Let’s Start With Who’s In the Room

• What is your role and day-to-day responsibility for the fleet? Options: Fleet Manager/Superintendent, Public Works Director, Purchasing Officer/Procurement, Finance/Controller, Maintenance Supervisor, Other (please specify)
• Which departments or agencies use vehicles you oversee (select all that apply)? Options: Streets/Highways, Parks & Recreation, Sanitation/Trash, Water/Wastewater, Police, Fire/EMS, Transit, Public Schools, Other
• Roughly how many vehicles and pieces of equipment are in the fleet under your purview? Options: <25, 25–99, 100–499, 500–1,499, 1,500+
• How would you describe your relationship with procurement and council leadership—supportive, neutral, or skeptical? Options: Supportive, Neutral, Skeptical, It varies by project
• What feels most urgent about your fleet situation right now?

Are We Just Getting By or Heading for a Crisis?

• What costs or service gaps have your team quietly accepted as 'normal' for too long?
• How often do maintenance backlogs cause delayed responses or service outages? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely/Never
• Tell me about a recent day when fleet performance put you under pressure—what happened and who reacted?
• Which of these feels most damaging to your team’s morale or reputation? Options: Unplanned downtime, Budget shortfalls, Aging vehicles, Poor data/reporting, Political criticism, Other
• How long has this pattern been present—and how has it changed over the past 2–3 years?

Where the Budget Really Bites

• If you had to pick one budgeting reality that limits your choices, what would it be? Options: Capital funding windows, Inconsistent operating budgets, Competing departmental priorities, Grant timing, Council approval cycles, Other
• What is your typical capital planning window for vehicle replacements? Options: This fiscal year, 1–2 years, 3–5 years, 5+ years, Ad hoc/no formal plan
• How flexible is the capital schedule if a lifecycle model recommends shifting replacements earlier or later? Options: Highly flexible, Somewhat flexible, Hard to change, Not flexible at all
• Do you currently use cooperative purchasing (e.g., Sourcewell, NASPO) for vehicle procurement? Options: Yes—regularly, Used before, not currently, No—but open to it, No and not interested
• Are there upcoming political events or budget hearings that typically affect fleet decisions? Options: Yes—elections, Yes—budget hearings, Yes—oversight inquiries, No predictable events, Other
• How would shifting replacement timing by a year affect your operating budget and service levels? Please give a concrete example if possible.

Who's Holding the Keys—and the Signature?

• If a single person had to sign off on a new fleet program today, who would that be and would they have final authority?
• Which stakeholders must be convinced before procurement can proceed (select all that apply)? Options: Fleet Manager, Public Works Director, Purchasing Officer, Finance/Controller, Mayor/Council, Department Heads, Union Representatives, Other
• How do political considerations typically influence vehicle replacement or consolidation decisions?
• When departments feel their autonomy is threatened, what’s the most common reaction—pushback, passive resistance, formal appeal, or other? Options: Pushback, Passive resistance, Formal appeal/complaint, Negotiation/compromise, Other
• What evidence or assurances do your procurement and council teams need to feel comfortable with a cooperative-contract vendor? Options: Clear pricing comparison, References from similar agencies, Pilot results, Lifecycle model validation, Legal review, Other
• Who will own governance and oversight after a program launches? Options: Fleet Manager, Public Works Director, Procurement, Joint governance board, Other

What Would ‘Good’ Actually Feel Like in Two Years?

• Imagine it’s 24 months from now and your leadership is praising fleet performance—what exactly changed to earn that praise?
• Which of these outcome targets would matter most to you and your stakeholders? Options: Total cost of ownership reduction, Reduced downtime/response times, Improved preventive maintenance completion, Cleaner emissions/EV adoption, Transparent monthly reporting, Other
• What percent reduction in total fleet cost would be meaningful enough to justify change in your view? Options: <5%, 5–10%, 10–15%, 15–20%, 20%+
• How do you want performance reported—dashboard cadence, audience, and level of technical detail? Options: Monthly high-level for council, Monthly technical for operations, Quarterly combined, Real-time dashboards + monthly summaries, Other
• Tell me about the emotional impact: if your team reached these goals, how would that change day-to-day for you and your staff?

What’s Getting in the Way of Change?

