Rather than paying for vehicle repairs on an as-needed basis, enter into an ongoing maintenance service contract that will reduce overall costs and improve services
Often times, municipalities will use local car repair shops to provide maintenance for their vehicles. Local repair shops may be very expensive, and maintenance for the cars can be difficult to budget for. Also, local shops may not specialize in all of the maintenance necessary for the various vehicles in use in the municipality. By opening up bids for vehicle service contracts to firms that specialize in government vehicle maintenance, a municipality can save thousands of dollars a year. Also, by including work for routine maintenance into the contract, a municipality can have a better idea of how to budget for vehicle maintenance.
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MEMO Re: Contracting for Specialized Fleet Maintenance
By: The Citizens Campaign Law and Policy Task Force
Contracting with firms that specialize in government fleet maintenance can save a city/town thousands of dollars. Municipalities often use local garages for various services required to maintain their fleet vehicles. Local garages do not always specialize in the specific maintenance or repairs required, causing a municipality to use multiple service providers. This can create significant problems when preparing a vehicle maintenance and repair budget, as it can be difficult to control and anticipate what those costs may be for the annual budget.
By opening up bids to contract for specialized fleet vehicle maintenance, a municipality can save thousands on repair costs and more easily incorporate vehicle maintenance into the budget. For example, municipalities usually have a number of vehicles they maintain for different reasons. Thus, multiple sources may be required to service those vehicles and depending on the services offered by each garage, this can make it difficult to control the costs of service.
Awarding contracts to firms that specialize in government vehicle maintenance can cut repair costs and ease budgeting difficulties. Firms that specialize in government vehicle maintenance and repair can often meet the needs of a municipality and their vehicle fleet more efficiently than local garages. The cost of maintenance and the efficiency of the services are more likely to be consistent. Utilizing firms that specialize in government vehicles maintenance will better able the municipality to control the annual costs and budget allocation for vehicle maintenance.