Each year Fleet Services replaces Police and Fire vehicles according to a replacement schedule. For FY 17 there are seven Patrol and Detective vehicles scheduled for replacement. In FY18 there are fourteen Patrol, Detective, and Fire vehicles scheduled for replacement. All of these emergency services vehicles require special equipment including lights, sirens, radios, partitions, special seats, gun mounts, and other parts specific to the type of work the vehicle is used for.

In addition to the vehicles scheduled for replacement each year a few vehicles that were not scheduled need to be replaced due to accidents or failure and are not economically feasible to be repaired.

Historically Fleet Services specifies the equipment needed to up-fit each vehicle scheduled for replacement and solicits quotes from various vendors for that work. This is a very time consuming process and delays placement of these vehicles into service.

This year we came up with a comprehensive list of specifications required to up-fit emergency vehicles and formally solicited bids based on that list. If approved Fleet Services will be able to specify the work to be done to each specific vehicle and can get the vehicle into the up-fit build shop without delay.

The City executed a bidding process in order to identify a vendor that would provide Emergency Vehicle Up-fit services on an ongoing, as-needed basis for a defined period.  While the City works to standardize equipment in similar vehicles, the nature of the industry is that part model numbers and designs may change over time.  Therefore, each installation may be slightly different from the next one.  The bid document was specifically designed so that interested vendors would bid on a “sample” installation of a typical emergency vehicle upfit.  That pricing would then be used to compare bidders and establish a basis for the award of the bid. This process was clearly communicated to potential bidders in the bid specification. For the purposes of this bid, bidders were asked to provide pricing to upfit a 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe.  The Tahoe is a vehicle routinely supplied for Police Department operations.

Bid #17/18-002 (Emergency Vehicle Upfit) was issued on May 24, 2017. Bid documents were downloaded by multiple vendors, plan rooms and bid information distributors.  The City received 2 bids at the deadline on June 14, 2017.  The detailed re-cap of the bids provided is attached to this report.  In summary, the pricing provided for the sample vehicle was:

Lehr Auto Electric:           $11,544.56

Sierra Electronics:            $12,043.00

Should the City Council award this bid as recommended, future vehicle upfit needs will be purchased on an as-needed basis from the awarded vendor based on (then) current pricing, specific to the base vehicle and the equipment list defined at the time of need.  All purchases would be within the approved budget for those goods/services.  The Bid Document indicates that the intention of the City would be to use the awarded vendor for a period of 12 months, with mutually agreeable options to extend the term for (up to) three additional 12-month periods.

1. The City Council may approve the item as recommended.
2. The City Council may reject the recommendation of staff.
3. The City Council may choose not to approve the award of the Bid, but direct the City Manager further.

I move to award Bid #17/18-002 for Emergency Vehicle Upfit to Lehr Auto Electric.