• What’s the single worst-case outcome leadership fears if you pursue fleet consolidation or third‑party management? Options: Service disruption, Political backlash, Union conflict, Higher near-term cost, Loss of departmental control, Other
• Which transition risks worry you most: data loss, maintenance service gaps, parts logistics, or staff displacement? Options: Data loss/inaccuracy, Maintenance gaps/downtime, Parts/supply chain, Staffing/union issues, Contractual surprises, Other
• Have you tried any previous initiatives to address these barriers? What worked, what failed, and why?
• How long would a pilot need to run for you to feel confident about rolling a solution out more broadly? Options: 30 days, 60–90 days, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, Depends on scope
• Who are the internal champions that could help overcome resistance, and what motivates them?

Trusting the Numbers: Data, Models, and the Stories Behind Them

• What would make you distrust a vendor’s lifecycle model in under five minutes? Options: Lack of local data, Unrealistic assumptions, No audit trail, Missing maintenance history, One-size-fits-all recommendations, Other
• What data sources can you provide and how accessible are they (open/proprietary, formats, completeness)? Options: Tires/repair history, Telematics/usage data, Asset inventory CSV, Purchase records, Capital schedule, Other
• How accurate is your current inventory and VIN-level condition tracking (best estimate)? Options: >95% accurate, 80–95%, 60–80%, <60%, Unknown
• Which maintenance KPIs do you already track and which feel unreliable? Options: PM completion rate, MTTF/MTTR, Cost per mile/hour, Downtime hours, Work order backlog, Other
• If we asked for a quick vehicle audit, what operational or political hurdles might block access?

Logistics & Readiness Signals: When Can We Move?

• Which single operational issue would force you to delay any new program launch? Options: Data access issues, Pending capital approvals, Labor/union negotiations, Seasonal workload peaks, Critical vehicle shortages, Other
• Do you have existing contracts, warranties, or vendor obligations that could affect timing? Please list or summarize.
• What internal systems must integrate for a smooth rollout (e.g., CMMS, finance, telematics)? Options: CMMS/maintenance system, Finance/ERP, Telematics provider, Fuel card system, Parts inventory system, Other
• How do you currently schedule preventive maintenance and how consistently is it executed? Options: Time-based schedule, Mileage/usage-based, Condition-based, Mostly reactive, Mixed/varies by unit
• Who would be the point people to coordinate audits, data pulls, and field scheduling during a pilot?

Governance & Acceptance: How Will You Know It’s Working?

• What are the non-negotiable acceptance criteria your council or procurement team will require? Options: Clear cost savings, No service degradation, Transparent reporting, Compliance with cooperative contract, Local vendor participation, Other
• What KPI thresholds would make you declare a pilot successful (be specific—percentages, timeframes, or targets)?
• How often does leadership need formal updates (and in what format) to stay comfortable with a program? Options: Weekly brief, Monthly dashboard, Quarterly report, Ad hoc as requested, Annual summary
• If a KPI slips during implementation, what governance steps should trigger corrective action? Options: Pause rollout, Escalate to council, Adjust scope, Increase resources, Other
• Who will approve final acceptance—operations leadership, council, or a combined governance body? Options: Operations leadership, Council/board, Combined governance body, Procurement only, Other

Next Steps: What’s a Comfortable First Move?

• What would feel like a low-risk first step to test a new approach (pilot size, scope, or timeframe)? Options: Small pilot (10–25 units), Department-specific pilot, Single vehicle type pilot, Short proof-of-concept (30–90 days), Financial model only/desktop review
• What information or assurance do you need from a vendor before agreeing to a pilot? Options: References from similar agencies, Detailed lifecycle model sample, Contractual pilot terms, Insurance/indemnity, Implementation plan, Other
• How soon could you reasonably assemble the internal stakeholders needed to approve starting a pilot? Options: Immediately, Within 30 days, 30–60 days, 60–90 days, Longer than 90 days
• Who should we expect to bring into the next conversation to move things forward?
• What would make you personally comfortable signing off to move from discovery to a formal proposal?

