New York municipalities, agencies asked to use zero-emmision vehicles

Save on zero-emission Vehicles by Joining the Fourth NYS Aggregate Purchase
The Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of General Services have released details on their upcoming aggregate bid for plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles.
All authorized users of the New York State Vehicle Marketplace, municipalities and state agencies, can participate.
Bid forms are due by the close of business on Monday, July 16.
The goal of this initiative is to reduce the costs associated with adding zero-emission vehicles to government fleets across the state.
Previous aggregations resulted in discounts ranging from 11 to 34 percent.
Significant savings are anticipated in this round as well.
The bid detailsInstead of choosing a single type of vehicle, bid will be placed for a more generic minimum set of specifications.
This should encourage competition between automakers, hopefully resulting in a lower the end price, according to the state.
Four separate aggregate bids will be awarded for the following vehicle types: small pure battery-electric vehicles; small plug-in hybrid sedans; plug-in hybrid minivans; and small plug-in hybrid SUVs.
Once a bid is awarded, municipalities and agencies will be responsible for contacting the winning bidder to complete a purchase.
Agencies and local governments must adhere to all applicable procurement and budgetary requirements/approval processes.
For information or to participate in the aggregate bid, contact: Pamela Hadad-Hurst at DEC (pamela.hadadhurst@dec.ny.gov).
Local governments can save even more on vehicle purchases through the DEC Municipal ZEV Rebate program, which offers rebates to local governments for costs associated with the purchase or lease of eligible clean vehicles.
Round two closes on May 31 but DEC anticipates opening a third round of ZEV rebates later this year.
Information on the Municipal ZEV Rebate program is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/76910.html#ZEV.