NASA’s policy is to provide only the essential vehicles necessary for the accomplishment of its institutional and program responsibilities. Vehicles will be used for official purposes only. Moreover, vehicles and services will be acquired through the duly appointed CTO or NASA Agency Transportation Manager from U.S. industry sources and in time frames to meet Agency requirements. NASA policy directive NPD 6000.1B provides more definitive guidance and can be found on http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov.
The CTO provides oversight of all transportation-related programs, including long-range strategic planning, fleet management, and contractor management and performance evaluation. The CTO also ensures compliance with this handbook, Executive Orders, and mandates applicable to fleet management, and incorporates best practices in line with NASA policy directives.
Note: The term CTO is used throughout this handbook but the individual is sometimes referred to as a Center Transportation Manager (CTM).
Where functional, the Logistics Division Chief may be involved in approving purchase requests for motor vehicles and other motorized equipment for official purposes as well as the oversight of Transportation and Property Branches.
Each NASA Center will establish a VURB. As a minimum, the Board will be comprised of four representatives including the CTO. The VURB is responsible for monitoring the size and utilization of the Center’s fleet and making recommendations for changes concerning vehicle assignments and allocations to all organizations within the Center. The VURB will review all Form 971s, Justification/Rejustification Full-Time Vehicle Assignment, and approve or disapprove requests for additional vehicles. The VURB will participate in assessing the number of vehicles needed to support each Center’s requirements, including GSA vehicle needs. This shall be completed annually.
It is NASA’s policy to discontinue the provision of Government-owned or leased vehicles to contractors unless it is most advantageous to NASA. The removal of Government vehicles from contractors shall take place over time when contracts are renewed, re-bid, or extended. In certain rare cases, contractors will be authorized to use Government-owned or leased vehicles only after the CO has provided written authorization to the NASA Agency Transportation Manager and the GSA Fleet Management Center (FMC). Contractors will not coordinate directly with the GSA FMC to obtain the authorization. This authorization will comply with requirements outlined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 51.202.
GSA and NASA-owned vehicles have often been provided to contractors under cost-reimbursable and fixed-priced contracts (41CFR102-34.230). As stated above, NASA shall discontinue the provision of Government-owned or leased vehicles to contractors wherever possible. In those rare instances where Government-owned or leased vehicles must be provided to contractors, the FAR 45.304 includes guidance to Agencies on contractor use of Government-owned and leased vehicles. Additonal guidance on contractor use of Government supply sources, including the use of GSA vehicles can be found in FAR Subpart 51.1 and 51.2. When bidding for new, renewed, or modified contracts, each contractor shall specify the quantities and types of Government-furnished vehicles required to fulfill the contract.
The head of each department that has possession of vehicles, or oversees contractors who operate Government-owned or leased vehicles, will assure that such equipment is:
All drivers and operators of Government-owned or leased vehicles must be legally licensed in the United States and trained to operate the type of vehicle provided for their use. Drivers and operators will ensure all vehicle assignments are maintained in compliance with NASA guidelines and are kept in proper operating condition. This means vehicles will be inspected before and after use to determine if discrepancies exist and then report problems to maintenance for correction. Driver responsibilities are fully defined in a special section of this handbook.
Page: 1.3 Fleet Organization, Mission, and Responsibilities\Responsibilities
Last Updated:08/18/2005 07:33 PM