SR 10-25-2016 3J
Ci ty Council
Report
City Council Meeting : October 25, 2016
A genda Item: 3.J
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jacqueline Seabrooks, Police Chief , Police Department
Subject: Purchase of Specialized Response Vehicle - Revision
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council :
1. Authorize the City Manager to submit a cer tification letter to the California Office of
Emergency Services (Cal OES) to participate in the California Public Safety .
Procurement Program (1122 Program), which would allow the purchase of a
Specialized Response Vehicle from Lenco Industries, Inc., a M assachusetts -based
company, for a total amount not to exceed $316,701 ; and
2. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
section of th e report.
This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process
pursuant to Municipal Code Section 2.24.080 (b) Competitive bid procedures have
already been utilized, such as in purchasing from Federal, State, County, City or special
district government agencies, or from cooperative purchasing agencies consisti ng of
such agencies, and these materials and services are supplied to the City at the same or
better price, as was obtained through competitive bid procedures of Federal, State,
County, City or special district government agencies, or cooperative purchasin g
agencies consisting of such agencies.
Executive Summary
We live in a time of vulnerability to global terrorism and domestic gun violence. Events
such as the Boston Marathon bombing and the recent San Bernardino terrorist attack
demonstrate that an in cident of terrorism can happen anywhere. Additionally, the spree
shooting incident, which occurred in Santa Monica on June 7, 2013, brought home the
importance of well -trained and appropriately equipped first response personnel. The
Police Department con tinues to train its officers to be prepared to respond to a variety of
potential incidents. The Department also continually reviews and assesses its
emergency response inventory to ensure the proper equipment is in place and is readily
available should th e need arise. The Police Department has identified the need to
replace a decades old emergency response vehicle with a more contemporary
specialized response vehicle. The proposed vehicle would enable first response
personnel to enter highly dangerous an d dynamic environments to rescue members of
the public or downed officers with minimal risk.
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The Santa Monica Police Department previously anticipated procuring a Specialized
Response Vehicle directly from Lenco I ndustries, Inc. (Lenco), as stated in th e staff
report dated May 24, 2016 . S taff is recommending instead that Santa Monica certify
under the California Public Safety Procurement Program (1122 Program) and procure
the vehicle from Lenco Industries, Inc . via the 1122 Program . This is a requiremen t of
the UASI grant program and ensures access to the most competitive pricing. Under the
1122 program, Santa Monica would be certified to use pricing available from Federal
General Services Administration contracts. Under this revised purchasing approach, the
vendor and equipment would remain the same, but the ordering and payment would
work differently. The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) has been
designated as the Lead Agency for the California 1122 Public Safety Procurement
Program (11 22 Program). Under the 1122 program, Cal OES would facilitate placing the
order and making payment once the equipment has been delivered. This means that
instead of Santa Monica entering into a contract and paying Lenco directly, Santa
Monica will instead place the order through Cal OES. This method of procurement
meets all Santa Monica and UASI grant procurement guidelines.
Consistent with the May 24 th staff report, the proposed specialized vehicle would be
constructed by Lenco Industries, Inc. Lenco Ind ustries, Inc. has built hundreds of
specialized response vehicles and is widely regarded as an industry leader in the
construction of these vehicles. Lenco Industries, Inc. provides different options which
allow the custom design of the vehicle to meet cur rent and future Police Department
needs. Based upon the proposed design and the ability to purchase the vehicle using
competitive pricing available from a pre -existing GSA contract via the 1122 Program ,
staff recommends award of the contract to Lenco Indus tries, Inc. in the amount of
$316,701.
Background
Recent events of terrorism and mass shootings have highlighted the need for local law
enforcement to be well prepared to respond to those incidents which pose a substantial
threat to public safety. Specia lized response vehicles provide law enforcement with a
unique tool to better protect the public. Last year, the tragic events in San Bernardino,
California demonstrated the value of these specialized response vehicles. These
vehicles can be used to evacua te members of the public, or, if necessary, rescue
injured members of the public or officers during incidents involving active shootings.
During the San Bernardino incident, the world watched live images of local law
enforcement agencies using various spe cialized rescue vehicles to rescue members of
the public who were trapped in offices during an extremely dangerous, evolving
situation; these vehicles were also instrumental in enabling the officers to safely engage
and stop the threat posed by heavily arm ed suspects who were intent on committing
more mayhem even as they attempted to escape. Specialized response vehicles can
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be used to safely deliver officers, medical personnel, and needed life -safety equipment
to those a reas where in -progress shooting or other mass casualty incident is occurring.
The use of a specialized response vehicle under these circumstances enables a rapid
response while minimizing the risk of injury or death to responding public safety
personnel. In addition to the tactical benefit s, these vehicles are equipped to detect
Chemical, Biological, Radiologic, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) materials thereby
enabling first response personnel to enter affected areas that would otherwise be
inaccessible without significant risk.
In 2006, t he Police Department obtained a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle
(HMMWV), commonly referred to as a Humvee, through what was then known as the
Department of Defense, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) program.
