Item Number: 32
City Council / Board of Directors
Written Communications
Meeting of: August 20, 2024
Submitted By:
Doug Mathews, Director of Public Works and Water
Subject:
Purchase of a John Deere Skip Loader
Recommendation:
That the Honorable City Council award RDO Equipment Co., as the authorized distributor, the piggyback purchase of a John Deere Skip Loader for an amount not to exceed $172,963.75 including delivery/shipping, under Sourcewell Contract #011723-JDC.
Fiscal Impact:
Funding for this expenditure have been appropriated in the budget for Fiscal Year 2024/25 in the following funds:
Fund Name Fund Number Account String Budgeted Amount
Storm Drain 202 2025060-55040-70762 $61,667.00
Assessment Districts 370 3705530-55040-70762 $61,667.00 Sewer 425 4250700-55040-70762 $61,667.00
Total $185,001.00
Remaining Funds $12,037.25
There are sufficient funds available to cover this purchase.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Goal E – Invest in Infrastructure: Ensuring our community’s wellbeing and sustaining a healthy and livable community by investing in the necessary resources to maintain and improve the City’s infrastructure. The purchase of the John Deere Skip Loader will enhance our ability to maintain City streets and assessment districts, and respond effectively to sewer trench repairs, shoulder maintenance, and storm duty needs. 3 7
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Background:
Public Works staff are responsible for maintaining the City's infrastructure, which includes repairs and maintenance of City streets, sewer systems, and assessment district areas/infrastructure; and responding to storm-related damages. To effectively carry out these duties, it is crucial for the department to have reliable and up-to-date equipment.
Recognizing the need for improved efficiency and versatility, the addition of the John Deere Skip Loader to our fleet will significantly enhance our operational capabilities.
The new skip loader will perform a variety of tasks, improving our efficiency in several key areas:
•Weed Abatement in Assessment Districts: The skip loader will streamline weed control operations, ensuring that Assessment Districts are consistently well- maintained. This is crucial in areas where overgrown vegetation can impede drainage and create hazards.
•Grading Shoulders: The skip loader excels in maneuvering through tight areas and around corners where our current motor grader encounters difficulties, thereby enhancing our efficiency in maintaining road and shoulders. This is essential for preventing erosion and maintaining safe road conditions. •Storm Duty: The skip loader’s advanced capabilities will greatly improve our storm response tasks. It will improve our efficiency in scraping and sweeping roads after storm events, reducing the time required to clear roads and ensuring safer travel conditions.
The John Deere Skip Loader will complement our existing fleet, providing additional support where current equipment falls short. The skip loader was chosen due to its versatility and efficiency in performing a wider range of tasks crucial to our operations. It offers better maneuverability in tight spaces and around corners, which is vital for shoulder grading and storm related responses. The decision to add this specific piece of equipment was made after a thorough assessment of our operational needs and the benefits it would bring to our maintenance activities.
Discussion:
The proposed skip loader will be utilized by the Sanitary/Sewer, Storm Drain, and Drainage Facility Assessment District (DFAD) Divisions of Public Works to perform routine operations and maintenance activities, including shoulder grading, sewer trench repairs, weed abatement, and storm duty needs.
The purchase of this new skip loader will help ensure that staff has reliable and operable equipment to support daily operations and maintenance activities, as well as emergency response needs. Enhanced service reliability will lead to improved sanitation, better stormwater management, and less traffic disruption during street repairs. This piece of equipment will be a great addition and improve the department’s ability to quickly respond to storm-related street closures. The modern technology of the new skip loader ensures lower emissions, reducing the department’s carbon footprint. 3 7
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Per the Victorville Municipal Code (VMC) § 2.28.100, purchasing of supplies and equipment in excess of fifty thousand dollars can be made through a variety of options, one of those options being though a Cooperative Purchasing Agreement, VMC
2.28.100(b)(3). Thus, VMC § 2.28.120 outlines the purchase of supplies and equipment through Cooperative Purchasing Agreements, is an allowable procurement process to take advantage of volume pricing through Sourcewell. Sourcewell is a public agency that serves as a member-focused cooperative and offers a multitude of cooperatively contracted specialized products and equipment to government entities that cannot be procured from local dealers.
Sourewell’s cooperative contract purchasing leverages the national purchasing power of more than 50,000 member agencies while also streamlining the required purchasing process. As a municipal national contracting agency, Sourcewell establishes and provides nationally leveraged and competitively solicited purchasing contracts under the guidance of the Uniform Municipal Contracting Law. Joint Power law enables members to legally purchase through awarded contracts.
Sourcewell offers its members contract purchasing solutions that are leveraged nationally to enable contracted suppliers and member agencies to work smarter and more efficiently as they do business with each other. Sourcewell does this by establishing a business service alliance between member buyers and contracted suppliers, ensuring a valued and successful national cooperative contract program. The City has utilized the Sourcewell program over the last several years and is extremely satisfied with the results.
The piggyback of the Sourcewell contract fulfills the City’s legal obligations of competitive bidding requirements, thus providing significant savings. Public Works staff in the Fleet Maintenance Division have reviewed the specification requirements and quote submitted, and have confirmed that the quote from RDO Equipment Co. meets or exceeds the minimum specification requirements.
Accordingly, staff recommends that the City Council approve the award to RDO Equipment Co. for the piggyback purchase of a John Deere Skip Loader in the amount of $172,963.75.
Staff remains available for any questions the City Council may have.
Attachments: A. Quote from RDO Equipment Co.
B. Sourcewell/NJPA Certificate of Membership
C. Memo & Resolution - NJPA Name Change to Sourcewell
D. Sourcewell Contract #011723-JDC
E. Photo of Equipment