The Police Department has six patrol vehicles to replace in the FY18 Equipment Replacement Plan (ERP).  The State of Montana conducts an annual competitive bidding process for law enforcement vehicles.  Local government agencies are allowed to use the same vendor that the State chooses.  Duval Ford, Jacksonville, Florida, was selected as the vendor to provide the State of Montana with Ford Sedan Police Interceptors and Utility patrol vehicles in 2018.  Utility vehicles will be utilized by the K-9 officers in order to accommodate the dogs. Vehicles that are being replaced will be sold at the City's annual auction.   

Local car dealers cannot compete on price due to the volume purchased through the State contract and the pricing that dealers receive from manufacturers for fleet sales.  Therefore, staff is requesting that the City Council approve purchasing six patrol vehicles from Duval Ford of Jacksonville, FL; 5 sedans at the price of $27,533 each and 1 utility vehicle at $31,706, or a total cost of $169,371. 

The City Council may:

• Approve the purchase of the 6 patrol vehicles from Duval Ford, or
• Not approve the purchase of the 6 patrol vehicles.  Present patrol units will be retained and operated beyond their recommended replacement life, which will result in more down-time and higher repair costs.   

The six replacement patrol vehicles are budgeted in the 2018 Equipment Replacement Fund budget.

Staff recommends that the City Council approve purchasing 6 patrol vehicles from Duval Ford for the price of $27,533 and $31,706 each, for a total cost of $169,371.