The program enabled the military to transfer surplus equipment that would otherwise not
be available or would be cost prohibitive for local law enforcement agencies to acquire.
The Police Department obtained the used vehicle and modified it to maximize its
usefulness as an u rban rescue and transport vehicle. As the vehicle has aged,
replacement parts have become more difficult and more costly to obtain, resulting in the
vehicle being out of service for extended periods of time.
In order to address these challenges , Santa Mo nica PD applied for and was initially
granted $200,000 in UASI grant funding for a specialized response vehicle. At a later
date, through a modification, an additional $10,000 was granted. Th e grant funds were
accepted by Council on March 22, 2016. In addi tion to funds of $21 0,000 available from
the grant, the project also required a budget transfer of $106,701 from operating
account 01304.544010 to CIP account C01 9139 .589000 . On May 24, 2016, Council
authorized the City Manager to negotiate and execute a c ontract with Lenco for the
vehicle purchase. Action is required to now procure the vehicle differently, via the 1122
program.
When Santa Monica previously planned to buy the vehicle directly, the plan was to use
competitive pricing from the pre -existing G SA contract. However, the grant procurement
guidelines require that the purchase go through the Cal OES 1122 program in order to
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use the pre -existing GSA contract pricing in the amount of $316,701.
Discussion
Specialized Response Vehicle
A specialized re sponse vehicle would provide the Police Department with the ready
capability to enter a variety of dangerous or hazardous situations while also providing
the appropriate level of protection for the first response personnel. This vehicle can
also serve in a rescue capacity, allowing public safety personnel to enter dangerous
situations in order to render aid by extracting downed officers or injured citizens who
cannot get to safety.
The proposed vehicle would be able to transport up to 12 first response pe rsonnel,
including paramedics. This heavy -duty, wheeled vehicle, constructed with ballistic
materials capable of withstanding high -capacity rifle fire, would be used to enter those
dynamically evolving circumstances constituting a direct and immediate thr eat to public
safety. The proposed vehicle would also be fully equipped to detect CBRNE materials
thereby enabling emergency services personnel to safely enter an area to mitigate a
potential threat associated with dangerous materials.
The proposed vehic le, funded in part by the 2015 Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)
grant, would be considered a regional asset to be operated by the City’s first response
personnel in accordance with established mutual aid response protocols which require a
response to critical incidents occurring in neighboring communities.
California 1122 Public Safety Procurement Program
The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) has been designated as the
Lead Agency for the California 1122 Public Safety Procurement Prog ram (1122
Program). This authority is derived from The National Defense Authorization Act
(Section 1122), which provides authority for state and local governments to purchase
equipment for counter -drug, homeland security and emergency response activities f rom
specific federal sources, including General Services Administration (GSA) contracts,
which is what the Police Department w ould utilize for this project. The 1122 Program is
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a valuable opportunity for local governments throughout the country to particip ate and
save substantial dollars for their counter -drug, homeland security and emergency
response activities. The federal contracts in the 1122 program all satisfy the
requirements of the Competition in Contracting Act.
A purchasing advantage is achieved through discounts that are available to the Federal
Government due to large volume purchases. In this instance, the Police Department
endeavors to use the 1122 program to purchase a specialized response vehicle utilizing
GSA pricing available from Lenco I ndustries, Inc.
In order to use the CA 1122 program for purchases, the qualifying agency making the
purchase, the Police Department, would request certification within the 1122 program.
Once certified, staff would provide Cal OES with the order details a nd Cal OES would
place the order. Santa Monica would provide advance transfer of funds to cover the
purchase request before the requisition for equipment is forwarded to the vendor by the
1122 Program staff. Cal OES would handle vendor payment once the equ ipment is
delivered and confirmed to be working.
Vendor/Consultant Selection
Staff recommends Lenco Industries, Inc., furnish and deliver a state -of -the -art
specialized response vehicle. The purchase would be made through the Cal OES 1122
Program , which allows Santa Monica to make the purchase based on the GSA contract.
This item has already been competitively bid by the Federal Government and ensures a
purchasing advantage due to the large volume purchases made by the Federal
Government that are reflect ed in the GSA pricing. This recommended award is made as
an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Municipal Code Section
2.24.080 (b).
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
The purchase to be made from Lenco Industries, Inc., through the Cal OES 1122
Program , is for an amount not to exceed $316,701. In addition to funds of $2 0 0,000
available in CIP account C209139.589000 and $1 0 6,701 in CIP account
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C019139 .589000 , the purchase requires a budget transfer of $10,000 from account
20304.55540 9 to C209139.589000 : The purchase will be charged to the following
accounts:
C209139.589000 $2 1 0,000
C01 9139 .589000 $1 0 6,701
TOTAL $316,701
Prepared By: Nicole Bustamante, Senior Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachment s:
A. March 22, 2016 Staff Report (WebLink)
B. May 24, 2016 Staff Report (WebLink)