FROM STAFF REPORTS

The Alabama legislature passed a bill to create the Office of Fleet Management on May 10. The new office will be housed in The Alabama Department of Transportation, and is tasked with the cost efficient acquisition, allocation and maintenance of state-owned motor vehicles and facilities.

“This is sound conservative fiscal management in action. It will put the management of all the vehicles of all state agencies under one roof, and answerable to one person,” state Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, wrote in a press release. “Currently, each agency buys its fleet vehicles piecemeal, based on their individual needs. The truth is that most of the cars and trucks we use have the same specs and the same usage requirements. Combining the purchase of all vehicles under one office will allow the state to use buying power as a force multiplier and negotiate for better deals.”

The Office of Fleet Management will use modern statistical analysis and metrics such as lifecycle costing and greening to ensure the state gets better up front costs, according to Ward.

“The themes of our Republican agenda are reducing the size of government, and making government more accountable to the people,” Ward wrote. “This plan will accomplish both of those goals by making one person responsible for fleet management, and by reducing the size of the state vehicle fleet while reducing the overall energy costs associated with using and maintaining that fleet.”

The Green Fleet and Office of Fleet Management legislation was part of Ward’s priorities for the session. After passing the Alabama Commercial Aviation Business Improvement Act, Prescription Drug Abuse legislation and Taxpayer Protection in legal service bills, Ward said he expects to pass Elder Abuse legislation before the end of the 2013 regular session.