Kent State Provides Fleet Services For A Variety of Units

Video by Jon Huntsman

Kent State’s Fleet Services provides 200 licensed vehicles for more than 20 departments on the main and regional campuses for public employees.

To provide fleet services for each department, Kent’s Fleet Services has to go through cooperative purchasing contracts. John Croop, the Superintendent of Kent’s Fleet Services said Fleet Services follow the guideline of both a contract given by state and the University of Akron’s Community University Education Purchasing Association (CUE). After being provided with the vehicles, Fleet Services then distributes the cars based on the needs and funds of the departments around the university.

“It’s an acquisition workflow and it’s rotated around through the chain of demand, through the final authorization of that department head,” Croop said. “Once that department head signs off or denies it…I proceed with the purchase to the contract.”

The workflow process that the department and superintendent goes through is the Equipment, Vehicle and Vessel Acquisition Workflow (EVV).  Once approved, Croop assigns a vehicle based on the criteria that will best benefit the unit.

“Different departments on campus own their own vehicles,” Croop said. “We do the procurement, we do the maintenance and we also the disposal once they’re done with that vehicle.”

A range of departments use fleets, Croop said, whether it be food services, biology or business.  Croop said some vehicles are “pushing 20 years old,” and the amount of time the vehicle upholds depends on the wear and tear.

“It depends on the use, condition. Some vehicles see more winter activity than others so they’re going to wear out, rot out, fail and be replaced sooner than a vehicle that may not see as much salt.”

Within the past five years Fleet Services purchased vehicles from vendors such as Buick GMC of Beachwood, Germain Ford, Golling’s Arena Dodge Inc., Key Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Inc., Lebanon Ford Lincoln Mercury and Montrose Auto Group.  Funding for the vehicles come from the individual departments that request fleet services.

Fleet Services FY16 Original Budget

“Each department has to come up with a funding mechanism,” Associate Director of University Facilities Management,  Nicole Corll said. “They must prove that they’re able to financially commit to that vehicle…That’s all determined and has to go through the levels, their budget manager.”

Corll said the department’s commit to lease payment options or they choose to buy the car in full based on the revenue generated  within their accounts.

“There’s academic departments,auxiliary departments, resident services departments, they all generate revenue different ways,” Corll said.  “Some are revenue generators and some are funds through IMG accounts.”

Jeff Brewster, supervisor of university facilities management said by strategizing the funds of University Facilities, they are able to get the most efficient vehicles from fleet services.

“It is taking time, it is not overnight,” Brewster said. “But with working with our budget and being frugal with our money and in a way, saving..we can buy better and better vehicles.” Brewster said.

Brewster said because Fleet Services deal with maintenance and choosing the perfect vehicle for their needs, his team is able to spend more time completing their duties.

“I’m fortunate enough to have Fleet,” Brewster said. “I can just say the truck is not running right, and they take it. The nice thing is they have preventative maintenance set up on the vehicles so I’m not always worrying as a supervisor.”

Having maintenance on campus saves the university tons of money because they cut another source of distributing money, Croop said.They also have preventative maintenance that reduces vehicle failure.

Fleet vehicles are available for any department who goes through the EVV Workflow.