GSA Vehicle Acquisition Program: Leasing, Buying, and Ordering

The GSA vehicle acquisition program is the mandatory channel through which federal executive agencies and the Department of Defense obtain non-tactical cars, trucks, and specialized vehicles, either by leasing through GSA Fleet or by purchasing agency-owned units.¹ Both paths run through the GSAFleet.gov portal, and both draw their authority from the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949.²

Lease Through GSA Fleet or Buy Agency-Owned

The first decision is structural. Leasing through GSA Fleet means the agency pays a monthly rate plus a per-mile charge, and that bundled price covers maintenance, fuel, and administrative services. GSA describes this arrangement as roughly 20 percent more cost-effective than running an agency-owned fleet.¹ It is not a commercial lease. The relationship operates under 40 U.S.C. 601–611 and the Federal Property Management Regulations rather than the Federal Acquisition Regulation, so no lease agreement is signed in the ordinary sense; the statute itself governs.

Purchasing means the agency takes title and assumes full responsibility for maintenance, insurance, and eventual disposal. GSA still handles the buying, leveraging bulk federal purchasing power to negotiate prices individual agencies could not reach alone.³

Who Qualifies to Order

Federal executive agencies and military branches qualify directly. Any civilian agency can order sedans, light trucks, medium trucks, or heavy trucks through the purchasing program using the applicable Federal Standard numbers for each class.⁴

State and local governments get in through the 1122 Program, authorized under 10 U.S.C. 281. Qualifying agencies can purchase equipment suitable for counter-drug, homeland security, and emergency response activities through the Department of Defense’s supply chain. A state submits an equipment request along with advance payment, and the governor sets the process for coordinating requests from cities, counties, and other local units. The requesting agency pays shipping to its own location.⁵ GSA, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, maintains the catalog of eligible equipment.

Contractor access is narrower than most people assume. Under 48 CFR 51.2, only cost-reimbursement contractors may be authorized to use Interagency Fleet Management System vehicles, and only when the contracting officer determines it serves the government’s interest. The contractor must need at least two vehicles, the contract value must exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, and the agency head must make a best-interest determination. Fixed-price contractors are excluded unless the GSA Administrator grants a specific exception at the requesting agency’s behest.⁶ The authorization must be in writing, cite the specific contract number, and accompany each vehicle request in two copies to the appropriate GSA regional office. The contractor also assumes all risk of loss or damage.⁷

Placing an Order Through GSAFleet.gov

GSAFleet.gov is the online portal where requisitions get placed. GSA handles the underlying contracting so agency customers focus on selecting and configuring vehicles.³

For a standard vehicle, log into GSAFleet.gov, select “Fleet Offerings,” then the “Purchase vehicles” tile. Pick your agency and bureau, specify the shipping destination, and browse available vehicles by type. The system organizes offerings by Standard Item Number. You can compare models side by side, select optional equipment, resolve any conflicts between options, and then move to the financial information screen.⁸

Non-standard vehicles follow a separate path. GSA requires a conversation with an Offering Support Professional before you start a non-standard requisition. After that consultation, you initiate the process through the “Can’t find what you’re looking for?” section of the purchasing page and choose between an urgent requirement or a Multiple Award Schedule order.⁸

Agencies that still need a paper process can use GSA Form 1781, the Motor Vehicle Requisition. This two-page form covers standard vehicles under Federal Standard numbers 122 (sedans and station wagons), 307 (light trucks), 794 (medium trucks), and 807 (heavy trucks). The completed original and one copy go to GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, Automotive Division in Washington, D.C.⁴

Documentation and Financial Codes You Need

Whether you order online or on paper, GSA needs specific identifiers and financial data. The key identifier is your six-digit Activity Address Code, assigned when your organization establishes an account with GSA. It serves as your identity across all FEDSTRIP transactions and tells GSA where to send the vehicle, status updates, and billing documents.⁹ Defense agencies use a similar identifier called a DoDAAC. Requests for either code can only come from the designated ordering official within your agency.⁸

GSA Form 1781 requires an appropriation number, allotment number, and a requisitioner’s financial certification confirming that funding has been approved.⁴ The online system asks for the same financial data during the order workflow. Discrepancies between your funding codes and the fiscal year appropriations allocated by Congress will stall the request during financial validation, so double-check these entries before submission.

On the paper form, you select standard option codes from the applicable Federal Standard and enter them in the designated spaces. If you need equipment not reflected in the standard options, mark the form as non-standard and attach a complete description on a separate sheet.⁴ The online system handles this through its vehicle comparison and configuration screens.

Delivery, Inspection, and Title Transfer

Once GSA approves an order, the vehicle ships to the delivery address in the requisition. The designated receiving official must physically inspect the vehicle against the original specifications before accepting it. In GSAFleet.gov, the “Vehicles” tab under “Manage Requisitions and Orders” is where you pull up the order and acknowledge receipt.⁸ Document any discrepancies on the delivery receipt immediately. Waiting weakens your position.

For agency-owned purchases, the process concludes with Standard Form 97, the United States Government Certificate to Obtain Title to a Vehicle. Take it to your local titling agency for processing.¹⁰ SF 97 must be signed by an appropriate contracting officer, though agencies may delegate this signing authority.¹¹ Leased vehicles do not transfer title; GSA retains ownership.

