Tackling rising costs and future planning
UTILITY- EQUIPMENT SPEC’ ING
Strategic Procurement
Tackling rising costs and future planning
By Seth Skydel
For many utility fleets, the past several years have been marked by rising vehicle prices, supply chain disruptions and delivery delays. At the 2026 EUFMC, this topic was front and center as fleet leaders discussed how they are successfully rethinking traditional practices in response to market conditions.
The discussion, moderated by Fortunato Gulino, chief automotive engineer at Consolidated Edison and an EUFMC Director, featured Christi Oca,
Christi Oca, associate manager of fleet
JEA capital & logistics support
at JEA, and Robert“ Nick” Atkins, senior sourcing specialist for Dominion Energy.
Focusing on how their fleets are responding to escalating equipment costs, extended lead times and the need for smarter
Nick Atkins, Dominion Energy
asset management, the discussion provided advice on practical strategies for procurement, standardization, vendor management, rightsizing and longterm fleet planning.
New Reality Both panelists described how their fleets have adjusted procurement processes to remain productive despite the challenges they face. For JEA, the answer was a fundamental change in purchasing strategy.
Oca explained, for example, that the utility moved away from a system that required equipment to be ordered and received within the same fiscal year. Instead, JEA redesigned its
At JEA, standard technical specifications are in place for light- and medium-duty vehicles while operating departments can select from a defined set of options to accommodate different needs. For example, the largest medium-duty platform supports approximately 40 departments through 17 different packages. Heavy-duty and aerial units are largely standardized to support fleet flexibility.
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Telecom & Utility Construction | Fall 2026