 "Photo: Emre Kelly")
Despite owning more than 390 vehicles, UCF devotes a significant amount of time and effort to researching their vehicle purchases.
Departments must follow a fairly rigorous process when trying to obtain a new vehicle.
The departments must provide information regarding what they plan to use the vehicles for, why they are requesting the particular type of vehicle and whether there is a flex fuel or biofuel alternative, said Dorothy Straight, an employee at the UCF Purchasing department.
Christine Dellert of UCF News & Information said that cutting costs is one of the most important factors when departments want to purchase a new fleet vehicle.
"While each department has specific policies related to its vehicles, across the university we stress cost savings and select vehicles based upon a variety of criteria, including price, gas mileage and work capabilities," Dellert said.
Both Dellert and Straight said that government requirements to purchase alternative-fuel vehicles play a major role in new vehicle purchases.
Florida House Bill 7135 states, "All state agencies shall use ethanol and biodiesel blended fuels when available. State agencies administering central fueling operations for state-owned vehicles shall procure biofuels for fleet needs to the greatest extent practicable."
HB 7135 went into effect in July of 2008, and since its inception only two of the university's eight new car purchases are listed as using fuel alternatives: a 2010 Honda Insight hybrid owned by civil engineering and the ZENN electric car owned by the Sustainability and Energy Management department.
Dellert explained that they choose vehicles based on overall cost, and sometimes E-85 ethanol vehicles are not the best choice.
"We have allowed departments to buy smaller, 4-cylinder vehicles that are capable of getting better gas mileage than E-85 vehicles," she said.
Once the type of vehicle has been decided on, the UCF Purchasing department checks to see which already existing contracts they have with both the state government and private businesses.
They then gather quotes from various vendors and make a decision based on value.
UCF tries to find the most economical vehicles possible, Straight said.
Dellert said saving money is always a priority for the university.
"Across the university we stress cost savings," she said.
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