ATLANTA – Gwinnett County is leading a coalition of 14 metro Atlanta governments to jointly buy up to 24 million gallons of motor vehicle fuel in bulk, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Expected total savings could be nearly $1 million. Gwinnett alone is expecting to save $100,000 in fuel costs through this process, according to County Administrator Jock Connell. The initiative follows months of intergovernmental contacts between purchasing and fleet management teams, said Scott Callan, Gwinnett County director of purchasing.

Details of the bidding process will be released at an April 16 press conference at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville. When the bids are completed, Callan said, the agencies will meet to discuss recommendations. Each agency will decide whether to continue with the process or pull out to solicit better deals on their own.

Last year, Gwinnett alone bought nearly 2 million gallons of gasoline and 4 million gallons of diesel fuel for a total of $18 million to operate county trucks, cars, and school buses.

Last month, the county approved a bid of $15.1 million for fuel from Mansfield Oil Co. on a one-year contract. That agreement, though, can be dissolved if the coalition can muster a better deal, according to Steve North, director of Gwinnett County Support Services.

Coalition members involved include: Gwinnett County, Gwinnett Schools, Fulton County, Cobb County and Cobb schools, DeKalb County and DeKalb schools, Forsyth County, Jackson County, and the cities of Atlanta, Covington, Gainesville, Marietta, and Smyrna.