County hears fuel-card options: state contract vs. Sourcewell rebate model

A presenter identified as Tanya provided Madison County commissioners an overview of fuel-card options to help the county manage fuel and maintenance payments per vehicle.

Tanya explained that the State of Montana contract (available for piggybacking) runs through 2027 and does not pass a rebate to the purchaser; "the Montana contract does not provide you with a rebate. So, the state keeps the rebate," she said. She contrasted that with the Sourcewell cooperative contract, which runs through 2029 (with one-year renewal options) and provides a 1% rebate off the posted pump price but excludes some tier-one truck stops from the rebate.

Tanya demonstrated account controls and tracking features: assigning cards to vehicles, requiring driver ID and odometer entry at purchase to link transactions to vehicles, and online reporting that includes location, gallons, price and tax reporting. She described an app (WEX Connect) to find participating stations and noted that the vendor bills net of federal taxes.

Commissioners asked about whether the county would use cards for maintenance as well as fuel; attendees said the county sought vehicle-level spend visibility to better track maintenance and identify problem vehicles. The presenter said Sourcewell offers a rebate and tighter payment terms (26 days vs. 45 days under the Montana contract) while the Montana contract offers broader network coverage without direct rebate to the county.

No action was taken; staff said they will follow up with county finance to evaluate how either option would fit procurement and accounting workflows.