laws, and policies. C. Accountable Officers: (1)
Analyze field station transportation needs, prepare justifications and
specifications for acquiring vehicles, and initiate the acquisition process. (2)
Ensure the requested vehicle is the minimum specification and model necessary
to meet mission requirements and is the most fuel efficient (Alternative Fuel
Vehicles (AFV), hybrids, and diesel) and cost-effective model available to
reduce the environmental impact and petroleum fuel use. (3)
Ensure vehicle replacements are within policy standards listed in Exhibit 2 for replacement
and Exhibit 3 for
repairs. D.
Program Fleet Coordinators: (1)
Oversee day-to-day fleet activities for their Program to ensure alignment
with Service fleet management goals. (2) Act
as liaison between the Program and Regional Property Manager. (3)
Ensure that every vehicle we buy, lease, or manage through other means is
essential to the performance of the Program’s mission. 2.6 What are the basic steps Accountable Officers
must consider when buying or leasing motor vehicles? A. Check
for compliance with applicable laws and regulations, E.O.s,
Departmental fleet policy (see the Department of the Interior Asset Management
Plan), and the 5-Year Fleet Plan to ensure an acquisition or lease meets
legal and policy requirements. B. Check
with the Regional Property Manager to ensure that before buying or leasing
any new or replacement motor vehicle, there are no underutilized vehicles
available in the Region. (See Exhibit 1 for our
standards for vehicle utilization.) C.
Determine mission requirements and transportation options and order the least
expensive vehicle with the minimum specifications, body type and size, engine
and optional equipment to meet the mission. Considerations include: (1)
Cargo, (2)
Passengers, (3)
Combination and percentage of cargo and passengers (e.g., 70/30 percent passenger/cargo
use), (4)
Application and terrain (e.g., hauling special equipment or off road
use), and (5)
Special uses (e.g., tanker truck). D.
Determine the duration of need including: (1)
Short-term or seasonal use, (2)
Mid-term (2 to 3 years) use, (3)
Long-term, frequent use, and (4)
Periodic use. E.
Consider ownership alternatives such as: (1)
Using Personally-Owned Vehicles (POVs),
vehicle cooperatives, and short-term rentals for short-term or seasonal needs
(e.g., volunteer programs). (2)
Leasing for projects with defined end dates (usually 2 to 3 years). F.
Minimize environmental impacts by making use of fuel-saving technologies
wherever possible and ordering the smallest and most efficient vehicles to
satisfy those mission requirements. G.
Prepare a cost analysis of options based on total acquisition and operational
costs for the determined duration. See Exhibit 4 for examples. H.
Complete the justification form provided by the Regional Property Manager. 2.7 What colors may I select when ordering a motor
vehicle? A. The
color for Service vehicle orders is the manufacture’s standard production
white. B. Law Enforcement
Special Agents are exempt from this standard. C. Fire
programs may determine a standard color based on inter-agency agreements and
previous operating procedures. D. The
affected Regional Director determines the color of unmarked Refuge Law
Enforcement vehicles. 2.8 What are the Service’s standards for replacing
motor vehicles? A. The
Accountable Officer may dispose of or replace vehicles when they meet either
the years or mileage minimum standards in Exhibit 2. B. Even
if the standards in Exhibit
2 would allow us to dispose of or replace a vehicle, we should keep it if: (1) It
is in safe, usable condition, and (2) We
can operate it without excessive maintenance cost or substantial reduction in
trade-in value. C. The
Accountable Officer may replace vehicles before they meet the standards in Exhibit 2 under the
following conditions: (1)
Because of excessive repair costs (see section 2.9). (2) High
mileage vehicles such as those used for law enforcement. The Accountable
Officer may replace these vehicles after the second year of operation if they
have accrued at least 60,000 miles. This exception applies only to sedans,
station wagons, and light trucks. (3)
Vehicles exposed to environmental (rough terrain) or chemical elements (such
as salt or sea water) may become unsafe to operate. Qualified personnel or a
mechanic should inspect these vehicles to identify necessary repairs. If
repairs exceed the limitations in section 2.9, the Accountable
Officer can dispose of the vehicle if he/she has written documentation that
supports the disposal decision. 2.9 What are the limitations the Service
establishes for repairing vehicles instead of replacing them? We decide whether to repair or replace a vehicle
by analyzing the vehicle’s age and what percentage the repair cost is of the
value of the vehicle. See Exhibit
3. A. Once
the repair cost exceeds the economic value of the vehicle (see Exhibit 3), the Accountable Officer should replace the vehicle
unless replacement is impractical. B. The
Accountable Officer may replace a vehicle that is wrecked or damaged beyond
economical repair limits (including wear caused by abnormal operating
conditions) without regard to the normal replacement standards. The
Accountable Officer must document the damaged condition and over-the-limit
vehicle repair cost before replacing it. 2.10 How does a Region determine how many motor
vehicles a Program or the Region may have? The Regional baseline number of vehicles for each Program equals the
overall vehicle inventory at the end of each fiscal year. Each Region must: A.
Control the size of Program fleets and the Region’s fleet at the
established baseline. B.
Based on a mission justification, obtain approval from the Regional Director
to add vehicles to the baseline for a Program or the Region. 2.11 May vehicles be acquired for the exclusive use
of one person? Regions may
not acquire a motor vehicle for the exclusive use of one person unless that
person’s work requires daily use of a specifically-configured motor vehicle
that must be immediately available for his/her use at all times. An
example might be a motor vehicle with special equipment to facilitate the
work of a disabled wildlife biologist performing time-sensitive, year-round
population studies. 2.12 Are there any restrictions on the size and
type of vehicles the Service may acquire? Yes. A. The
Accountable Officer must buy motor vehicles with the minimum body size,
engine size, and operational equipment necessary to meet the mission need. B. The
Accountable Officer and the Regional Property Manager must justify and
certify that it is essential to our mission to allow exceptions to the size
restrictions for sedans and station wagons. They also must get approval to
make an exception before acquiring the motor vehicle(s). Before making an
exception, he/she must send a request and justification to: (1) The
Chief, CFM for concurrence. (2) If
the Chief, CFM concurs, he/she sends the request for approval of the
exception to the Department’s Director – Office of Acquisition and Property
Management. (3) If
the Director – Office of Acquisition and Property Management approves the
exception, he/she sends a certification to GSA that the exception is
essential. 2.13 Am I required to
purchase or lease an Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV)? Complying with E.O.
13423 and the Energy Policy Act (1992 and 2005) is the responsibility of
each Program and Region as outlined in the Transportation Management
Scorecard (see Exhibit 1,
320 FW 1). A.
To encourage the use of alternative fuels, the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) requires that we annually acquire a certain number of
alternative fuel reporting credits. Table 2-1 shows how we earn the credits. B. We
must purchase AFVs in areas that the Energy Policy
Act covers to net credits (see Table 2-1) for all light duty vehicle acquisitions
(8,500 GVWR or less). The Energy Policy Act’s covered areas relate to high
population centers. We are exempt for vehicle purchases that are outside of
these areas and for Law Enforcement vehicles.
C. The
Regional Property Manager annually reports this information to the Chief, CFM,
and the Chief, CFM reports the information to OMB.
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