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Report
February 23, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Water and Power Department
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT
WITH TRANSWEST TRUCK CENTER FOR FIVE FORD E-TRANSIT
CARGO VANS FOR A GRAND TOTAL AMOUNT NOT-TO-EXCEED
$434,499
I
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Find that the proposed action is not a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") pursuant to Section 21065 of CEQA and Sections 15060(c)(2), 15060(c)(3), and 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines and, as such, no environmental document pursuant to CEQA is required; and
2. Award contract to lowest and best bid dated December 18,2025,submitted by Transwest Truck Center ("Transwest") in response to the specifications for Five Electric Cargo Vans with Custom Upfitting, and authorize the City Manager to enter into a contract for a grand total amount not-to-exceed $434,499, which includes the base contract amount of $394,999 and a contingency of $39,500 to provide for any necessary change orders.
BACKGROUND:
Pasadena Water and Power Department ("PWP") is responsible for maintaining, constructing, and responding to emergencies across the City's electrical transmission and distribution systems. These activities are essential to ensure electric system reliability, resilience, and public safety. Power Delivery field crews rely on specialized vehicles to transport technical personnel, heavy equipment, specialty tools, and construction materials to perform the necessary work efficiently and safely.I MEETING OF2/23/2026AGENDA ITEM NO.
4 Contract Award to Transwest Truck Center for Five Electric Cargo Vans February 23, 2026
The fiscal year 2026 Capital Improvement Program includes funding under Project No. 3500 to replace five aging gasoline-powered cargo vans that support various operations of the Power Delivery Division. These vehicles are integral to daily field activities; however, the existing vans have experienced declining reliability and increasing maintenance costs. Replacement of these vehicles is necessary to maintain safe and dependable operations and to promptly respond to power emergencies.
PWP recommends the purchase of five electric Zero-Emission Vehicle ("ZEV") cargo vans to replace five existing Internal Combustion Engine ("ICE") gas-powered vehicles as shown in Table I below:
Table I: Recommended Vehicles for Replacement
Vehicle IDModel YearMileage
1917200456,000
1919200442,000
1922200343,000
2135200648,000
17522005107,000
This recommendation is consistent with PWP's fleet electrification strategy and ensures compliance with the California Air Resources Board Advanced Clean Fleets regulation, which requires that, beginning January 1, 2024, at least 50 percent of annual purchases of medium- and heavy-duty on-road vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating exceeding 8,500 pounds be zero-emission vehicles.
On November 13, 2025, a Notice Inviting Bids for the Specifications for Five Electric Cargo Vans with Custom Upfitting was published on the City's electronic procurement platform, OpenGov. The notice was automatically distributed to all vendors registered with the City under the applicable commodity codes for related services. A total of 32 vendors downloaded the Specifications, none of which was local. A total of two responsive bids were received by the bid due date of December 18, 2025, with no bids received from a local firm. The bid results are summarized below in Table II.
Table II: Bid Summary
BidderLocationAnnual Bid
Amount
Transwest Truck CenterFontana, CA$394,998.74
Blue Angel International. LLCBerkeley, CA$441,851.48
Transwest was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. PWP staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into a contract with Transwest for a grand total amount not-to-exceed $434,499, which includes the base contract Contract Award to Transwest Truck Center for Five Electric Cargo Vans February 23, 2026
amount of $394,999 and a contingency of $39,500 to provide for any necessary change orders.
The recommended not-to-exceed amount is based on the lowest responsive bid received. Actual payments will be made only for goods satisfactorily provided in accordance with the contract terms. A ten percent (10%) contingency is included in the requested contract amount to address any potential supply chain disruptions and accommodate minor final design or specification adjustments. In addition, manufacturer production schedules and order windows may result in order placement or delivery extending beyond initially anticipated timelines which can impact pricing.
The proposed contract complies with the Competitive Bidding and Purchasing Ordinance pursuant to Pasadena Municipal Code Chapter 4.08 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
No prior contracts with Transwest have been awarded.
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The proposed contract is consistent with the City Council's goals to maintain fiscal responsibility and stability, and PWP's strategic initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction and confidence, improve efficiency and business continuity, and maintain PWP's fiscal health and stability.
The proposed contract also supports the City's values and goals as laid out in the Pasadena Climate Action Plan and demonstrate PWP's commitment to electrify its fleet while promoting the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles citywide.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The action proposed herein is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") in accordance with Section 21065 of CEQA and State CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060 (c)(2), 15060 (c)(3), and 15378. The purchase ofthesevehicles is a continuing administrative and maintenance activity (i.e., purchasing of supplies). This action would not cause either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Therefore, the proposed action is not a "project" subject to CEQA, as defined in Section 21065 of CEQA and Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines. Since the action is not a project subject to CEQA, no environmental document is required.
Contract Award to Transwest Truck Center for Five Electric Cargo Vans February 23, 2026
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost of this action including contingency is $434,499. Funding for this action will be addressed by the utilization of existing funds in the Purchase of Vehicles and Equipment - Power (3500) capital improvement program budget. It is anticipated that the total cost will be expended in fiscal year 2027 due to expected lead times. There is no impact to the General Fund.
The following table represents a contract summary.
Table III: Contract Summary
Base Contract$ 394,999
Contingency (10%)$ 39,500
Total Fiscal Impact$ 434,499
Respectfully submitted,
DAVID M. REYES
General Manager
Water and Power Department
Prepared by:
Vard^jan Avedian
Assistant General Manager
Water and Power Department
Approved by:
I.L^Pr^r
MARQUEZ
City Manager