SUBSTITUTIONS - 4120.7

(Revised: 10/2023)

 

Upon approval from the Department of General Services (DGS), Office of Fleet and Asset Management (OFAM), state agencies may substitute a fleet asset approved for replacement or purchase on their Fleet Acquisition Plan (FAP). Substitutions must be requested only under limited circumstances in which there is a demonstrated immediate business need. Substitution requests must not be used to circumvent the FAP Addendum process. Any substitution that results in a downgrade in the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Priority level is subject to greater scrutiny.

Substitution of Approved Replacement

State agencies may request to substitute an approved replacement in the event of the following:

1. The vehicle is inoperable, and it is not cost-effective to repair the vehicle.
2. The vehicle is lost/stolen.
3. The department has a demonstrated immediate business need to replace the vehicle with another vehicle that was already approved on a FAP.

NOTE: Model year 2012 or older assets that did not go through the Vehicle Allocation Methodology analysis per the Executive Order (EO) B-2-11 will not be approved as substitution assets.

Substitution of Approved Purchase

State agencies may request to substitute an approved purchase in the event of the following:

1. The approved make/model is no longer available on the statewide vehicle contract.
2. The approved make/model is no longer available to order in the current model year.
3. The approved asset no longer meets the department’s business needs due to changes in the program’s requirements for which the approved asset would be used.

Substitution Approval Process

To obtain approval from OFAM, state agencies must submit a complete Fleet Asset Substitution form (OFAM 5) to FAMSSupport@dgs.ca.gov or their designated FAMS analyst. For substitution of replacement, all required attachments (STD. 152, OFAM 6, and police report, if applicable) must be submitted in addition to OFAM 5.

A Substitution request must meet acceptable justification criteria and complies with EO B-16-12 and ZEV/Hybrid First Purchase Mandates.

Any substitution request that includes substantive changes must be signed by the requesting department’s Deputy Director and approved by the Chief of OFAM.

Any substitution request that includes non-substantive changes must be signed by the requesting department’s fleet manager and approved by OFAM’s Fleet Asset Management System (FAMS) manager.

Substantive Changes

The following changes are deemed substantive:

1. Substituting a ZEV for a lower priority ZEV or a non-ZEV.
2. Substituting a vehicle with a higher-class asset type (asset class upgrade).
3. Substituting a non-Public Safety Special Performance (PSSP) asset to a PSSP asset.
4. Any substitution that changes compliance status with the state’s fleet purchasing policies.

Non-Substantive Changes

Substitutions that do not result in a downgrade in the ZEV Priority level and/or an upgrade in the asset class are deemed non-substantive. The following are non-substantive changes:

1. Substituting a non-ZEV for a ZEV of the same asset class.
2. Substituting a ZEV asset for a higher priority ZEV of the same asset class (ZEV Priority upgrade).
   
   1) and 2) will require a confirmation from the DGS Office of Sustainability that the requesting department has the necessary charging infrastructure to support the request.
   
   
3. Substituting a vehicle with a lower-class asset type (asset class downgrade).

Changes That Do Not Require OFAM Approval

Changing vehicle manufacturers alone is not considered a substitution if the vehicle type and engine type are the same as the approved asset. Such substitution does not require OFAM approval. Some of the examples are as follows:

1. Ford F-150 to Chevrolet Silverado 1500
2. Ford Escape to Toyota RAV 4
3. Ford Expedition to Chevrolet Suburban