The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2009/10/06 Item 13CITY COUNCIL AGENDA STATEMENT ~~cr, ~~~~ ,;~ ,-~- = CITY OF "~" CHULAVISTA OCTOBER 6, 2009 Item"_ ITEM TITLE: RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA WAIVING THE COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS AND AUTHORIZING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO .CONTRACT WITH AMERICAN EMERGENCY PRODUCTS FOR POLICE VEHICLE OUTFITTING SERVICES. SUBMITTED BY: CHIEF OF POLIC~~~' REVIEWED BY: CITY MANAGE.=~~ 3 4/STHS VOTE: YES NO X SUMMARY In order to process 24 new police vehicles in a timely manner, the Police Department recommends contracting with American Emergency Products to provide vehicle outfitting for the Police Department fleet. American Emergency Products can provide cost-effective services for outfitting police cruisers and contracting with this company would assist with updating current vehicles and would enhance the operational capabilities of the Police Department. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Not Applicable RECOMMENDATION That Council adopts the resolution. BOARDS/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Not Applicable DISCUSSION The Police Department has recently purchased 24 patrol sedans which will replace aging vehicles in the fleet. There are currently ten vehicles on site awaiting build out of all the required equipment (radios, light bar, MDC, etc), with another 14 vehicles on order, scheduled to be delivered in late September/early October. Because of City staffing reductions as a result of budgetary constraints, it is estimated that it would take upwards of one month per vehicle to fully outfit and prepare a police cruiser for service. This 13-1 OCTOBER 6, 2009 Item ~ 3 Page 2 of 3 would mean that based upon the number of vehicles waiting to be outfitted, it could take as long as 2 years to replace the 24 vehicles that are designated for replacement. This would cause severe operational impact to the Police Department as .vehicles which are slated for replacement have at least 100,000 miles of use. This could mean that cars awaiting replacement could reach nearly 200,000 miles of use. By way of comparison, normal vehicle replacement mileage for patrol cars was at 80,000 miles. It was extended to 100,000 miles during the latest budget crises in order to reduce replacement costs. In order to expedite the replacement process for these vehicles, the Police Department recommends contracting with American Emergency Products (formerly known as Thunderworks Mobile Engineering.) to provide police vehicle outfitting services. American Emergency Products is the only company in San Diego County which offers this service. They currently provide vehicle outfitting services to all of the local law enforcement agencies in San Diego with the exception of the City of San Diego (The City of San Diego utilizes internal staff for outfitting of police vehicles). They are a large nation-wide company which specializes in public safety vehicle outfitting, and maintain a very good reputation with the law enforcement agencies throughout the region. City staff from the Public Works Garage and Police Department conducted a site visit to American Emergency Products, whose facilities are currently located in the City of Santee. They maintain a very clean vehicle outfitting garage and utilize industry standard or better equipment for their builds. Staff was able to inspect several vehicles which were currently under construction and found the workmanship and materials used to be excellent. In reviewing the costs associated with contracting these services, staff has determined that the there are several benefits both economic and operational with regard to contracting with American Emergency Products. First, American Emergency Products can provide the outfitting services in acost-effective manner. Secondly, American Emergency Products can order equipment direct from the manufacturers at significant volume discounts. Staff compared the prices of equipment for police sedans supplied by American Emergency Products with what the City is able to purchase, and found that across the board, American Emergency Products prices are lower than what the City has been able to procure. Another advantage to American Emergency Products are that they are located in Santee, and can process up to three cars per week including the dismantling usable equipment from old police sedans. This is important as the recycling of usable equipment results in lower outfitting costs to the City, and quicker turn-around times for build outs. The full cost to build out a police sedan varies based upon which new equipment is required. Staff estimates the cost to outfit each police sedan to be between $7,000 to $10,000. It is difficult to estimate the true cost savings because of the different build requirements, but a conservative estimate is between $1,500 to $3,000 per vehicle. 13-2 OCTOBER 6, 2009 Item ~ 3 Page 3 of 3 DECISION MAKER CONFLICT Staff has reviewed the decision contemplated by this action and has determined that it is not site specific and consequently the 500 foot rule found in California Code of Regulations section 18704.2(a)(1) is not applicable to this decision. FISCAL IMPACT The City Council approved as part of the fiscal year 2010 budget, funds to outfit the aforementioned vehicles, therefore no additional appropriations are needed at this time. In succeeding fiscal years, vehicle replacement and outfitting costs will be budgeted as part of the normal vehicle replacement fund. ONGOING FISCAL IMPACT Ongoing costs associated with vehicle replacement and outfitting will be budgeted as part of the normal budget review process. ATTAC>FIlVIENTS None. Prepared by: Edward Chew, Administrative Services Manager, Police Department 13-3 RESOLUTION NO. RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA WAIVING THE COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS AND AUTHORIZING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO CONTRACT WITH AMERICAN EMERGENCY PRODUCTS FOR POLICE VEHICLE OUTFITTING SERVICES WHEREAS, the Police Department currently has 24 police sedans awaiting installation of emergency and safety equipment; and WHEREAS, the estimated build time for each vehicle utilizing current City staff is one car per month which would result in a significant delay in putting the new cars into service; and WHEREAS, the delay in building the new vehicles would cause significant safety and operational concerns; and WHEREAS, staff researched alternative solutions to expedite the build of patrol vehicles and contacted American Emergency Products to provide pricing and details to provide vehicle equipment installation services; and WHEREAS, American Emergency Products is the only company .in San Diego County which provides public safety vehicle equipment installation; and WHEREAS, American Emergency Products installs emergency and safety equipment to all but one local law enforcement agency in San Diego County and their quality of work, competitive market prices, close location and ability to provide one week turn-around for three police vehicles make them an ideal company to perform the required work. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the City Council of the City of Chula Vista does hereby waive the competitive bidding process and authorize the Police Department to contract with American Emergency Products for police vehicle outfitting services. Presented by: David Bejarano Police Chief Approved as to form by: ~~ Bart Miesfeld City Attorney 13-4