City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: February 11, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.F
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rick Valte, Public Works Director, Public Works, Fleet Services Subject: Approve Acceptance of Environmental Protection Agency Grant and Purchase of Four Street Sweepers for the Resource Recovery and Recycling Division
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines;
2. Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant awarded in the amount of $945,000 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program for the City of Santa Monica Street Sweeper Replacement Project in the Public Works Department, and to accept all grant renewals;
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to accept the grant, all grant renewals, and modifications;
4. Authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a purchase order with Municipal Maintenance Equipment (“MME”), a California-based company, for the purchase of three Ravo Electric R5-eSeries sweepers for the Public Works Department, Resource Recovery and Recycling Division. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section 2.24.250 (c) and is for a total amount not to exceed $2,428,833;
5. Authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a purchase order with Tymco Equipment Company for the purchase of one Tymco Model 600 sweeper for the Public Works Department, Resource Recovery and Recycling Division.
This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section 2.24.250 (c) and is for a total amount not to exceed $330,000 with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval; and
6. Authorize budget amendment as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions section of this report (requires 5 votes).
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Summary
The City of Santa Monica’s Public Works Department provides essential services that maintain clean and safe neighborhoods and open spaces for Santa Monica’s residents, visitors, and City staff. These operations rely on vehicles and equipment managed and maintained by the City’s Fleet Management Division. Many of these vehicles are aging past their useful lives. To ensure reliable operations, to provide uninterrupted services to the community, to reduce downtime and maintenance costs, and to comply with California Air Resources Board (CARB) Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) regulations, staff recommends purchasing three battery electric street sweepers (EV) and one compressed natural gas (CNG) sweeper. This recommendation is based on competitive contract pricing available to governmental agencies and serves as an exception to competitive bidding per Santa Monica Municipal Code (SMMC) Sections 2.24.250(c).
Discussion
The Fleet Management Division is responsible for ensuring the City’s diverse fleet of over 800 vehicles are available, dependable, meet the highest environmental standards for a sustainable fleet, and are safe to operate from acquisition through disposal. The division routinely replaces vehicles that have reached the end of their useful lives through the Vehicle Replacement Fund. The Fleet Management Division and the Resource Recovery and Recycling Division (RRR) Division have collaborated to maximize the useful lifespans of RRR’s vehicles to the greatest extent possible. The four vehicles identified for replacement have surpassed their six-year asset lifespans.
Due to their age and use, these vehicles require significant maintenance and costly repairs to remain reliable, safe, and operational.
Staff is requesting approval to purchase the following vehicles and equipment for a total amount not to exceed $2,758,833 including a 10% contingency.
Vehicle Replacement Program
Fund Description Vendor Purchase
Price Quantity Extended Price*
RRR EV Sweeper Municipal Maintenance
Equipment $809,611 3 $2,428,833
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RRR CNG
Sweeper
Marco Equipment
Company $330,000 1 $330,000
Total 4 $ 2,758,833
*Amount noted includes 10% contingency.
The RRR Division uses these vehicles to provide daily street sweeping services along the City’s approximately 253 curb lane miles. These sweepers are used year-round and are on standby 24 hours per day to respond to cleanup emergencies and to directly support the City Council’s priority of providing a clean and safe environment for our residents, visitors, and the business community. The City depends on the reliability of RRR equipment to ensure street sweeping operations for the clean and sanitary appearance of the city. Without functioning and reliable equipment to support operations, this could result in slower 311 response times. These delays could cause unsanitary conditions and increase the risk to cyclists due to debris remaining on the streets, creating unsightly areas around the city.
In addition to daily activities, RRR utilizes street sweepers for cleanup after major events, as well as in emergencies such as glass and liquid pickup after traffic collisions.
These vehicles would also be used in cleanup efforts in the event of a natural disaster.
The sweeper vehicles are used in street sweeping activities along the city’s curbs to help ensure debris is collected before reaching the storm drain system. These are specialized vehicles with a self-contained water collection and storage system, ensuring the water used does not reach storm drains. The four sweepers scheduled for replacement have been used heavily since 2018 and have a typical useful life of six years.
Vendor Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends 1) Municipal Maintenance Equipment, a distributor of Ravo equipment, to furnish and deliver three electric sweepers, and 2) Marco Equipment Company, a local dealer of Tymco equipment, to furnish and deliver one CNG sweeper 4 of 7
as an exception to competitive bidding per Municipal Code 2.24.250 (c).
