September 10, 2024
Public Works
DATE: September 10, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Daniel Chavarria, Director of Public Works
Tawfic Halaby, Deputy Director of Public Works,
Operations & Maintenance
Dee Karnes, Fleet Superintendent
Subject:
Resolution Approving a Temporary Waiver of
Competitive Bidding and Advanced Authorization to
Purchase Sixteen Pursuit-Rated Police Vehicles
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The funds for the proposed expenditure of up to $1,185,000 are available in the Public Works Fleet
Maintenance Capital Improvements Projects Fiscal Year
2024-2025 budget (50336031-400705-03B04).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Public Works Department is requesting approval of a temporary waiver of competitive bidding and advanced
authorization to purchase 16 pursuit-rated police vehicles as they become available, as approved through the
budget process.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ADOPT a resolution approving a temporary waiver of
competitive bidding and advanced authorization to
purchase up to 16 pursuit-rated police vehicles in an
amount not-to-exceed $1,185,000 – Public Works
Department (Daniel Chavarria 510-620-5478/Tawfic
Halaby 510-620-5482/Dee Karnes 510-231-3044).
AGENDA
REPORT
September 10, 2024
DISCUSSION:
In the recently adopted Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget, City Council approved the purchase of 16 pursuit-rated police vehicles for the Richmond Police Department, in an amount not-to-exceed $1,185,000.00.
The City of Richmond has historically ordered vehicles through a public bid process, or from a government purchasing cooperative, and vehicle deliveries have normally occurred within the same fiscal year. However, due to various circumstances that began in 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to this day, including global supply chain issues, limited pursuit-rated vehicle production, high demand by local law enforcement agencies, declining inventories, and protracted delivery schedules for special-order vehicles, it is very challenging for the City to replace pursuit- rated police vehicles with any certainty of pricing or delivery date. Delivery time frames are now trending upwards towards 18 months.
These circumstances have created a new first-come, first-served paradigm for procuring pursuit-rated police vehicles. Public agencies, including Richmond, risk missing a narrow window for budget approval, public bidding, purchase approval, contracting, and procurement of these highly sought-after, limited-supply vehicles.
There is a very narrow window for procuring pursuit-rated vehicles that opens in September 2024. In addition, only three local northern California dealerships sell pursuit-rated police vehicles: (1) Folsom Lake Ford (Folsom, California), (2) Downtown Ford Sacramento (Sacramento, California), and (3) Towne Ford Sales (Redwood City, California). These three dealerships serve public agencies across California, including the California Highway Patrol, numerous Sheriff Departments, large and small cities, and other public agencies and special districts.
The City’s typical procurement time frame may take several months for initiation of the bid period, accepting and reviewing proposals, vendor selection and any follow-up negotiations, development and routing of documents through the agenda management system, and contract award and execution.
Based on the current purchasing environment, it is very unlikely that these pursuit-rated police vehicles will be delivered in a timely manner if they are procured through the traditional public bid process or from a government purchasing cooperative. Other agencies, including cities in California such as Sunnyvale, Fairfield, Paso Robles, and Longview, Washington, have passed similar resolutions temporarily waiving bidding requirements.
September 10, 2024
Therefore, Public Works staff is requesting City Council approval to:
(1) Temporarily waive the bidding requirements for purchase of pursuit-rated police vehicles during Fiscal Year 2024-2025; and
(2) Authorize staff to contact local dealerships, including Folsom Lake Ford, Downtown Ford Sacramento, and Towne Ford Sales, to get best available prices and place orders for pursuit-rated police vehicles during the narrow window of availability for placing orders; and
(3) Authorize the City Manager or Deputy City Manager to negotiate purchasing agreements and issue purchase orders for a total not-to-exceed amount of $1,185,000.00, to purchase up to 16 pursuit-rated police vehicles, which is included in the budget adopted by the City Council for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
City staff will utilize best practices to verify that the vehicles purchased are priced commensurate with similar vehicles from other manufacturers and dealerships in our region. By adopting the proposed resolution, City Council will enable staff to choose the best available pricing from the few local dealerships that sell pursuit-rated police vehicles and have them delivered promptly.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Resolution