PITTSBURGH - Looking to cut costs, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials have teamed up to solicit bids for managing their vehicle fleets, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's office proposed legislation April 13 that would extend a contract with the city's current fleet manager, Cincinnati-based First Vehicle Services, on a month-to-month basis for as long as six months.

Mayoral spokeswoman Joanna Doven said that arrangement would give the city and county time to explore whether to bring in a vendor to manage both fleets.

County spokeswoman Megan Dardanell said a joint request for proposals was issued in January. She said vendor proposals were due this month and a contract could be in place by Aug. 1. According to Dardanell, First Vehicle also currently manages the county fleet under a separate contract.

City Councilman William Peduto introduced the bill April 13 for a month-to-month extension with First Vehicle. However, he said he didn't know whether Ravenstahl's ultimate goal was another long-term contract with First

Vehicle, putting the contract out for bid, negotiating a shared-services arrangement with the county or bringing the work in-house. With the city's contract with First Vehicle due to expire May 20, Peduto said, he wanted to quickly schedule a post-agenda meeting to discuss the future of fleet management.

According to the Gazette, Doven later said the mayor's goal was to share services with the county.

"We are always looking to get Pittsburghers the best service at the lowest available cost," she said. "Working jointly with the county increases the likelihood of additional cost savings for them as well as the city."

City Councilman Ricky Burgess introduced a separate bill April 13 that would require most of the 1,000 or so vehicles in the city fleet to be equipped with GPS devices by mid-2012. "What this does is give us a tool to maximize fleet utilization," he said, reported the Gazette.