Vehicle Allocation Methodology

On May 24, 2011, the President issued Presidential Memorandum-Federal Fleet Performance. In the memorandum, the President states that the Federal Government owes “a responsibility to American citizens to lead by example and contribute to meeting our national goals of reducing oil imports by one- third by 2025 and putting one million advanced vehicles on the road by 2015.”

The President directed the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop and distribute to agencies a Vehicle Allocation Methodology (VAM) within 90 days of the date of the memorandum. GSA, through a collaborative process with the Motor Vehicle Executive Council (MVEC), developed the Vehicle Allocation Methodology (guidance/process) for Federal agencies to achieve our national economic, energy, and environmental goals.

The GSA guidance document, GSA VAM Reporting Tool and VAM Profile, and Reporting VAM Compliance and Results documents are provided to facilitate your agency’s completion of a VAM study.

The GSA Bulletin FMR B-30 directs that agencies perform a VAM study and provides the considerations and requirements for completing a VAM study. The results of the VAM study must be reported within 180 days through the FAST system.

Please thoroughly review the Presidential Memorandum on federal fleet performance and GSA Bulletin FMR B-30.

This site will be the primary clearinghouse for information about this process as it continues.  The shortcut to this site is www.gsa.gov/VAM. It will be the source for all relevant documentation, plus additional guidance, updated instructional material, and FAQs. Please bookmark the site and visit it often.

Below are key dates:

Agencies are encouraged to consult the following resources in preparing an agency VAM strategic study:

A) Presidential Memorandum - Federal Fleet Performance, May 24, 2011. 

B) The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Comprehensive Federal Fleet Management Handbook offers extensive guidance on right-sizing fleets with a VAM. 

C) FMR 102-34 Motor Vehicle Management.

D) FMR Bulletin B-15, Requirements for Management Information Systems in Federal Vehicle Fleets. This bulletin provides guidance on establishing an agency vehicle information management system. Federal executive agencies are required by Sections 15301 and 15302 of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (Pub. L. No. 99-272) (40 U.S.C. Sec. 17502 and 17503) to have a centralized system to identify, collect, and analyze motor vehicle data with respect to all costs incurred for the operation, maintenance, acquisition, and disposition of motor vehicles.

E) GSA’s Vehicle Allocation Methodology Report Tool. This template provides the format and required responses needed from each agency completing a VAM study.

F) The methodology and optimal vehicle allocation may be developed in-house by the agency, or contracted out to logistics or management consulting firms. Furthermore, the Office of Motor Vehicle Management within GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service is a valuable resource for vehicle sourcing options, fleet management information systems, and other fleet management assistance. In addition, the GSA Federal Supply Service Schedules should be consulted for contact services and are accessible at gsaelibrary.gsa.gov, under first the “Services” link, and then under either the “Logistics Solutions” link or “Management Consulting Solutions” link.

The General Services Administration (GSA) has issued a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to acquire contractor support services for Executive Branch agencies and any other federal fleet-operating activity to assist in the development and implementation of vehicle allocation methodologies (VAM) that align with the standards, concepts and guidance contained within GSA FMR Bulletin B-30 under GSA’s Federal Acquisition Schedule (FAS) Contract GS-00F-0026M and GS-33F-0022U.  For further information, contact Calvin Pittman at 202-501-0484.

G) Alternative fuel vehicle information, including available alternative fuel stations, is available at DOE’s Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center.

H) Assistance with planning for achieving optimal vehicle inventories. The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is offering no-cost assistance to agencies related to the Presidential Memorandum’s requirement for each agency to develop a fleet management plan for achieving the agency’s optimal vehicle inventory. Through FEMP funding, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a tool that considers agency fleet data and Federally-mandated constraints to generate recommendations for an optimal vehicle acquisition schedule, including number, location, and type of alternative fuel vehicles, along with total budget needs. Results from the NREL Optimal Vehicle Acquisition (NOVA) analysis also include projected petroleum and greenhouse gas reductions. To take advantage of this offer to receive a NOVA analysis to inform your agency’s fleet management plan under the Presidential Memorandum, contact Ryan.Daley@nrel.gov or (303) 275-4466.

I) Posting Executive Fleet Vehicles on Agency Websites. Regulatory requirement to instruct agencies to post Executive Fleet Vehicles on agency websites.  FMR Bulletin B-32 was published by GSA on 10/12/2011.  Agencies required to fulfill requirements of FMR Bulletin B-32 no later than 11/17/2011.

For more information or to provide comments, please e-mail vehicle.policy@gsa.gov

The shortcut for this page is www.gsa.gov/VAM