Start with the Basics — Your Fleet at a Glance

• How many active vehicles and equipment units are in your fleet today (include light, medium, heavy, and specialty—give a single number)
• Which systems or methods do you use today to track inventory and condition? Options: Fleet management software (name below), Spreadsheet, Paper/manual records, CMMS integrated with telematics, Unknown/No single system, Other
• What vehicle categories do you operate? (select all that apply) Options: Light-duty cars/sedans, Light trucks (1/2–3/4 ton), Medium-duty trucks (1–3 ton), Heavy trucks (garbage, plow, dump), Construction/heavy equipment, Specialty vehicles (ambulance, transit, etc.), Trailers/equipment
• When was your last comprehensive fleet audit (inventory + physical condition) completed? Options: Within the last 3 months, 3–12 months ago, 1–2 years ago, Over 2 years ago, Never
• Describe any recent shifts in your fleet size or mix (major purchases, transfers, retirements, emergency acquisitions).

Is Your Backlog Worse Than You Think?

• What if 20–30% of your downtime is caused by fixable gaps in scheduling and parts—not inevitable wear—would that change priorities? Options: Yes, radically, Somewhat, Maybe, No
• How do you currently measure maintenance backlog (open work orders, hours, $ value, or other)? Options: Open work orders, Estimated labor hours, Parts cost ($), Days overdue, No formal measurement, Other
• Approximately how many open work orders or deferred repairs exist right now? Options: 0–50, 51–200, 201–500, 501–1,000, 1,000+
• Which types of deferred work dominate the backlog (select up to three)? Options: Brakes/safety systems, Powertrain, Electrical/electronics, Body/structural, Preventive maintenance overdue, Specialty equipment calibration, Other
• Tell us about a recent day where the backlog directly affected service delivery—what happened and what was the user impact?

How Old Is 'Too Old' in Practice?

• What if your replacement ages are set by habit or budget windows rather than lifecycle cost—could you be replacing too early or too late? Options: Yes, likely replacing too early, Yes, likely replacing too late, I think they’re about right, Unsure
• What age or mileage threshold currently triggers a replacement review for each category? (provide ranges or policy references)
• Which primary factor most often determines a replacement decision in your organization? Options: Age, Mileage, Condition inspection, Budget availability, Political/department request, Vendor recommendation, Other
• Share an example when an age-based rule led to an unexpected cost or operational problem.
• How often do you revisit or validate your age/mileage thresholds against actual lifecycle costs? Options: Annually, Every few years, Rarely, Never

Who’s Using What — The Utilization Story

• What if vehicles you consider 'spares' are actually preventing multiple service disruptions—are you certain about true utilization? Options: No, not certain, Somewhat certain, Yes, confident
• Which utilization metrics do you track today (select all that apply)? Options: Daily/weekly hours in service, Miles per day, Trips per shift, Idle time, Utilization by department/shift, No utilization tracking, Other
• For each major vehicle category, estimate the typical utilization band during peak season (choose the closest percent of available hours used) Options: 0–20%, 21–40%, 41–60%, 61–80%, 81–100%
• Do you have vehicles that sit unused most of the time but cannot be retired due to mission or political reasons? Describe.
• Have you tried deploying shared-vehicle pools or cross-department scheduling to raise utilization? What worked or didn’t?

Funding Rhythms — When Money Meets the Calendar

• How many capital-replacement opportunities have been delayed in the last two fiscal years because funding timing didn’t align? Options: None, 1–3, 4–7, 8–12, More than 12
• When does your capital budgeting cycle begin and end (month or fiscal quarter)? Options: Jan–Dec, Jul–Jun, Oct–Sep, Other (enter months below)
• Which funding sources do you commonly use for replacements or major repairs? (select all that apply) Options: General fund, Capital reserve/lease, Grants (state/federal), Bonds, Cooperative purchasing (Sourcewell/NASPO), Enterprise fund/user fees, Other
• How flexible is your organization about shifting capital between fiscal years when a cost/savings opportunity arises? Options: Very flexible, Somewhat flexible, Rarely flexible, Not at all
• Describe a time when capital timing caused you to accept a suboptimal purchase or delayed a replacement.

Maintenance Capability — Where the Work Actually Gets Done

• If your shop lost 20% capacity tomorrow, which services would immediately suffer—and how would that show up to citizens?
• How do you split maintenance work between in-house staff and external vendors? Options: Mostly in-house (>75%), Mixed (25–75% in-house), Mostly outsourced (>75%), Entirely outsourced, Other
• What is your current technician headcount and vacancy rate (number and %)?
• What is your preventive maintenance compliance rate (percent of P.M.s completed on schedule)? Options: >90%, 75–90%, 50–74%, <50%, Unknown
• Which operational constraints most often delay repairs (select up to three)? Options: Parts availability, Staffing/skills, Shop capacity, Scheduling/dispatching, Procurement lead time, Budget limits, Other
• List any current third-party maintenance or specialty contracts you rely on (tires, heavy repair, bodywork, diagnostics).

