Last update: 07/03/2008

Vehicle news archive

July 3, 2008

Model Year 2009 Ford Crown Victoria Police Vehicle On Contract

Ford Motor Corporation and our contract dealer Columbia Ford have just agreed to extend the early ordering period for the 2009 Ford Crown Victoria police interceptor on contract 04406. The new model year 2009 vehicle may be ordered now through 30 September 2008 at the same pricing of the 2008 that was actually bid for 2007. Enhanced safety equipment now standard with the vehicle, include side air bags and power adjustable pedals. Customers are advised to order early as this vehicle category must be rebid and a new contract in place, with new pricing, in October for the balance of the model year.

2009 Vehicle Contract Specifications Being Developed

The Office of State Procurement is in the preliminary stages of developing the bid document for the model year 2009 light vehicle contracts. State agencies, as well as government organizations and non profit corporations who are members of the State of Washington Purchasing Co-Op are welcome to send a representative to attend our upcoming ad-hoc Specification Committee meeting. We are seeking input on your vehicle needs for 2009 and advice on the vehicle equipment bid specifications and categories. Once the bid document is developed and released we will then invite Washington state dealers and their manufacturer’s to provide their input at a subsequent pre-bid conference.

The meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Thursday July 17th here at the Office of State Procurement Bid Room, 201 General Administration Bldg, Olympia.

For familiarization and preparation, please view last year’s bid document:

If you will be attending please send your RSVP to Chris Schoepfer at 360-902-7193, fax 360-586-2426 or e-mail at cschoep@ga.wa.gov. If you are unable to attend but would like to provide input for the group’s consideration you may e-mail Bill Griffin at wgriffi@ga.wa.gov

Thank you for your interest in the state’s vehicle contracts. We look forward to your input.

May 28, 2008

New Vehicles Available for Delivery by June 30, 2008 End of Fiscal Year

State vehicle contract dealers have over 60 new light vehicles in stock available for immediate delivery at state contract pricing. Included are various automobiles, police vehicles, utility vehicles, trucks, and vans. A complete list of in-stock vehicles is available online. For specific option content of the vehicles available contact Bill Griffin at the Office of State Procurement at (360) 902-7421.

May 1, 2008

2008 Toyota Prius in stock

Fuel Prices making you see red?  Then we have some relief for you. Our contract dealer for the 2008 Toyota Prius has 9 Barcelona Red vehicles in stock, available for immediate delivery at current contract pricing of $22,382.00 + 8.2% sales tax. They are EPA rated at 48 MPG city, 45 MPG hwy. They are also the last of the contract 2008 Prius that will be available to this dealer this year. (2009 models will not be available until our contract is rebid this summer) Several other high MPG automobiles are in stock and available for immediate delivery. A list of in-stock vehicles is available online.

April 8, 2008

Early Order Period for some model year 2009 Vehicles at 2008 Contract Pricing

Ford has just announced an early order period for the model year 2009 for some of their vehicles currently on contract. Included are the Escape SUV (non hybrid), F250 through F550 super duty trucks, and Econoline cargo/Clubwagon passenger vans.

Orders for the 2009 models start immediately for the Escape, April 22 for F250-550 trucks and the cargo/ passenger vans and all these vehicles may be purchased through June30, 2008, at original 2008 contract pricing.

For a list of all light vehicles available on contract and their pending order cutoff dates, visit the online vehicle ordering system.

March 3, 2008

Model Year 2008 Vehicle Contract Factory Order Cutoffs Pending

Contractually all state contract vehicle dealers are required to fill all orders for vehicles ordered prior to March 31, 2008. After that orders are to be placed on a “will try” basis up until factory fleet allocation cutoff dates. Some vehicles will no longer be available for ordering after March 31, 2008 including the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Chevrolet Tahoe PPV, Chevrolet Aveo, Ford Escape, and the Ford Escape Hybrid. For a list of current announced factory order cutoff dates visit http://www.ga.wa.gov/Vehreq/VEHMENU.htm

February 5, 2008

VROOM Enhancements

We are pleased to announce that we have made some running production changes to improve our Vehicle Rapid On-Line Ordering Messaging (VROOM) system.

