Buying motor vehicles
Learn about the all-of-government motor vehicles contract. Through this contract your school can purchase passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles such as minibuses and vans.
| Level of compliance | Main audience | Other |
|---|---|---|
|
Recommended
|
|
|
- Benefits of joining this contract
- How to join the contract
- Key considerations for buying vehicles
- Electric vehicle power supply equipment
- More information
Benefits of joining this contract
Joining an all-of-government (AoG) contract is likely to save your school both time and money, while also reducing risk.
The AoG motor vehicles contract offers the following benefits to your school.
- Your school is projected to save 7% or more (depending on the vehicle selected) when buying vehicles through this contract, compared to the best prices available through the public market.
- You can select the vehicle that best suits your school's needs from a catalogue of options including standard passenger vehicles, minibuses and vans.
- Vehicles in the catalogue have been chosen based on their estimated total cost of ownership (TCO) over a 5-year/100,000 km period.
- Passenger vehicles in the catalogue meet a minimum 5-star ANCAP (or equivalent) safety rating, while the minibuses and vans meet a minimum 4-star rating.
- All vehicle suppliers offer:
- a warranty of at least 3 years/100,000 km as standard
- a minimum 4 years/100,000 km extended warranty as an option
- service plan options of 80,000 km and 100,000 km
- roadside service for mechanical breakdowns during the warranty period (including any extended warranty period).
How to join the contract
The process for joining the AoG rental vehicles contract is similar to that for other AoG contracts.
The process for joining the PTAS contract is similar to that for other AoG contracts.
- Complete a non-disclosure agreement
- Read about the contract and the memorandum of understanding
- Complete a lesser of accession
- Define your requirements
- Review the catalogue and select your vehicle
- Place an order with your chosen supplier
- Collect your vehicle from your chosen dealer
1. Complete a non-disclosure agreement
What is a non-disclosure agreement?
If your school has not signed up to an AoG contract before, you will need to complete a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) available on the New Zealand Government Procurement (NZGP) website.
Non-disclosure agreement form – NZGP(external link)
You can email school.buying@education.govt.nz to find out if your school has already completed an NDA.
2. Read about the contract and the memorandum of understanding
What is a memorandum of understanding?
Log in to the NZGP website to access more information on the contract. You will need to use your school-linked RealMe account because you will have access to commercially sensitive information.
Motor vehicles – NZGP(external link)
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) is in the 'contract documents' section of the motor vehicles contract page. The MoU sets out the obligations of schools participating in the contract.
3. Complete a letter of accession
What is a letter of accession?
The letter of accession (joining form) confirms your school agrees to the terms set out in the MoU.
- You can request a letter of accession (LoA) for the contract by emailing procurement@mbie.govt.nz.
- Email your completed LoA to procurement@mbie.govt.nz.
- Once the LoA is processed, you will receive a confirmation email.
You can now begin engaging with suppliers. Supplier contact details can be found on the NZGP website (you will need to be logged in with a school-linked RealMe account).
Motor vehicle suppliers – NZGP(external link)
4. Define your requirements
Consider how your school will be using the vehicle (or vehicles).
- How many people will want to use the vehicle on any trip? Most often, will it be smaller groups or larger groups (such as sports teams)?
- How much storage space will you need?
- What sort of vehicle will the users be comfortable driving?
- Are there any passengers the vehicle needs to be easily accessible for?
- How long will the trips made in the vehicle last?
- Will the trips made be on open roads or busy urban areas?
5. Review the catalogue and select your vehicle
Research the vehicles listed in the AoG catalogue and assess whether they meet your requirements.
Access the catalogue through the link below (you will need to be logged in with a school-linked RealMe account).
Using the motor vehicles contract – NZGP(external link)
If you are interested in a vehicle that is not on the catalogue, you can contact the supplier directly to request pricing and access to the AoG contract discounts.
Prepare a vehicle shortlist and note information including:
- vehicle details
- passenger capacity
- safety rating
- immediate purchase price
- total cost of ownership (TCO)
- cost of insurance
- standard warranty and details of extension option
- the dealer’s network and customer service
- an estimation of any repair costs.