On August 12, 2021, Sourcewell issued an RFP for street sweepers and specialty sweepers, with related equipment, accessories, and supplies. Under the terms of the RFP, and the resulting Sourcewell Agreement with Municipal Maintenance Equipment, similar nationally leveraged purchasing discounts are also available to other government agencies. Sourcewell agreement #093021-FAY was established on November 15, 2021, expires November 16, 2025, and has one one-year renewal option.
Sourcewell is a cooperative purchasing agency that serves government, education, and nonprofit organizations. As a cooperative purchasing agency, they acquire goods or services by aggregating the demand of two or more entities in an effort to obtain more economical pricing. Purchase of the electric Ravo sweeper is contingent upon the vendor successfully providing California Air Resources Board certification for the specified sweeper.
On November 7, 2019, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GACBuy), a government agency that establishes nationally leveraged and competitively solicited purchasing contracts for education, government, and nonprofits, issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for purpose-built and commercial cab-chassis mounted street sweeper body designs. Under the terms of the RFP and the resulting H-GACBuy agreement with Tymco (Agreement #SW04-20, effective April 1, 2020 – March 31, 2025), similar nationally leveraged purchasing discounts are also available to other government agencies. Furthermore, Tymco will offer a $100,000 trade-in credit per sweeper. This $100,000 trade-in credit per sweeper is a better alternative compared to auction, as this amount is above the average auction price of $86,395 the City has received for sweepers of its kind in the past.
c. Competitive procedures were followed by a governmental agency, federal, state, county, city, joint powers agency, special district, or cooperative purchasing agency and the goods or services are supplied to the City at the same or better price.
Environmental Review
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The purchase orders for replacement vehicles are categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction) of the CEQA Guidelines.
Section 15302 exempts Class 2 projects which “consists of replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced”. The replacement vehicles would replace existing City fleet vehicles, with essentially the same purpose and capacity.
Therefore, this purchase order qualifies for a Class 2 exemption.
Further, Staff has considered an EV version of the sweeper for the replacement of the fourth sweeper. Nonetheless, staff selected the CNG variant sweeper due to available budget and to address RRR’s operational requirements. The price of the EV variant is $379,611 higher than the CNG variant but offers the same approximate useful life.
Use of grant funds for this procurement
On December 12, 2024, the City of Santa Monica was awarded a $945,000 grant through the competitive, nationwide Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles (CHDV) Grant Program from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The grant would be used to purchase electric street sweepers.
The Fleet Management and Resource Recovery & Recycling divisions developed a plan to replace three internal combustion street sweepers with three fully electric street sweepers to reduce emissions and to pursue the goals defined in Santa Monica’s Climate Action and Adaptation plan. Staff recommends that Council authorize the City Manager to accept the CHDV grant award so that Fleet staff may proceed with procurement of the electric sweepers.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to accept a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicle Grant to purchase street sweepers for the Public Works Department and appropriate funds from the Resource Recovery and Recycling Fund to the Vehicle Management Fund to pay for the required local match. 6 of 7
Staff will not issue purchase orders to vendors if grant funds were rescinded due to the current Presidential executive order (as of January 28, 2025) since the higher cost of the electric sweepers is cost-prohibitive when compared to natural gas sweepers. As a contingency plan if grant funds are unavailable, staff would instead procure (4) Compressed natural gas street sweepers to replace the existing sweepers in-kind.
Doing so would be feasible since the cost of (4) CNG sweepers would cost less than the sweepers selected in this staff report, even without grant funds.
FY 2024-25 Budget Amendment
Funding Source
Establish Revenue Budget Appropriate Funds
Account # Amount Account # Amount
EPA CHDV Grant 20500006.406130 $945,000 C2009090.689000 $945,000 Vehicle Management
Fund 70500001.510540 $600,611 C7000010.689000.90535 $600,611 RRR Fund * I5400010.689000 $600,611
*As part of the vehicle replacement program, RRR has already contributed $1,213,222.
Staff also seeks authority to approve funding from the Miscellaneous Grants and Vehicle Management Funds to award a purchase order with Municipal Maintenance Equipment for purchase and delivery of three EV sweepers and with Marco Equipment Company for the purchase of one CNG sweeper.
FY 2024-25 Purchase Order Request
Vendor Funding Source CIP Account # Request Amount
Municipal
Maintenance
Equipment
EPA CHDV Grant C2009090.689000 $945,000
Vehicle Management Fund C7000010.689000.90535 $1,483,833 Total $2,428,833
Marco Equipment
Company
Vehicle Management Fund C7000010.689000.90535 $330,000
Total $330,000
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval. 7 of 7
Prepared By: Ernest Kwong, Senior Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. OAKS INITIATIVE FORM - MME
B. Mar-Co Equipment Co Oaks
C. Levine Act - MME
D. Levine Act - Mar-Co