DATE: 10/16/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department and Police Department
2024-87
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
AUTHORIZE THE PURCHASE OF ONE NEW FORENSICS SERVICES VEHICLE FOR
THE CORONA POLICE DEPARTMENT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This Staff Report asks the City Council to authorize the purchase of a Forensics Services vehicle.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Authorize an Exception to Competitive Bidding pursuant to 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” with Braun Northwest, Inc., for the purchase of one (1) new vehicle for the Police Department in the amount of $333,000.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a purchase order to Braun Northwest, Inc. in the amount of $333,000.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to negotiate and execute substantive extensions, change orders, and amendments up to 10% of the total cost or $33,300 as authorized by Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.080(I). d. Authorize an appropriation in the amount of $366,300from the Fleet Replacement Fund 684 to the Vehicle Procurement Operations and Maintenance Project No. 68341.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Corona Police Department Investigative Services Division operates a full-time Forensics Services unit that responds to all major crime scenes and large-scale investigations. The team is equipped with various tools to assist the Detective Bureau with its investigations; those tools need a specialized vehicle for transportation and storage.
The Forensics Services team has had a Ford F450 (unit 73006) on a 15-year replacement schedule, with a custom-built storage box in service since 2008. The truck was scheduled to be replaced in 2022, meaning it has surpassed its serviceable window and is becoming increasingly expensive.
ANALYSIS:
The existing Forensic Services truck has exceeded its serviceable life span of 15 years, which creates additional expense and downtime. Additionally, because of its age, the vehicle’s technology is outdated and needs replacement. Because it is being built to our department’s specifications, we will choose the layout and design a vehicle that will meet our team’s needs. The new vehicle, set to be built by Braun Northwest, Inc., will allow our Forensics Services team to respond to major investigations and effectively assist our Investigative Services Division.
BASIS FOR DETERMINATION OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING
The City seeks out 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.
A competitive bid procedure has been conducted by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). The H-GAC operates a Cooperative Purchasing Program, HGACBuy, which allows local governments to purchase under their pre-negotiated contract rates. Braun Northwest, Inc., the supplier of this vehicle, has an existing agreement with H-GAC for the vehicle the Police Department is purchasing.
The City of Corona is an H-GAC member, and the H-GAC agreements have been reviewed by both the Police Department and the Public Works Department. This method of procurement is permitted per the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) section 3.08.140(c), which states that competitive bidding is not required for non-public projects as follows:
“Competitive 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.
The build price quoted to the Police Department is the same as listed on the H-GAC website for the same make and model of vehicle.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation in the amount of $366,300 from the Fleet Replacement Fund 684 to the Vehicle Procurement Operations and Maintenance Project No. 68341. There is sufficient fund balance available in the Fleet Replacement Fund 684 for the recommended actions.
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 purchase will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: MICHAEL GRIESINGER, FLEET MANAGER AND ROBERT
MONTANEZ, POLICE SERGEANT
REVIEWED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR AND ROBERT
NEWMAN, POLICE CHIEF
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Braun Northwest, Inc. Quote
2. Exhibit 2 – H-GAC Executed Contract-Braun Northwest, Inc.