This is a good time to evaluate the vehicles that you have shortlisted in person.
6. Place an order with your chosen supplier
Once you have selected your vehicles(s), you can place an order using the purchase order template available in the 'contract resources' section on the NZGP website (you will need to be logged in with a school-linked RealMe account).
Using the motor vehicles contract – NZGP(external link)
- You will need to provide an NZTA number (previously known as LTSA number) in the purchase order.
- This 9-digit number is a customer number provided by Waka Kotahi and forms part of vehicle registration process when a vehicle is registered to a school or business entity rather than a person.
- You can find the NZTA number on your last reminder letter from NZTA to renew the vehicle licence (rego).
- Alternately, contact NZTA directly on 0800 366 988(external link) or info@nzta.govt.nz.
- If your school requires a new NZTA number, you may complete a form on the NZTA website.
Application for NZTA customer number – Waka Kotahi NZ(external link)
Once you complete the purchase order, send it directly to your chosen supplier using the information below (rather than to a local dealer).
Motor vehicle suppliers – NZGP(external link)
7. Collect your vehicle from your chosen dealer
Your vehicle will be delivered to your local dealer who is then linked to the vehicle for ongoing servicing and maintenance.
The dealer will complete pre-delivery servicing, which includes an initial WOF, warranty check and groom.
You can now drive away with your school’s new vehicle.
Key vehicle considerations
Total cost of ownership
While a vehicle's immediate purchase price is important, take into account the total cost of ownership (TCO).
The TCO is an estimation of a vehicle’s whole-of-life costs (over a 5-year/100,000 km period) including:
- immediate purchase price
- registration fee
- fuel costs
- WOF
- scheduled servicing and maintenance (excluding parts)
- tyre replacement
- residual value (subtracted from the TCO).
The TCO does not include costs such as unscheduled servicing, replacement parts, accessories or insurance.
This TCO is listed in the AoG catalogue beside each vehicle.
Warranty
Although vehicles in the catalogue have a 3-year/100,000km warranty, this warranty can be extended.
Your school should consider extending their warranty as it may be worth paying the immediate extra cost, instead of facing an expensive repair bill in the future.
Service plans
Your school can choose to buy a service plan with your vehicle.
Service plans differ across suppliers and vehicles. However, they always include the cost of labour for a scheduled service and never include the cost of any parts required or unscheduled repair work.
Maintenance
Vehicles should be maintained by the supplier’s service centre, such as at the local dealer where the vehicle was picked up from (if possible).
This should be done at the intervals listed in the vehicle’s catalogue.
Having maintenance completed by the supplier’s service centre ensures that the vehicle is in good condition.
It is important that the supplier’s service centre is the business that completes the work. Under a vehicle’s warranty, the supplier has no responsibility over any problems that arise as the result of work done on the vehicle by someone other than the supplier.
Leasing vehicles
If your school chooses to lease a vehicle rather than purchase it outright, you can still benefit from this AoG contract.
Lease suppliers are able to access AoG motor vehicle pricing on behalf of your school (if they first sign a non-disclosure agreement).
A lease supplier will then pass on the cost of the vehicle, plus any services, to your school through their lease agreement.
- Your school must join the AoG contract before their lease supplier purchases a vehicle through the AoG motor vehicles contract on their behalf.
- Lease suppliers must first sign a non-disclosure agreement which can be requested from vehicles.coe@mbie.govt.nz (most of the main lease suppliers have already signed an NDA).
- A completed NDA must be emailed to the AoG motor vehicles team. Once approved, the AoG motor vehicles team will send a confirmation email to your school and your lease supplier.
However, because the commercial terms of a lease agreement are between a school and a lease supplier, the AoG motor vehicles team does not provide commercial advice on lease agreements.
Electric vehicle power supply equipment
Your school is eligible to purchase electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) through the Ministry's contract with EVNEX Limited.
This contract will allow you to access fast chargers and associated products at competitive pricing.
Contact schools.buying@education.govt.nz for more information.
Last reviewed: Has this been useful? Give us your feedback