Agenda Item: 9
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: December 10, 2024
SUBJECT: CONTRACT FOR THE PURCHASE AND DELIVERY OF THREE
LOCAL HYDROGEN FUEL CELL ELECTRIC BUSES
DEPARTMENT: Economic Development
PRESENTER: Adrian Aguilar
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a contract with New Flyer of America Corporation for the purchase of three hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, training, and spare parts in an amount not to exceed $4,803,192, or modify the award in the event issues of impossibility of performance arise, subject to City Attorney approval.
BACKGROUND
Santa Clarita Transit has a fleet replacement program that meets the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) 12-year life cycle for commuter and transit vehicles. Four of the City of Santa Clarita's (City) local buses have reached the end of their useful life and are scheduled to be replaced over the next 18 months.
As required by state law, the City Council adopted the City Zero Emissions Transition Plan (Plan) in late 2020. The Plan serves as a roadmap for the City to comply with the state mandate, which requires the City to have a 100-percent zero-emission bus fleet by 2040. The City’s Plan calls for the purchase of three hydrogen fuel cell electric (fuel cell) local buses to replace compressed natural gas-powered buses that have reached the end of their useful life.
This strategy will allow the City to continue to improve fleet reliability, reduce emissions within the region, and improve the overall fuel economy of the City’s bus fleet. The buses proposed for purchase have new vehicle designs and technology that will improve the customer experience.
The recommended action would also bring the City in alignment with the desired capital replacement schedule, where approximately 1/12 of the transit fleet is scheduled for replacement each fiscal year.
The City intends to purchase the fuel cell buses through the State of California purchasing cooperative agreement. Purchasing buses through this method expedites the purchasing process and ensures competitive pricing. Under the state’s cooperative agreements, product specifications were identified and prices negotiated based on the total projected participation of the cooperative members, rather than just the vehicles scheduled to be purchased by the City.
As an added measure, staff conducted a price analysis to ensure the proposed pricing is within industry standards and is the most advantageous to the City. The use of purchasing cooperatives is common within the transit industry and is a practice accepted by the FTA.
Should this action be approved by the City Council, the City will be able to take advantage of state incentive programs for the purchase of zero-emission buses, replace a number of aging buses that have reached the end of their useful life, and implement the latest zero-emission technology. This would be the second order the City has placed for fuel cell buses, bringing the total number of zero-emission buses on order to seven. The estimated delivery timeline for these vehicles is 12 to 18 months.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
1. Direct staff to issue a Request for Proposal for the procurement of fuel cell transit buses.
2. Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City has programmed Federal 5307 transit grant funds to cover 100 percent of the total contractual cost of the buses. The resources required to implement the recommended action are contained in the City’s adopted FY 2024-25 budget in Expenditure Account 7003702-520103 (Transit Capital/Automotive Equipment). No General Fund monies are being allocated to this procurement.
ATTACHMENTS
New Flyer of America Option Proposal-City of Santa Clarita Transit (avaliable in the Clerk's Reading File)
Cooperative Agreement Contract ID #1-19-23-17B, Supplement 6 (avaliable in the Clerk's Reading File)