Changes include:

  • "Customer Purchase Order(s)" e-mails have been reformatted to more closely resemble the column presentation of your VROOM mailbox listing of vehicle POs.
  • When viewing your PO listing you will now be able to sort the column entries by PO number, PO date, Dealer, Vehicle Category, and Vehicle Type by double-clicking on the header at the top of the column.
  • Dealer Purchase Orders will now be transmitted at 10:00AM, 2:00PM, and 5:00PM M-F instead of 10:00AM and 3:00PM. (Customer POs will continue to be transmitted every 15 minutes).

Customers may have to reset their VROOM mailbox bookmarks/favorites though it is set to automatically redirect to your new mailbox.

December 14, 2007

2008 Cargo Van Contract Awarded

State of Washington contract #05507 "Vehicles, 2008 Cargo Vans" has been awarded for two categories of cargo vans. Now available on contract are the Chevrolet Uplander FFV E85 mini van and the Ford Econoline regular and extended vans. New this year are the availability of 3 or 4 passenger crew van options on the minivan and 5 passenger crew van on the Econoline. A B5 bio diesel certified diesel engine is also an available option on the Econoline. Orders may be placed on-line.

No bids were received for the third cargo van category for a high roof diesel Dodge Sprinter which may be rebid at a later date. An earlier supplemental award was made for the Chevrolet Express FFV E85 all wheel and rear wheel drive regular cargo vans on contract# 04907.

November 29, 2007

Ford Announces Early Order Cutoff on Escape Hybrid

Due to increased demand for the 2008 Ford Escape hybrid utility vehicle Ford has announced they will only accept orders for government accounts through December 17, 2007. The terms of our contract 04907 do require our dealer to accept orders through March 31, 2008 and to provide the succeeding model year’s vehicle at the same price in the case of an early factory cutoff. However, production of the model year 2009 Escape hybrid may not start until June 2008. To avoid a delay in receiving your vehicles customers are advised to order before the 2008 factory order cutoff, particularly those customers who must receive their vehicles before the June 30, 2008 fiscal year cutoff.

November 21, 2007

New Hybrid and E85 flexible fuel vehicles available on state contract

Supplemental awards have been made to contract 04907 for 2008 Hybrid, Alternative/Flexible Fuel Vehicles. Added to the contract are the new Chevrolet Malibu gas/electric hybrid sedan, the Chevrolet Express E85 flexible fuel cargo van (AWD & RWD), and the Chevrolet Tahoe E85 flexible fuel police pursuit vehicle including options for the soon to be released hybrid 2WD and 4WD models achieving 20MPG in a full size SUV. We are pleased to have received early production allocations and discounted pricing on these new technology vehicles. They offer lower emissions, while consuming less petroleum than regular gas vehicles, and support our customers in meeting the acquisition requirements of the National Energy Policy Act and the Governor’s Executive Order on Sustainability. All vehicles currently on contract may be viewed at http://www.ga.wa.gov/Vehreq/VEHMENU.htm.

November 14, 2007

Model Year 2008 ¾-1ton Truck Contract Awarded, others to follow

State of Washington contract 05307 has just been awarded for ¾-1ton trucks. Included are six categories of Ford F250-F350 regular, extended, and crew cab 2WD and 4WD pickup trucks. Prices range from 31% to 37% off MSRP and they are slightly lower than the previous two years. Next to be awarded will be the 2008 Cargo Van contract 05507 and supplemental awards to the Alternative Fuel/Hybrid vehicle contract 04907 for the Chevrolet Express ffv cargo van, Chevrolet Tahoe ffv police pursuit vehicle and the new Chevrolet Malibu gas/electric hybrid sedan. All vehicles on contract may be ordered on line at http://www.ga.wa.gov/Vehreq/VEHMENU.htm.

November 2, 2007

Passenger van contract awarded with more choices

Contract #05607 has just been awarded for model year 2008 passenger vans. Available for ordering by all customers this year are the Chevrolet Uplander FFV E85 7 passenger, Chevrolet Express 8 passenger, and Ford Clubwagon 12 passenger vans. Also available for ordering by transit authorities, vanpool programs and political subdivisions is the Chevrolet Express 15 passenger extended van. Within the categories there are options for all wheel drive, diesel engine, and center aisle seating conversions. Electronic Stability Control is included on all vans on contract and a new tire pressure monitoring system, 3 row side curtain airbags, and rear side laminated glass are new safety enhancements found on the vans this year. All vehicles on contract may be ordered on-line at http://www.ga.wa.gov/Vehreq/VEHMENU.htm.

