Consideration and Approval of Sole Source Contract:  Purchase a Refurbished Engine and Re-Chassis our Rescue Unit from Fire Trucks Unlimited.

The original approved funding in this year's budget of $587,000 was to purchase a new Engine to add to the Fleet and decrease wear and tear on older units.  While this would help, we feel it is not the best plan for use of limited funds and to address the FFD's aging fleet needs.  By getting rid of our 24 year old Engine and purchasing a Refurbished unit through Fire Trucks Unlimited that matches our current fleet it will better serve both, the short and long term objectives at a lower cost.  The re-chassis of the rescue is necessary due to it being undersized in the original build 9 years ago which has caused it to be out of service for almost 35% of the time due to constant repairs needed.  Both of these purchases work into the attached Apparatus Replacement Budget Proposal (8 year Reboot-2025).  This comprehensive plan provide a better plan for expenditures and is supported by both the Budget Team and the Fleet Committee.  It also provides a plan addressing the Fire Department's aging fleet. At this time, the Fire Department has 28 of 35 units that meet the Fleet Committee recommended replacement schedule. By reallocating these funds we are able to purchase or repair five pieces of apparatus instead of purchasing one new engine.

The Fire Department recommends reallocating the $587,000 that has already been approved in this year's budget to purchase a new Fire Engine.  We are asking to reallocate that funding to better utilize the City's limited funding for FFD's aging fleet.  The costs associated with purchasing a refurbished engine approximately $305,000 and to re-chassis the poorly designed Rescue unit (which runs over 3000 calls a year) is at $155,000.  Total costs for both is $460,000.  The remaining $127,000 will be used for one command staff vehicle, a vehicle for the new inspector position, and an overhaul / partial refurbishment of our current Reserve Engine. 

 

No

1.)  Approve the recommended sole source purchase.
Pros-
- It is a better use of the limited funding and shows outside the box thinking to stretch these dollars more effectively. 
- It allows for the replacement of our oldest engine (that our shop mechanics fully support due to motor type) with a re-furbished engine that is built from the frame up at half the cost of a new unit.
- It repairs our 9 year old Rescue (our most heavily used unit) at half the cost of a new one and puts it on the correct chassis needed.
- It gives a better replacement plan at half the current recommended replacement costs.
- It gives a look at the quality and longevity of refurbished units to identify other units eligible in FFD's current fleet
- The new replacement plan works well with all other departments by showing an annual projection of anticipated costs and working within the FLEET committees annual allotment to allow other departments additional apparatus funding each year. 
- It provides money for the new Fire Inspector position vehicle that was unfunded in this year's budget
- It provides money to repair / refurbish our current reserve Engine to maintain its longevity as a reserve
- The overall plan has been approved by both, the FLEET committee and the Budget Team

2.)  Not approve the recommended sole source purchase and direct staff to conduct a formal solicitation to see if there is another vendor that can provide a refurbished engine and re-chassis the rescue unit.
Con-
- There are currently no other known vendors that can provide a refurbished engine or re-chassis the rescue unit
3.)  Not approve the recommended sole source purchase and forego purchasing the refurbished engine and re-chassis the rescue unit altogether.
Con-
- The FFD would not be able to add another engine to their fleet and would need to continue utilizing the existing older units, which would only add additional wear and tear on an aging fleet. The FFD would also be forced to continue utilizing the undersized chassis on a very limited basis along with constant repairs.

The Fire department was approved to purchase a new Engine as an addition to the fleet in order to minimize wear and tear and rising costs for vehicle repair and maintenance.  We were approached by the City Manager's Office to look at other ideas that would better utilize the City's limited funds.  Fire staff developed a comprehensive 8 year replacement plan that addresses current and future apparatus needs.  The first phase of this plan is to purchase a refurbished engine through Fire Trucks Unlimited (currently on site) that meets our current specifications.  The current data shows refurbished units from this company are expected to last 10-15 years at approximately half the cost of a new one.  We also have our heaviest used unit (Rescue 2) that runs over 3000 calls a year with a design problem that has kept the unit out of service for approximately 35% of the time.  By doing a re-chassis of this unit we would be getting a new unit and utilize the current transport box which would be half the cost of a new one. 

We feel this is a better use of limited funds that addresses current and future needs more appropriately.  In the long run it could also save the City and our community just under $4,000,000 from the recommended replacement schedules. This plan also allows for better collaboration between the FFD and all other departments in the use of annually allotted fleet funds.  It also removes the oldest engine in our fleet that is 24 years old and has a motor that our City Shop mechanics feel is not dependable.

The $587,000 approved will be utilized to better support multiple apparatus needs instead of just purchasing one new Engine.  The Fire Department has created an 8 year apparatus replacement plan to address the long term vehicle needs of he department.  The plan was discussed with the Budget Team and direction to reallocate fund was approved.

The reallocation plan will save the community money in both the short and long term.  This will also upgrade our reserve (back-up) engine to a better condition and put a new Chassis under our most heavily used unit in the City.  The reallocation will also purchase a new Fire Inspector vehicle that provides code enforcement and safety checks throughout the community. The final use of the funding will purchase a new Battalion Chief vehicle and replace a 16 year old command staff vehicle.

Inform.

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