DATE: 02/19/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Police Department and Public Works Department
2025-62
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
AUTHORIZE THE PURCHASE OF FIFTEEN (15) NEW FORD EXPLORERS FROM
FRITTS FORD FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to authorize the purchase and upfitting of fifteen (15) new vehicles for the Police Department in the amount of $1,331,245.20. These vehicles will replace the aging vehicles that have passed their life cycle.
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 Fritts Ford for the purchase of fifteen (15) new vehicles for the Police Department in the amount of $832,285.20.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a purchase order to Fritts Ford in the amount of $832,285.20.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a purchase order to Motorola Solutions, Inc., in the amount of $144,951.90 for the purchase of fifteen (15) police radios.
d. Authorize an appropriation in the amount of $832,285.20 from the Fleet Replacement Fund 684 to the Vehicle Procurement Operating and Maintenance Project No. 68341 for the purchase of fifteen (15) vehicles for the Police Department.
e. Authorize an appropriation in the amount of $498,960 from the Public Safety Reserve within Measure X Fund 120 to the Vehicle Procurement Operating and Maintenance Project No. 68341 for the purchase of fifteen (15) Motorola radios and vehicle upfit costs.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City of Corona Police Department’s mission is to ensure the safety and security of the public through strong community partnerships and excellence in policing. The Police Department (PD) aims to achieve this venture by remaining proactive in community partnerships, law enforcement, training, and commitment to excel as an organization.
Performing these functions, essential to public safety, relies upon a vehicle fleet that is modern, up-to-date, dependable, and efficient.
The Police Department works with the Public Works Department’s fleet services team (fleet) through regularly scheduled meetings and consistent communication to ensure vehicles are safe and well maintained while maximizing the in-service availability of these units. Replacement is planned both proactively and in accordance with Administrative Policy No. 09100.508. As the current fiscal year progressed, analysis revealed fifteen Ford Police Interceptor Explorers within the Police Department fleet were eligible for replacement due to being at the end of their pre-determined life cycle. The patrol units in question have reached their replacement timeline of five years.
In efforts to keep the current fleet of patrol units operating safely and available for service, staff observed significant effects of the high service hours and high mileage accrued by these vehicles in the form of increased vehicle downtime needed for extensive repairs, the growing number of out-of-service criteria units requiring extensive repairs, and increased parts expenditure required to meet high mileage vehicle repair needs. This has made replacing older vehicles a top priority for the Police Department and Fleet.
ANALYSIS:
The Police Department and Fleet have located fifteen 2025 model-year Ford Interceptors available for purchase and immediate delivery at Fritts Ford in Riverside, CA. These new vehicles will meet the current Police Department patrol unit needs and reduce repair downtime. In addition, the City will receive these vehicles faster than a traditional factory build-to-order purchase.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department originally ordered the vehicles but no longer needed them. Fortunately, they are built to the Police Department vehicle’s specifications, including being keyed the same. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department conducted a competitive bid procedure. The Sheriff’s Department ordered these vehicles as part of a large vehicle purchase and negotiated a base price of $49,831.
Staff was able to negotiate a price of $49,482, meaning the City is saving $349 per vehicle from what the Sheriff’s Department had originally negotiated. After additional costs for paint, tire fees, vehicle registration, and tax, the total cost for all fifteen vehicles is $832,285.20.
Following the purchase of the new vehicles, each Inceptor will require upfitting to meet the necessary specifications for these patrol units. This includes the installation of Motorola radios and other modifications to the interior and exterior of the vehicle to accommodate PD equipment and activities. The purchase of fifteen radios is $144,951.90, or $9,663.46 per radio system. In addition to the radios, other upfitting will be needed for all fifteen vehicles. Staff is currently working with a vendor, Innovative Emergency Equipment (Innovative), on an agreement and purchase order for upfitting services and will return to the City Council for this approval at a future date. Staff received a quote from Innovative to upfit all fifteen vehicles for $353,994.30, 353,994.30, or $23,599.62 per vehicle.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation in the amount of $832,285.20 from the Fleet Replacement Fund 684 for the purchase of fifteen vehicles and an appropriation in the amount of $498,960 from the Public Safety Reserve within Measure X Fund 120 for the purchase of fifteen Motorola radios and vehicle upfit costs to the Vehicle Procurement Operating and Maintenance Project No. 68341. Each Motorola radio system is $9,663.46 for a total of $144,951.90, and the upfit for each vehicle will cost $23,599.62, for a total of $353,994.30.
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 vehicles, and there is no possibility that this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: MICHAEL GRIESINGER, FLEET MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: ROBERT NEWMAN, POLICE CHIEF & SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC
WORKS DIRECTOR
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Fritts Ford Quote (15 vehicles)
2. Exhibit 2 – Motorola Solutions, Inc. Quote (15 radios)
3. Exhibit 3 – Innovative Emergency Equipment Quote (1 Unit)