October 23, 2007

2008 Utility /Crossover Vehicle Contract awarded

Contract 05207 for model year 2008 Utility/Crossover vehicles has just been awarded and is now available for viewing at http://www.ga.wa.gov/Vehreq/Veh-contract.html. The contract includes the two wheel drive Ford Escape (non hybrid) small utility vehicle, Chevrolet Trailblazer midsize utility vehicle and Ford Expedition full size utility vehicle. Options are available for four wheel drive models although state agency customers are encouraged to review the Governor’s Executive order 05-01 regarding a freeze on the purchase of 4WD SUVs for other than law enforcement/emergency response applications (See http://www.governor.wa.gov/execorders/eoarchive/eo_05-01.pdf) Besides these three vehicles, two other 2008 utility vehicles will be available on another state contract. The Ford Escape hybrid gas/electric utility vehicle is currently available on contract 04907 for Alternative Fuel/Hybrid Vehicles and the flexible fuel E85 gas/ethanol Chevrolet Tahoe PPV vehicle will be added to the same contract in early November. All model year 2008 vehicles available may be ordered on line at http://www.ga.wa.gov/Vehreq/VEHMENU.htm

October 16, 2007

New Supplemental 2008 Vehicle Contract Awards

We are pleased to announce the award of two new model year 2008 vehicle contracts. Contract #04907 for hybrid gas/electric vehicles contains the Ford Escape HEV utility vehicle in either two or four wheel drive models and for the first time we have both a Honda Civic hybrid sedan and dedicated CNG sedan. These vehicles supplement the previous model year 2008 contract extension of the Toyota Prius hybrid sedan on contract #04206. The second contract award is for Ford F350 2WD and Dodge 3500 4WD Cab & Chassis trucks on contract #05407. These vehicles supplement the Ford F450 and F550 trucks currently on contract #04906.

Bid evaluations continue and several more 2008 vehicle contracts will be awarded this month. Next to be released will be the automobile and utility/crossover vehicle contracts. All contract vehicles may be ordered on line at http://www.ga.wa.gov/Vehreq/VEHMENU.htm

September 12, 2007

New Vehicles in Stock/New Contracts in process

Our state vehicle contract dealers now have over 50 new 2007/2008 vehicles in stock available for immediate delivery at state contract pricing. Included are flexible fuel ethanol/gas sedans and vans, hybrid gas/electric SUVs, police vehicles, and several 1/2ton trucks. To view what is currently available visit In-stock vehicles or contact Bill Griffin.

Some 2008 model contract vehicles are also available for factory orders now based on previous contract extensions. They may be ordered on line at http://www.ga.wa.gov/Vehreq/VEHMENU.htm. The balance of the contract categories are out to bid and will be awarded throughout the month of October.

August 1, 2007

Model Year 2008 WA Vehicle Contract extensions

To date we have negotiated model year 2008 contract extensions for Ford Crown Victoria and Chevrolet Impala police vehicles (04406), Toyota Prius & Camry hybrid sedans (04206), Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado pickups (04606), and Chevrolet and Ford 1/2ton trucks (04706). We are pleased that the vehicles remain at the same prices as for the 2007 models for the same or upgraded equipment. Orders may be placed through the Office of State Procurement until 31 March 2008 or factory cutoff, whichever is later. Additional contract extensions may be forthcoming as well as a September/October rebid for remaining, and possibly new, vehicle categories.

July 16, 2007

Model year 2008 Police Sedans available for ordering

We have just concluded negotiations with our state contract dealers for the Ford Crown Victoria and Chevrolet Impala police vehicles to extend their contracts for the new model year. With the exception of a few options on the Crown Victoria, prices remain unchanged from last year. Both vehicles now have flexible fuel E85 gas/ethanol engines, meeting the National Energy Policy Act acquisition requirements for state and local governments to purchase alternative fuel vehicles. The vehicles are available for ordering on contract 04406 and our website through at least March 31, 2008. An additional high speed police pursuit sedan and a special services police utility vehicle will be rebid this summer and available for ordering this fall.