Developing Input to "Best-Value" Vehicle Procurement Practice: An Analysis of Supplier Evaluation and Selection in the US Public Transportation Industry

Collectively, US public transportation systems operated 137,047 vehicles per peak period in 2008 . Buses accounted for the largest segment among these vehicles, and the passenger van segment was second. Together, they accounted for 78% of the vehicles operated per peak period. Due to their pervasive use in the public transportation industry, buses and vans have been the focus in various academic research studies. However, very few studies have focused on vehicle procurement. Further, none have focused on the specific vehicle procurement function of supplier evaluation and selection. The over-arching objective of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of the relative importance of vehicle supplier attributes in reference to the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) “best-value” procurement initiative and the influence of these supplier attributes on the evaluation and selection of vehicle suppliers. The vehicles under study in this research are the various types of buses and vans used in the provision of public transportation services. This research studies vehicle procurement decision-makers at public transportation agencies to determine which criteria, or supplier attributes, they perceive to be the most important when evaluating vehicle suppliers. Results indicate that the top five attributes were quality, reliability, after-sales support, warranties and claims, and integrity. The order of these top five attributes changed according to the type of supplier being evaluated, i.e., conventional fuel vehicle supplier versus alternative fuel vehicle supplier. The reason for this change was explained as being due to the increased engineering and technological expertise required of alternative fuel vehicle suppliers.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Appendices; Bibliography; Tables;
  • Pagination: 237p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01362635
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Feb 16 2012 10:14AM