Data Truth — Can You Trust the Reports?

• If an auditor compared your fleet reports to physical reality, how likely is it they'd find material discrepancies? Options: Very likely, Somewhat likely, Unlikely, Don’t know
• Which data feeds are available to you today? (select all that apply) Options: Telematics (GPS/mileage), Engine diagnostics/CANbus, Fuel card data, Work order system, Parts inventory, Finance/purchase orders, None of the above, Other
• How often do you reconcile vehicle odometer, maintenance, and fuel data? Options: Monthly, Quarterly, Annually, Ad hoc, Never
• Which KPIs do you have readily available on dashboards today? (select all that apply) Options: Total cost of ownership (TCO), Cost per mile/hour, Downtime per vehicle, Utilization rate, PM adherence, Backlog age, None
• Describe one data source you trust and one you distrust—and why.

The Unwritten Rules — Political & Procurement Constraints

• Which unstated political or departmental rules most influence vehicle decisions even when they’re not in your policy manual?
• Which procurement pathways are you able to use today for vehicle acquisition? (select all that apply) Options: Cooperative contracts (Sourcewell/NASPO), Competitive bid/RFP, Sole source (rare), State contract, Piggyback/other agency contract, Grants with vendor restrictions
• Who must sign off before a major fleet purchase or consolidation? (list roles: e.g., Fleet Manager, CFO, Council, Union Rep)
• Have political or departmental objections prevented consolidations, replacements, or outsourcing in the past? Give a specific example and outcome.
• How concerned are you about public perception or media attention when vehicle changes are proposed? Options: Very concerned, Somewhat concerned, Not very concerned, Not at all

Priorities, Risks, and a Pilot—What Should We Tackle First?

• If you could fix three things about your fleet baseline today, what would they be (rank or list)?
• Which single risk worries you most if no changes are made in the next 12 months? Options: Safety incident, Major breakdown causing service outage, Budget overruns, Regulatory non-compliance, Political fallout, Other
• How soon would you be willing to pilot a data-driven baseline and constraint remediation on a subset of vehicles? Options: Immediately, Within 3 months, 3–6 months, Later this year, Not ready
• What success signals would convince your leadership that a baseline cleanup is working (quantifiable targets or stakeholder reactions)?
• Who should be at the table for a follow-up session to scope a pilot (list names/roles and best contact method)?

Quick Snapshot: Who You Are and What You Run

• Which best describes your role in fleet decisions? Options: Fleet Manager / Superintendent, Public Works Director, Purchasing Officer/Procurement, Finance / Budget Officer, Other (please specify)
• How many vehicles and equipment assets are in your active fleet today? Options: Under 50, 50–200, 201–500, 501–1,000, Over 1,000
• Which vehicle types make up the top three by count or cost in your fleet? Options: Sedans/Light duty, Service trucks/Light trucks, Medium/heavy trucks, Construction/heavy equipment, Transit buses, Specialty vehicles (e.g., ambulances, snowplows), Other
• Which procurement vehicles do you currently rely on or prefer? Options: Sourcewell, NASPO ValuePoint, State contract, Local RFPs/IFBs, Piggyback on another agency, Sole-source (rare), Unsure / We evaluate case-by-case
• Who are the key decision-makers that must sign off on a major fleet program (names/titles and their priority concerns)?

Are You Comfortable With the Status Quo?

• If nothing changed for the next 18–24 months, what is the most likely operational or political consequence your organization would face? Options: Growing maintenance backlog, Unexpected vehicle downtime affecting services, Capital budget shortfalls, Council/public complaints, Mandate non-compliance (e.g., emissions/EV targets), Other
• How large is your current maintenance backlog (work orders older than schedule) and how has it trended over the last two years? Options: No significant backlog, Small but stable, Growing steadily, Rapidly increasing, Unsure / data not tracked
• At what vehicle age or mileage do you typically escalate replacement conversations, and how strictly is that threshold followed? Options: By age (years), By mileage, By condition score, Varies by asset class, No formal threshold
• Where do you feel most friction when trying to schedule maintenance so it doesn't disrupt services? Options: Staffing/scheduling, Parts availability, Downtime impacts operations, Budget timing, Vendor coordination, Other
• Tell a recent story of a vehicle outage that impacted your operations—what happened and how did it feel to your team and leadership?

