Mercury Associates, Inc. Selected to Perform Fleet Management Study for Colorado State University

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercury Associates, Inc., North America's largest dedicated fleet management consulting company, has been selected to perform a comprehensive fleet management study for the Facilities Management Department of Colorado State University (CSU). CSU is one of four large state universities for whom Mercury currently is conducting such projects, joining the University of Alabama, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Penn State University.

"A typical state university has a vehicle and equipment fleet that looks much like that of a mid-sized city," explained Tony Yankovich, Senior Manager and Director of State and Local Government Consulting Services at Mercury. "It is not uncommon for these institutions to have fleets of 1,000 to 2,000 assets, ranging in composition from groundskeeping and facility maintenance equipment to law enforcement and other public safety vehicles to shuttles and full-size passenger transit buses."

Colleges and universities face the fleet management challenges highlighted in Mercury's recent Perfect Storm eBook: a loss of institutional knowledge, especially technical expertise in vehicle and equipment acquisition and maintenance, as veteran employees retire; the increasing complexity of automotive technology, such as vehicle electrification; and growing expectations that fleet management business processes be technology enabled and data driven.

"An added challenge in managing higher education fleets is that fleet management responsibilities are often decentralized, with as many as five or six different organizations managing some portion of the fleet," added Yankovich. "This practice prevents many institutions from employing full-time professional fleet management staff; leveraging buying power in acquiring vehicles and other fleet-related products and services; and standardizing fleet-related policies, procedures, information, and decision-support tools. Leadership at forward-thinking higher ed institutions is starting to realize that fleet management can be a fruitful area for cost savings and environmental sustainability improvements."

The scope of Mercury's project with CSU is typical of the areas on which the company's growing list of college and university clients wishes to focus:

• Top-to-bottom review of fleet management resources (staffing, facilities, information systems, etc.) and business practices;
• Identification of opportunities to rightsize and right type the fleet;
• Determination of long-term fleet replacement costs and the pros and cons of alternative methods of financing, such as leasing versus buying; and
• Assessment of the operational feasibility and costs of integrating alternative fuel vehicles into the fleet.

Other universities for whom Mercury has provided consulting services in these and other areas include the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Duke University, Fordham University, University of Iowa, Kent State University, Miami University of Ohio, Sam Houston State University, University of Wyoming, and McMaster University (Toronto). Mercury also has performed evaluations of the fleet management practices of entire state higher education systems (i.e., as many as 10 colleges and universities) in Alaska, Oregon, South Carolina, and Utah.

For more information about Mercury Associates, Inc. and its fleet management advisory and related services, please visit www.mercury-assoc.com.

About Mercury Associates:
Mercury is a fleet consulting and services firm dedicated to providing independent, unbiased technical assistance and advice to public and private organizations. Mercury combines specialized expertise and resources with unparalleled industry experience to provide objective results for its clients. Unlike generalist consulting firms, Mercury does one thing and one thing only: specialize in fleet management. Mercury's consultants have worked with hundreds of organizations operating highly diverse vehicle and equipment fleets. For information, visit www.mercury-assoc.com.

SOURCE Mercury Associates