What Happens After You Have the Vehicle

For leased GSA Fleet vehicles, maintenance is bundled into the monthly rate, but you cannot take the vehicle to any shop and authorize work. All repairs must be approved by GSA’s Maintenance Control Center before any work begins. Drivers call 866-400-0411 (option 1) to initiate any repair, including warranty work. If a vehicle is already at a shop, the vendor must contact the MCC before performing service. Drivers do not have authority to approve repairs on their own.¹²

Most light-duty GSA Fleet vehicles carry a manufacturer’s bumper-to-bumper warranty for 36 months or 36,000 miles. Powertrain warranties vary by manufacturer:

Ford: 5 years or 60,000 miles (Police Interceptor models get 5 years or 100,000 miles)
GM: 5 years or 60,000 miles
Hyundai and Kia: 10 years or 100,000 miles
Stellantis (Jeep, RAM): 5 years or 60,000 miles
Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Mercedes-Benz: 5 years or 60,000 miles
Mitsubishi: 10 years or 100,000 miles

Roadside assistance is available through the vehicle warranty.¹² Lease rates depend on vehicle type and location, and GSA publishes separate rate bulletins for CONUS, Europe, and other overseas locations each fiscal year.¹³ Agency-owned vehicles require the agency to budget separately for maintenance, fuel, insurance, and disposal.

Penalties for Misusing a Government Vehicle

Under 31 U.S.C. 1349, any officer or employee who willfully uses or authorizes the use of a government passenger vehicle for anything other than official purposes faces a mandatory suspension without pay for at least one month. If circumstances warrant, the penalty escalates to a longer suspension or summary removal from federal service.¹⁴ It is not discretionary. The agency head is required to impose the suspension. The implementing regulation at 41 CFR 109-6.450 restates the same one-month minimum without compensation.¹⁵ Driving a government vehicle home, running personal errands, or letting an unauthorized person operate the vehicle all count as misuse.

When Vehicles Come Out of Service

Vehicles cannot be replaced whenever an agency prefers an upgrade. The government sets minimum retention standards, and a vehicle must meet either the age or mileage threshold (whichever comes first) before replacement:

Sedans and station wagons: 3 years or 60,000 miles
Light trucks (under 12,500 lbs GVWR): 6 years or 50,000 miles
Medium trucks (12,500–23,999 lbs GVWR): 7 years or 60,000 miles
Heavy trucks (24,000 lbs GVWR and over): 9 years or 80,000 miles
Four- or six-wheel drive vehicles: 6 years or 40,000 miles
Ambulances: 7 years or 60,000 miles
Intercity buses: 280,000 miles
City buses: 150,000 miles
School buses: 80,000 miles

These thresholds come from the Federal Property Management Regulations.¹⁶ Once GSA Fleet determines a leased vehicle meets replacement criteria, it is offered to the public through auction. GSA sells over 30,000 vehicles this way each year.¹⁷

Zero-Emission Vehicle Policy in 2025 and Beyond

Executive Order 14057, signed in December 2021, had called for 100 percent zero-emission light-duty vehicle acquisitions by 2027 and a fully zero-emission federal fleet by 2035. That executive order was revoked on January 20, 2025, by Executive Order 14148.¹⁸ Following the revocation, GSA issued Directive 5605.1B in March 2025, which halted all new electric vehicle charging station installations at GSA-managed federal facilities. Existing charging infrastructure not deemed mission-critical faces deactivation, and agencies must provide a written determination of mission-critical need to justify continued operation of any remaining stations.¹⁹

The practical effect for agencies placing orders now: zero-emission mandates no longer drive acquisition decisions. Agencies still choosing electric or hybrid vehicles need to account for the more restrictive charging infrastructure environment at federal facilities when evaluating whether those vehicles can serve their operational needs.

1
GSAFleet.gov. Vehicle Leasing Customer Guide
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 40 USC 101 – Purpose
3
General Services Administration. Vehicle Purchasing
4
General Services Administration. GSA 1781 – Motor Vehicle Requisition
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 281 – Procurement of Equipment by State and Local Governments Through the Department of Defense
6
Acquisition.GOV. 48 CFR Subpart 51.2 – Contractor Use of Interagency Fleet Management System Vehicles
7
eCFR. 48 CFR Part 51 Subpart 51.2 – Contractor Use of Interagency Fleet Management System
8
GSAFleet.gov. Purchasing User Guide
9
General Services Administration. FEDSTRIP Operating Guide
10
General Services Administration. SF 97s – Frequently Asked Questions
11
eCFR. 41 CFR 109-38.701-50 – Authority to Sign Standard Form 97
12
General Services Administration. Maintenance Control Center
13
General Services Administration. Vehicle Rates
14
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 1349
15
eCFR. 41 CFR 109-6.450 – Statutory Provisions
16
U.S. Government Publishing Office. 41 CFR Part 102 Subpart E – Replacement of Motor Vehicles
17
General Services Administration. Sales of GSA Fleet Vehicles
18
FedCenter. EO 14057 (Revoked)
19
General Services Administration. GSA Partners With Agencies to Eliminate Wasteful Vehicle Charging Stations at Federal Facilities