Where the Costs Hide (and Which Ones Keep Leaders Awake)

• Which unexpected or ‘hidden’ fleet cost has sparked debate with your leadership most recently? Options: Emergency repairs/overtime, Downtime-related service recovery, Fuel and usage inefficiency, Parts and vendor markups, Leasing/financing surprises, Disposal/residual value shortfall, Other
• Roughly what portion of your annual total cost of ownership is coming from reactive repairs versus planned maintenance? Options: Mostly reactive (>70%), Reactive ~50–70%, Reactive ~30–50%, Mostly planned (<30%), Don't have the breakdown
• What are your top three line-item drivers of annual fleet expense (list and estimated $ or % if known)?
• How consistent is preventive maintenance execution across departments or locations, and what prevents full consistency? Options: Uniform and consistent, Mostly consistent with exceptions, Highly variable across departments, Not tracked centrally, Other
• When cost surprises occur, who internally bears the political heat and how do those conversations typically go?

What Would Real Reliability Feel Like?

• Imagine your fleet met target availability every month—what immediate operational freedoms would that unlock for you and your teams?
• Which service-level metrics matter most to your stakeholders (select up to three)? Options: Vehicle availability (%), Mean time to repair (MTTR), Preventive maintenance completion rate, Downtime hours per vehicle, On-time response for service vehicles, Cost per mile / hour, Fleet utilization rate
• How often do elected officials, council, or senior leadership request fleet performance reports and what do they ask for? Options: Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annually, Only on request
• What specific dashboard or report change would make your next presentation to leadership easier or more persuasive?
• Describe a recent acceptance criteria or KPI that your team felt was unrealistic—what made it fail?

What’s Getting in the Way—Beyond the Numbers

• What political or organizational barrier would most likely stop a promising fleet program before contracts are signed? Options: Departmental autonomy resistance, Council/board skepticism, Procurement/legal objections, Union concerns, Budget cycle timing, Public perception/media
• When consolidation or centralization is proposed, which stakeholders tend to push back and what are their core objections?
• How have you handled departmental concerns about losing control of vehicles or budgets in the past—and what worked or didn’t?
• What procurement compliance items do you need to see up front to feel comfortable proceeding (e.g., cooperative contract IDs, insurance, W9, bid history)? Options: Cooperative contract number (Sourcewell/NASPO), Certificate of insurance, Bid/RFP documentation, References from similar agencies, Pricing matrix, Other
• How would you describe the organizational mood around change right now—energized, cautious, fatigued, or skeptical—and why? Options: Energized, Cautious, Fatigued, Skeptical, Mixed

If We Modeled Your Fleet, Where Should We Start (and What Would Surprise You)?

• Which single modeling assumption would you bet is most likely wrong in your current lifecycle analysis? Options: Residual values are overestimated, Maintenance cost per mile understated, Utilization assumptions incorrect, Fuel/energy cost trends underestimated, Other
• What systems and data sources can we access to model your fleet (e.g., Fleetio, AssetWorks, Fuel cards, Telematics, Financial ledgers)? Options: Fleet management system, Telematics provider, Fuel card transaction data, Accounting/ERP, Manual spreadsheets, We currently have limited/fragmented data
• How confident are you in the accuracy of your inventory and condition records (vin-level correctness, recent audits)? Options: Highly confident, Generally accurate with gaps, Significant inaccuracies, We haven’t audited recently
• If we ran a pilot lifecycle model, what output would convince you this work is worth scaling (examples: $ saved within 3 years, uptime improvement, budget smoothing)?
• What practical constraints should we know about when modeling (capital windows, grant timing, lease expirations, council approval cycles)?

What Would Make a Transition Feel Safe for You?

