Key Tips to Spec It Right the First Time

There is more to writing a vehicle specification than listing horsepower, payload,
dimensions and power.

The best spec writers approach the job like detectives. They ask operators what they need,
technicians what they can support and vendors what they can deliver today that will
function well down the road.

Gather Spec Insights

When writing vehicle or equipment specifications for a public entity, the spec writer should
meet with equipment vendors and get a demonstration on the equipment. They should also
schedule time for those who will operate the equipment to test and inspect it personally.
Much of that role involves interviewing the people who will use the equipment.

Sam Lamerato, owner of Public Fleet Advisors LLC, says meeting with user department
personnel and determining what they are looking for in the equipment is crucial. After
reviewing the budgeted amount for equipment, the spec writer should determine from
talking to the operators what the piece of equipment can and cannot do.

The writer can meet with other employees, but the operators who use the equipment every
day are best equipped to describe its capabilities. For example, the operators might note
that it has issues pulling an air compressor or a heavy trailer, and because of that it has a
hard time stopping in a safe distance, which is obviously a major safety concern.

Lamerato says spec writers should also ask operators what they see this piece of
equipment doing in the next eight to 10 years. For example, do they plan on going from a
signal axle trailer to a tandem axle trailer to a tri-axle trailer?

“Right-size is the buzzword: Right-size this piece of equipment for today’s operation and for
the future,” says Lamerato, who was fleet superintendent in Troy, Michigan, and worked in
the Troy fleet department for over 40 years before co-founding Public Fleet Advisors.

These steps are vital because a municipality often gets just one shot at a big purchase.
Fleet managers do not want to make a mistake on that purchase and have to return to the
city council or board of commissioners in a few years and say that the equipment is not
doing the job and that additional funds are needed.

“It’s not a good thing to do. You will lose a lot of confidence in your boards and your
councils,” Lamerato says. He stresses that it’s also vital to make sure the specification is
competitive because many municipalities don’t like a sole-source specification.

Pressure Test the Spec

Next, the spec writer should continue the investigative work with vendors.

“I always met with the vendors one-on-one to tell them what we were looking for, and they
supplied me with information on what they currently had or manufactured that could meet
that specification,” Lamerato says.

It’s also important to know if the vendor can support the equipment after the sale. This
means looking at the vendor’s inventory of repair parts, number of service technicians,
technician expertise and number of service bays at the facility.

The writer should also include in the spec whether it’s a special piece of equipment like a
sweeper or a combination catch basin cleaner. Does the vendor have loaners available
should the equipment go down for over 24 hours? If so, will the vendor provide a loaner
under the warranty period at no charge?

“That’s going to separate the real players in this type of purchase,” Lamerato says.
Then the spec writer should meet with the operators and the user department again to
review the specification and have them sign off that this piece of equipment will do the job
for them today and in the future.

Once the equipment meets the specification on paper, the next step is to put it in the
operators’ hands.

Operators and technicians should experience an on-site demonstration where they can operate the equipment and receive training in its daily maintenance. That demonstration should include getting operator feedback. The technicians should have separate training on the required maintenance intervals and troubleshooting necessary to keep the equipment on the road.

Spec for Standardization

A spec writer’s investigation must also consider whether the municipal shop can efficiently
maintain what it is buying.

That consideration is becoming more important as fleets struggle to recruit technicians
and shops are asked to support a more diverse mix of vehicles and equipment.

A tech might work on a GM pickup truck early in the day, then a Ford and then a Chrysler.
Later, that same technician might be asked to work on a trailer or even a chainsaw. The
challenge is finding, and keeping, technicians capable of handling this diversity.

Lamerato explains that private organizations are catching up with public fleets, offering
stronger hiring incentives to techs, such as signing bonuses and paid holidays. They’re
even offering uniforms, which many techs were forced to pay for in the past.

With that in mind, Lamerato recommends that fleets standardize when possible.

“If you don’t have technicians to repair the vehicles you’re spec’ing, it’s easy to point the
finger and say, ‘Well this vehicle just doesn’t do what we want it to do,’ when in fact it’s just
not being maintained correctly,” Lamerato says.

A fleet, when possible, should try to standardize its equipment. This will reduce its parts inventory, cost of training technicians and OEM-specific diagnostic equipment and specialty tools, saving fleets time and money.

“So, it’s the whole package. That’s why I always got input from my technicians before purchasing a new piece of equipment,” Lamerato says.

Fleets can work toward standardization by using cooperative purchasing agencies.

Lamerato says cooperatives, such as Sourcewell and the Houston-Galveston Area Council,
award contracts to manufacturers such as Caterpillar and John Deere, allowing fleets to
standardize equipment and reduce the parts and diagnostic tools they need to stock.
Standardization also allows technicians to develop deeper expertise in maintaining and
repairing equipment from fewer manufacturers.

Balance Budget, Risk and Future Needs

Lamerato discussed how spec’ing relates to the big picture, noting that an F-150, for
example, won’t be very dependable if it is over-stressed by pulling trailers that are heavier
than its capabilities. Spec’ing incorrectly can also lead to liability if the vehicle gets into an
accident.

He mentions heavy-duty salt trucks in Michigan as an example. If the truck gets into an
accident and injures someone because it was spec’d incorrectly and could not stop fast
enough, attorneys will look for ways to point the finger at the company operating the truck.
“I never want to put anybody in danger, so we always make sure we spec our vehicles to
handle the load that they are going to be handling today and into the future.”