SR-701-001-02 (14)
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City Council Report
City Council Meeting: November 28,2006
Agenda Item: 1D
To:
Mayor and City Council
From:
Jacqueline Seabrooks, Acting Chief of Police
Subject:
Authorize the Purchasing Agent to Issue a Purchase Order for Equipping
Police Vehicles.
Recommended Action
It is recommended that the City Council authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue a
purchase order to Airwave Communications Enterprises, Inc. for the equipping of up to
120 police vehicles during the next three years.
Executive Summary
The Police Department expects to replace approximately 120 vehicles during the next
three years as part of a vehicle replacement program that was established earlier this
year. Vehicles scheduled for replacement include patrol vehicles, specialized
. emergency response vehicles and administrative vehicles. Every vehicle will be
equipped with emergency lighting and warning equipment, and police radio equipment.
Some vehicles will also be equipped with mobile computer and camera equipment. The
process of equipping vehicles includes the installation of the aforementioned equipment
to manufacturer specifications in a manner that can sustain the rigorous environment of
a police vehicle.
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Discussion
As part of a predefined vehicle replacement schedule, the Police Department expects to
replace approximately 120 vehicles during the next three years. Each vehicle will be
equipped with emergency lighting and warning equipment and a police radio. Some
vehicles will be equipped with prisoner transport systems and additional equipment
such as a mobile computer and camera system. The equipment installed in each
vehicle varies depending on the purpose of the vehicle.
The process of equipping police vehicles is complex since there is a tremendous
amount of equipment that must be installed to manufacturer specifications in order to
operate properly in a rigorous mobile environment. Sensitive computer and camera
equipment must be installed in a highly specialized manner in order to properly operate
and last throughout its scheduled life cycle.
Historically, the Police Department has utilized the services of the equipment
manufacturers to equip vehicles. This process has proven to be more costly than using
a single vendor that is properly qualified to install manufacturer's equipment. The
process has also proven to be ineffective because a vendor may not necessarily take
into consideration equipment installed by another vendor, thus creating conflicts and
compatibility issues for systems that interface with one another.
Purchasing equipment not already owned by the City, such as emergency lighting and
warning equipment, prisoner transport systems and specialized power management
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equipment from a company that specializes in equipping police vehicles is less
expensive than purchasing the equipment from the manufacturer due to manufacturer
discounts passed on to vendors. These discounts are not available to the end user
customers such as the City.
Therefore, utilizing the services of a company that specializes in equipping police
vehicles will reduce costs and provide a higher quality installation that will help extend
the life of the equipment installed in the vehicle.
Vendor Selection
In October 2006, a Request for Proposal seeking qualified vendors to equip police
vehicles was published on the Internet and in the Los Angeles Times. Three proposals
were received, and an inter-departmental evaluation committee reviewed and ranked
the proposals. Factors such as cost, vendor qualifications and experience and
workmanship standards were taken into consideration. AirWave Communications
Enterprises, Inc. was chosen as the vendor that best meets City's needs. AirWave
Communications Enterprises offered competitive pricing, met or exceeded all of the
City's requirements as defined in the Request for Proposal, has more than six years
experience equipping emergency vehicles and offers a superior quality of installation
over other vendors that submitted proposals.
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Budget/Financial Impact
The amount required for fiscal year 2006-07 is $387,860, which is available in the
Vehicle Replacement Fund at account C540167.589300 Police Vehicle Replacement
Program. Funding for the remaining years with the total not to exceed $1,052,140 will
be appropriated in future years for Council's approval.
Prepared by: Eric Uller, Lead Public Safety Systems Analyst
Approved:
Forwarded to Council:
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P. La nt Ewell
City anager
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