• What’s the worst thing a provider could do during a transition that would make you regret the decision? Options: Poorly managed service interruptions, Hidden fees or scope creep, Failure to meet procurement requirements, Bad communication with departments, Poor data handling/security, Other
• Which transition risks keep you up at night and how have you mitigated them before?
• What contingency or acceptance clauses are non-negotiable in a contract for you (e.g., SLA credits, phased rollouts, on-site audits, training requirements)? Options: SLA penalties/credits, Phased deployment with acceptance gates, On-site audits during transition, Detailed training and documentation, Escalation and governance committee, Other
• How do you prefer communications and issue escalation during a transition (choose all that apply)? Options: Daily standups during go-live, Weekly executive summary, Real-time incident channel, Monthly governance meetings, Ad-hoc as issues arise
• If we agreed a pilot, who from your team must be involved day-to-day and who needs only executive updates?

A Small Win: What Would a Pilot Need to Prove?

• If you committed to a pilot, what is the smallest scope that would meaningfully prove value? Options: A vehicle class subset (e.g., light-duty pool), A single garage/location, A specific cost driver (e.g., parts inventory), A time-boxed maintenance cadence improvement, Other
• How quickly do you need measurable results to justify further investment (weeks, months, one year)? Options: Within 30 days, 1–3 months, 3–6 months, 6–12 months
• What three success signals would you accept to greenlight scaling the pilot (quantitative or qualitative)?
• What approvals or governance steps would the pilot need to pass to expand across the organization? Options: Department head sign-off, Procurement/finance approval, Council/board notification, Union consultation, None / internal only
• What immediate data or access can you provide to get a pilot started (asset list, recent PM completion records, fuel transactions)?

Start With Your Story — who you are and what keeps you up at night

• In a single sentence, how would you describe your agency’s fleet mission and your role in it?
• What best describes the size and scope of your fleet today? Options: Under 50 vehicles, 50–150 vehicles, 151–500 vehicles, 501–1,500 vehicles, More than 1,500 vehicles
• Which vehicle classes are part of your fleet (select all that apply)? Options: Sedans/Light duty, Pickups/Service trucks, Medium-duty trucks, Heavy equipment (graders, loaders), Transit buses, Ambulances/Fire apparatus, Specialty vehicles (e.g., street sweepers), Other
• What recent event or pressure prompted you to explore a new fleet program right now? Options: Budget shortfall, Rising maintenance backlog, Council directive/oversight, EV transition mandate, Contract expiration, Service-disruption incident, Other
• Who else on your team should be part of this conversation and why?

Is Status Quo Costing You More Than You Think?

• If your current fleet approach stayed the same for three more years, what would you expect to be the single biggest negative outcome? Options: Cost increase, Service interruptions, Regulatory noncompliance, Political scrutiny, Loss of funding, Other
• How large is your current maintenance backlog (work orders or estimated $$), and how long has that level been building?
• How frequently do unscheduled vehicle failures cause missed service days or overtime? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely
• What portion of your maintenance spend do you estimate is reactive vs. preventive? Options: Mostly reactive (>75%), Reactive-heavy (50–75%), Balanced (25–50% reactive), Mostly preventive (<25% reactive)
• Tell us about a recent failure or budget surprise — what happened and how was it resolved?

Who's Really Calling the Shots — and how procurement actually happens here

• Who in your organization would ultimately sign off on a new fleet services contract, and who influences that decision most?
• Which procurement vehicles are you open to using or required to use? Options: Sourcewell, NASPO ValuePoint, State master contract, Local RFP/ITB, Existing cooperative vendor, Other
• What is your current capital budget cycle and the earliest fiscal year you could commit funds for vehicle replacement? Options: This fiscal year, Next fiscal year, Within two years, Uncertain / depends on approval
• How involved is council or an oversight committee in approving fleet-level changes (select the best fit)? Options: Direct approval required, Informational review only, Oversight with potential veto, Minimal involvement
• What procurement or compliance concerns have historically slowed down fleet initiatives here?

Where the Backlog Hides — the vehicles and processes creating hidden risk

• Which segment of your fleet quietly creates the most operational risk today (pick one)? Options: Aging light fleet, Heavy equipment, Emergency/service vehicles, Specialty units, Fuel/telemetry systems, Other
• What age or mileage threshold do you consider the tipping point for replacement in each vehicle class?
• How well do you trust your inventory data right now (accuracy of VINs, ownership, locations)? Options: Highly accurate, Mostly accurate (some gaps), Significant inaccuracies, We don't have a centralized inventory
• Which maintenance categories consume the most shop hours (select up to three)? Options: Preventive maintenance (scheduled), Engine/transmission repairs, Brake systems, Electrical/diagnostics, Bodywork/cosmetic, Tires/undercarriage, Other
• How long have the most pressing backlog issues persisted, and what attempts have you made to address them?

