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SR 12-19-2023 5K City Council Report City Council Meeting: December 19, 2023 Agenda Item: 5.K 1 of 5 To: Mayor and City Council From: Wolfgang Knabe, Interim Fire Chief, Fire Department Subject: Authorization to Issue Purchase Order to Lion Equipment for Firefighting Personal Protective Equipment Recommended Action Staff recommends that the City Council: 1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. 2. Authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a purchase order with All Star Fire Equipment Inc., for firefighting personal protective equipment for the Fire Department. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section 2.24.250 (c). The cost for year one is $205,301, with two additional one-year renewal options in the amount of $155,850 for year 2 and $171,435 for year 3, on the same terms and conditions for a total not to exceed $532,586 over a three-year period. Summary The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) sets the standard governing the requirements for structural firefighting protective clothing and for proximity firefighting protective clothing. NFPA 1971 protects firefighting personnel by establishing minimum levels of protection from thermal, physical, environmental, and blood-borne pathogen hazards encountered during structural and proximity firefighting operations. The Fire Department is required to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to all firefighters. Staff recommends authorizing the Purchase Manager to issue a Purchase Order to All Star Fire for PPE. This recommendation is made as an exception to the City’s competitive bidding process pursuant to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 5.K Packet Pg. 348 2 of 5 2.24.250(c). All Star Fire is the sole distributor of Lion Firefighting equipment and won the NPP.Gov bid from the League of Oregon Cities. The NPPGov serves public and non-profit markets as a cooperative purchasing organization providing access to contracts created through an RFP process conducted by a Lead Public agency. This award would allow for the Santa Monica Fire Department to purchase PPE in accordance with the terms of that bid. Each Firefighter requires a primary set of turnouts, and a reserve set that can be used when the frontline set becomes contaminated following a fire or other significant exposure and requires cleaning. To accomplish this, the Department needs to purchase up to thirty additional new sets of turnouts each year. The maximum lifespan of a set of turnouts is 10 years, but some may not last that long due to damage or severe wear. The use of the NPPGov procurement option saves significant staff time and results in substantial cost savings to the City. The Fire Department recommends the City Council authorize the Purchasing Manager issue a purchase order for a three-year term for an amount of $450,000 for Turnouts and an additional $82,586 for other PPE , such as Fire Fighter gloves, hoods, boots, and uniform suspenders. The total not to exceed amount over the next 3 years with All Star Fire would be $532,586. Discussion In 2022, the Fire Department responded to nearly eighteen thousand calls for service, and firefighters must don personal protective equipment, such as turnouts, hoods, boots, gloves and suspenders, to protect the firefighter’s body from injury when responding to emergency incidents. Personal protective equipment is worn to protect the firefighter from harmful environmental conditions and physical injury during fire and rescue incidents. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, electrical, heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter. The 2017 audit of firefighting PPE yielded a replacement strategy to assure all front -line turnouts were less than ten years old and that every five years, a firefighter would receive a replacement set of turnouts. With this replacement schedule, the Fire 5.K Packet Pg. 349 3 of 5 Department expects to purchase 25 sets of PPE in an annual cycle that allows for future budget planning and is consistent with national best practices. In addition to replacing turnouts for existing personnel, the Department anticipates hiring up to thirteen recruits in January of 2024. These personnel will receive a new set of turnouts upon successful completion of the academy. The Fire Department has utilized grant funding to help pay for turnouts in the past, and if any grant dollars become available for PPE, the Fire department will consider subsidizing the costs of new turnouts with grant funds in addition to General Fund dollars. In addition to turnouts, Lion has also been awarded the NPPGov government contract for other Personal Protective Equipment and uniform pieces, such as Fire Fighter gloves, hoods, boots, and uniform suspenders. The Fire Department seeks approval to purchase turnouts in the amount of $450,000 and additional items in the amount of $82,586, for a total purchase order not to exceed $532,586. Environmental Review The purchase order for PPE is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The purchase order is covered by the common sense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The purchase order will provide the SMFD with necessary PPE for firefighters. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the purchase order would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is categorically exempt from CEQA. Vendor Selection Exception to Competitive Bidding 5.K Packet Pg. 350 4 of 5 Financial Impacts & Budget Actions Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund to award a purchase order with All Star Fire Equipment Inc. for firefighting personal protective equipment. The Department may utilize grant funding if it should become available. Purchase Order Request FY 2023-24 Request Amount Amount for Future Years Department # Total Contract Amount $179,701 $270,299 01190002.527530 $450,000 $27,500 $55,086 01190002.525200 $82,586 Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval. Staff recommends All Star Fire Equipment to furnish and deliver firefighting personal protective equipment, such as turnouts, boots, hoods, gloves and uniform suspenders, as an exception to competitive bidding per Santa Monica Municipal Code 2.24.250 (a- i).This purchase meets the City’s exception to competitive bidding criteria under SMMC 2.24.250(c) because the fire department used the NPP.Gov Cooperative agreement with the League of Oregon Cities to secure reduced pricing for firefighting PPE. This cooperative has helped save time from duplicating efforts. ii). On November 12, 2019, the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) issued a solicitation for Fire Fighter Personal Protective Equipment Solicitation No. 1915. LOC works in cooperation with National Purchasing Partners “NPP” and its Government Division dba NPPGov, dba Public Safety GPO and dba Law Enforcement GPO (collectively hereinafter “NPPGov”), to service the LOC and NPPGov membership. The published Request for Proposal (RFP) contained provisions that permitted all members of LOC and NPPGov throughout the nation to “piggy-back” off the resulting Master Price Agreement. LOC has determined that it is advantageous for LOC to procure Fire Fighter Personal Protective Equipment using a secure competitive RFP process evaluated based on “best value” rather than sealed bidding. Sealed bidding limits evaluation of offers solely to compliance with the requirements, provides no opportunity to compare the product and service offerings among the vendors, and uses price as the predominate deciding factor. Such limitations prevent LOC from awarding the most advantageous contract(s) for LOC and its members. 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; 5.K Packet Pg. 351 5 of 5 Prepared By: Deanna Kendall, Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council Attachments: A. Oaks_Sposato Sayegh Hopper 5.K Packet Pg. 352 5.K.a Packet Pg. 353 Attachment: Oaks_Sposato Sayegh Hopper [Revision 1] (6151 : Award NPP contract to Lion for PPE) 5.K.a Packet Pg. 354 Attachment: Oaks_Sposato Sayegh Hopper [Revision 1] (6151 : Award NPP contract to Lion for PPE)