Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner today announced that her office will begin an audit of First Vehicle Services (FVS), the maintenance provider for County vehicles. The audit, which begins tomorrow, will look at operations and cost reductions in relation to its contract with the County. This audit follows the Controller’s recent audit of County-wide vehicle use, which found misuse of County vehicles and fuel cards, and discovered theft of approximately $13,000 by an employee of First Vehicles Services.
 
“As we’ve seen, County vehicle usage is an area that is ripe for abuse, which calls into question if there is more expansive misuse or misconduct,” Wagner said. “This next step in the review of the maintenance of the County’s vehicle fleet will look into if First Vehicle Services is properly complying with its contract or if there are proper procedures and oversight in place.”
 
Wagner’s contract compliance audit will determine if FVS met its contractual obligations with the County during the period from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2014. FVS provides maintenance, repair and inspection services for the County’s vehicle fleet. More specifically, the Controller is looking to determine a comprehensive detailing of all vehicles, services performed and parts acquired, as well as documentation that is maintained on fleet vehicles and vehicles used for snow and ice removal during the period of review.
 
The County’s contract with Cincinatti-based FVS, which began on May 1, 2011, is $11 million and runs through April 30, 2016. The company also contracts with the City of Pittsburgh and was audited by the City Controller in 2010.