Agenda Item #12.3
For Council Meeting of: August 23, 2022
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SHAWN SOSA, ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST
TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS – TRANSIT
SUBJECT: APPROVE PURCHASE OF FIVE ELECTRIC BUSES AND SELECTED COMPONENTS FROM PROTERRA, INC. USING STATE COOPERATIVE PURCHASING CONTRACT AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Transportation and Public Works Department that the Council, by resolution: 1) approve the Cooperative Procurement purchase under the California Department of General Services State Cooperative Purchase Contract 1-19-23-17C of five 40-foot Battery Electric Buses and selected components by exercising the City’s previously approved price option to purchase buses from Proterra, Inc, Burlingame, California; 2) authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue a purchase order to Proterra, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $6,500,000; 3) authorize the Director of Transportation and Public Works or his designee to execute all documents, including any necessary agreement(s) to effect the purchase, subject to approval as to form by the City Attorney; and 4) authorize the Chief Financial Officer to pay all proper claims for this purchase from the Transit Capital Fund.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff seeks approval of a purchase of five 40-foot battery-electric transit buses and selected components from Proterra, Inc. using the California Department of General Services State Cooperative Purchasing Contract (SCPC). The buses will be purchased using funding from various awarded federal and state grants, as well as local match from the Transit Division’s Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article IV funds.
BACKGROUND
In 2018, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded Santa Rosa funds from two successful 5339(b) grant applications to replace 40-foot diesel buses from our fleet with Zero-Emission Battery Electric Buses (ZEB) and installation of charging infrastructure.
In December of 2018, The California Air Resources Board adopted its Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) Rule which requires all public transit agencies to gradually transition to a 100 percent ZEB fleet by 2040. For small transit agencies like Santa Rosa, the rule begins in 2026 requiring 25% of all bus purchases to be ZEBs.
In 2019, staff presented a Council study session on the factors involved in CityBus’ fleet electrification. Additionally, a study was prepared for the City by The Cadmus Group, sponsored by Sonoma Clean Power, which provided findings regarding Santa Rosa’s potential approaches and recommendations In 2020, the Transit Division presented findings of our research in selecting a ZEB manufacturer to the Council’s Climate Action Subcommittee and later in November Council approved the purchase of the first four Battery Electric Buses from Proterra that started production and are estimated placed in revenue service by the end of 2022.
In May 2021 a notice of award was made to Cupertino Electric Inc and construction began for the initial electric bus charging infrastructure with three dual-port chargers to support up to six buses with construction expected to be complete in August 2022 and an expansion with an additional two chargers to be installed in 2023.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
On May 5, 2020, the City Council, by Resolution No. 2020-066 approved participation in the PG&E EV Fleet Program to develop Battery Electric Bus Charging Infrastructure.
On November 17, 2020, the City Council, by Resolution No. 2020-201 approved the purchase of the first four battery electric buses for the fixed route fleet.
On April 27, 2021, the City Council, by Resolution No. 2021-062 awarded the design-build contract to Cupertino Electric, Inc for the initial bus electrification project.
ANALYSIS
Transit Division staff is utilizing a State of California cooperative purchasing contract to meet Federal Transit Administration procurement rules, simplify the procurement process, and provide for better economy of scale in terms of bus unit price. Three manufacturers participating in the contract—Proterra, Inc., BYD, and New Flyer—had vehicles meeting the bus specifications and qualifications required by the Transit Division. To select a vehicle, Transit Division staff used the data provided by the manufacturers in conjunction with the recommendations of the study conducted for the Transit Division by The Cadmus Group.
The Transit Division requires a bus that can perform all CityBus vehicle blocks (the total daily service of a bus) on a single charge. 80% of CityBus blocks are over 150 miles and buses must have sufficient energy to perform the block and have a sufficient State of Charge (SOC) at end of day for safety, operational reliability, and to ensure longevity over the years due anticipated battery degradation. The Proterra 660 kWh battery electric bus met the Transit Division’s range requirements.
Council approved the City’s first four battery electric buses to be purchased through this State contract, and the resulting agreement with Proterra allows up to five more option buses at the initial base bus price which will further expedite the purchasing process.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this action does not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund.
Funds for this capital purchase will come from various award sources including annual allocations and remaining balances from competitive awards from FTA, state funding including Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, Low Carbon Transit Operations Program, Transportation Fund for Clean Air, and Transit’s annual allocation from state TDA funds. Additionally, Transit will apply for the California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher (HVIP) program, as with our first four buses, to help reduce the amount of funds coming from the Transit TDA balance.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) and 15378 in that there is no possibility that the implementation of this action may have significant effects on the environment, and no further environmental review is required.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
On August 10, 2022, the Transit Division reported to the Council’s Climate Action subcommittee the overall electrification plan and this purchase request.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
CONTACT
Shawn Sosa, Administrative Analyst - 707-543-3334 [email protected] Transportation and Public Works Department - Transit
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