REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 01/04/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Authorize the purchase of a police mobile command vehicle from Braun NW, Inc.
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to authorize the purchase of a police mobile command vehicle and needed outfitting in the amount of $351,194.46. This will replace the aging mobile command vehicle which has been in service since 2004. City Council approved funding of a new mobile command vehicle with the Fiscal Year 2023 budget.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a purchase order to Braun NW, Inc. of Chehalis, Washington in the amount of $351,194.46, to purchase a North Star 197-5 Mobile Command Vehicle.
b. Make a determination, under Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.140(C), that competitive bidding has been satisfied based upon the reasons provided in "Basis for Determination of Competitive Bidding" section of this report.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to negotiate and execute non-substantive extensions, amendments, and change orders up to 10%, or $35,119.46 of the original contract amount as provided by Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.080(I).
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Corona Police Department's (PD) Special Response Team (SRT) is using an equipment truck purchased in 2004. The truck is set for replacement in Fiscal Year 2023 after being in service for almost 18 years. The current vehicle is large, about the size of a large Class A motorhome, and is cumbersome to use in tactical situations in urban environments. Additionally, the vehicle had many issues over the years, including electrical, generator, air brakes, broken cabinets, and door locks. There have been intensive repairs of the vehicle's wiring and multiple repairs of doors used to secure specialized, costly, and expensive tactical gear and weapons. This large, cumbersome, and outdated vehicle is no longer conducive to the Department's needs.
ANALYSIS:
Since 2004, Corona PD has been paying motor pool rates for Vehicle No. 73005, which has replacement funding available. A truck the size of an ambulance has been selected as a replacement vehicle. This vehicle will provide more maneuverability and a smaller platform while providing higher security for storing the team's unique equipment. The truck also sits on a regular heavy-duty truck body, which allows for similar drivability to a personally operated vehicle. The vehicle will store all the team's special tools, has a heavily secured armory to store guns, and an Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) approved day box used to store explosives and gas devices per ATF safety regulations. The new vehicle will include a small office space in the rear of the truck for dispatchers and incident commanders to work on the administrative side of operations during high-risk tactical situations. The manufacturer, Braun NW, is a leader in the field of tactical and command vehicles and offers one of the industry's best warranties. Several of our neighboring law enforcement partners use Braun NW. Braun NW offers the vehicle through the Houston-Galveston Area Council of Government's Cooperative Purchasing Program known as HGACBuy.
BASIS FOR DETERMINATION OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING:
This method of procurement is permitted per the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) section 3.08.140(c), which states that competitive bidding has been satisfied under the following condition:
"Completive Bidding already completed. When the Purchasing Manager and the authorized contracting party, with the approval of the City Manager, determine that:
(1) A competitive bid procedure has been conducted by another public agency including, but not limited to, another local agency, the state through the California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS), the federal government through the General Services Administration (GSA), the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, or the Western States Contracting Alliance (WSCA); and
(2) The price to the City is equal to or better than the price to that public agency."
On February 13, 2020, a Notice Inviting Bids ("NIB") AM10-20 was published by the Cooperative Purchasing Program (HGACBuy) of the Houston-Galveston Area Council of Government's (HGAC) website inviting interested parties to submit bids for ambulances, EMS and other special service vehicles. HGACBuy received and opened twenty-four bids for Ambulances, EMS, and Other Special Service Vehicles on May 7, 2020.
All bid responses were evaluated by HGAC staff. Twenty-four bids (consisting of eighty-three vendors) were recommended for award.
The Purchasing Division seeks cooperative purchasing agreements because they allow the City to save time, cut administrative costs, improve agency efficiency and maximize city budgets by securing collective competitive pricing. By utilizing cooperative purchasing, the City will leverage a previous purchasing solicitation that another government agency performed.
Based on this previously conducted bid process by HGACBuy, the Public Works Department requests approval to purchase the Mobile Command Vehicle from Braun NW, Inc. in the amount of $351,194.46.
There is an estimated 480-day lead time for the completion of this vehicle. Once the vehicle is complete, it will be delivered to the City of Corona.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended actions is available in the Vehicle Procurement Project No. 68340 within the Fleet Operations Fund 682.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action merely approves the purchase of a vehicle, and there is no possibility that this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: AKWIANO BARNES, FLEET MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Braun NW, Inc - Proposal
2. Exhibit 2 - HGACBUY-Ambulances, Ems, and other Special Service Vehicles
3. Exhibit 3 - Braun NW, Inc - Equipment Vehicle Specifications
4. Exhibit 4 - Specifications and Dimensions
5. Exhibit 5 - SRT Equipment Truck- Scope of Work