TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, Acting City Manager
FROM:
Eve R. Irvine, Police Chief
Matt Sabosky, Sergeant
Gwen Eng, Purchasing Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Award of Bid to the Armored Group, LLC for the Budgeted Purchase of One Law Enforcement Tactical Vehicle in the Amount of $184,000 (Acting City Manager Moe).
APPROVE; APPROPRIATE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Award RFP #981-14 to the Armored Group, LLC in the amount of $184,000 for the purchase of one budgeted replacement Law Enforcement Tactical Vehicle; and
2) Appropriate $74,000 from available moneys in the Asset Forfeiture Fund.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The total purchase price is $184,000. Funds totaling $110,000 are budgeted in the fiscal year (FY) 2013-2014 Fleet Management Fund for the purchase of this vehicle; the balance of $74,000 will be funded with Asset Forfeiture Funds.
The budget estimates were based on the original make/model and direct replacement of existing equipment. The differential between the budgeted amount and estimated expenditure is due to improved safety features and additional peripherals/functionality required for the new vehicle.
The Police Department will utilize available Asset Forfeiture funds to supplement the additional cost of the vehicle. The City receives Asset Forfeiture funds after law enforcement has seized monies/assets from suspects involved in the sale, purchase, and/or manufacturing of illicit drugs. Based on cause, a civil court can forfeit these monies to local, state and federal law enforcement.
Asset Forfeiture funds received by the Manhattan Beach Police Department are the result of Police Department investigations, joint investigations with other agencies and our participation in task force operations. A permissible use of these funds is the purchase of law enforcement equipment. Because the requested items will be partially purchased with Asset Forfeiture there is less impact on the General Fund.
Sufficient funds are available in the Asset Forfeiture Fund balance to complete the purchase. An appropriation of $74,000 is required.
BACKGROUND:
The FY 2013-2014 budget includes the replacement of 44 vehicles and equipment in the City's fleet that need to be purchased in order to maintain service levels, reduce repair costs and provide for cost-effective fleet operations. The list represents "catch-up" years when the fleet was not actively replaced due to budget constraints.
DISCUSSION:
The Manhattan Beach Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team is trained to meet the demands of a critical incident such as high risk search warrants, high risk arrest warrants, barricaded suspects, hostage incidents, dignitary protection details, crowd control and mutual aid requests. In order to respond to such an incident, specialized training, equipment and vehicle are necessary.
The current vehicle, a model year 2000 Chevrolet Workhorse, lacks many of the capabilities necessary to run a tactical command post at a critical incident. There is no radio accessible from the vehicle's exterior, no television to review scouting photographs and videos, is underpowered and has difficulty climbing steep grades while fully loaded. Additionally, there is no method to charge electronics and little storage space for equipment. The vehicle does not have the room for expansion nor improvements.
Request for proposals were issued to five vendors and posted on the City's website. A total of seven bid responses were received. The bid comparison (Attachment 1) shows the aggregate price including sales tax (the lowest bid is indicated in bold font). Based on these bids, staff recommends that the City Council award RFP #981-14 to the lowest responsible bidder, the Armored Group, LLC, for one Law Enforcement Tactical Vehicle in the amount of $184,000.
If this purchase is approved, the existing unit will be retired and sent to auction. The auction amount will be determined by vehicle and market conditions. The new vehicle will arrive in approximately 10 months.
Attachment:
1. RFP #981-14 Comparison for Law Enforcement Tactical Vehicle