If Preventive Maintenance Never Missed a Beat — what would success look like?

• Imagine PM is delivered reliably across your fleet — what measurable changes would convince you this is a success? Options: Reduced downtime, Lower total cost of ownership, Fewer emergency repairs, Improved vehicle availability, Clearer reporting for council
• What specific KPIs or dashboard views does leadership expect each month? Options: Cost per mile, Downtime hours, Open work orders, PM compliance %, Fuel usage by vehicle, Emissions/EV metrics, Other
• What percent reduction in total fleet cost would you consider a meaningful win within 18–24 months? Options: 5–9%, 10–14%, 15–20%, More than 20%, Unsure
• How will you know the program is meeting service expectations—what are the acceptance criteria for go/no-go?
• Who needs to see the dashboards and reports (roles and cadence), and what would frustrate them most about a bad report?

Are Your Lifecycle Numbers Built on Hope or On Real Data?

• How confident are you that your current lifecycle replacement model matches actual operating costs and utilization? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Questionable accuracy, No formal model in place
• What historical data can you share to validate lifecycle modeling (select all that exist)? Options: Maintenance spend by VIN, Telematics/usage data, Fuel card transactions, Replacement history and costs, Depreciation schedules, None of the above
• Has your agency previously accepted a model recommendation that later proved incorrect? What happened?
• What level of modeling transparency is required (e.g., assumptions, scenario comparisons, confidence ranges)? Options: Full transparency with assumptions, High-level scenarios only, Prefer vendor-recommended plan, Uncertain
• If we proposed different replacement cadences by vehicle class, what constraints would prevent you from following them?

The Political Heat — where consolidation or change triggers resistance

• Who in your organization or community is most likely to feel threatened by fleet consolidation or centralized maintenance, and why?
• What non-financial concerns tend to drive opposition (e.g., departmental autonomy, local jobs, union issues)? Options: Departmental autonomy, Contractor/union concerns, Local vendor impact, Perceived loss of control, Transparency/accountability fears, Other
• Have you navigated similar political challenges before — what mitigation worked and what failed?
• What visible evidence or early wins would help overcome political resistance? Options: Pilot demonstrating cost savings, Improved uptime stats, Executive briefing pack, Public-facing transparency portal, Other
• How important is retaining local shop staff or transitioning them into the new model? Options: Essential, Preferred, Neutral, Not required

A Real First 90-Day Win — what we could prove quickly

• If we focused on delivering one measurable improvement in the first 90 days, which would be most convincing to leadership? Options: PM compliance increase, Reduction in open backlog, One-time cost avoidance, Improved vehicle availability for a key service, Accurate inventory audit
• What data and access would we need from you to deliver that 90-day win? Options: CMMS/work-order export, VIN & ownership list, Fuel transactions, Telematics access, Budget/capital schedule
• What transition risks worry you most during an initial phase (select up to two)? Options: Service disruption, Data migration errors, Budget timing mismatch, Political pushback, Vendor coordination
• Who would be our internal project sponsor and who would handle day-to-day coordination?
• Realistically, what timeline do you expect between signing an agreement and executing a 90-day pilot? Options: 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, Longer than 90 days

Next Steps — what a successful mutual commit looks like to you

• What approvals or documents must be completed before your organization can move forward with a program like this? Options: Council resolution, Purchasing approval, Capital expenditure authorization, Legal review, None / expedited
• Which cooperative-contract modules (e.g., parts, vehicles, services) would you prefer to leverage to avoid sole-source concerns? Options: Vehicle procurement, Parts and consumables, Maintenance services, Telematics, Fuel cards
• What is your ideal decision timeline from proposal to signed agreement? Options: 30 days, 60–90 days, 3–6 months, Depends on budget cycle
• What would make you hesitate to proceed even if the numbers looked favorable? Options: Political opposition, Uncertain data accuracy, Service continuity risk, Union/contractor issues, Other
• Who should we include in the next meeting to make sure the proposal addresses all approval gates?