Consideration and Approval of Sole Source Contract: Purchase to conduct maintenance/rebuild of the Police Department Bomb Robot

Initially the FPD Bomb Robot was purchased with AZ Homeland Security Grant Funds approximately 15 years ago. No maintenance has been performed on the robot since that time and the equipment has become outdated and worn out. Therefore, this is a much needed upgrade to perform the duties required of a Tier 1 bomb team.

FY 2016 funding has been received from the Arizona Department of Homeland Security Grant Program in the amount of $32,506 for the Bomb Robot Upgrade. In addition, the Police Department has received funding from Coconino County Rico funds for $13,000 and Navajo County Rico funds for $13,000 for a total amount of $58,506. The remaining balance of $1,015.02 will come from the Police Department budget to fund the total purchase. Repairing and refurbishing the current robot is more cost effective than the purchase of a new robot which would cost in excess of $200,000 dollars. The FY2017 budget for this contract is $102,000 in account 001-04-062-0691-2-4405.

Effective Governance

No

1) Approve the recommended sole source purchase. This will allow the Police Department to safely respond to emergency calls involving possible explosive devices, and other emergency response needs.
2) Not approve the recommended sole source purchase.

The Flagstaff Police Department Bomb Squad consists of four Bomb Technicians and averages about 20 calls a year throughout the Northern Arizona region. The FPD Bomb Squad is the primary Tier 1 response team for all critical infrastructure located within Coconino, Navajo, and Apache counties. Currently, the FBI and AZ DPS no longer have Bomb Technicians stationed in the Northern Arizona region. This leaves the Flagstaff Police Department as the closest available unit for all calls within Northern Arizona. As previously stated, the Bomb Robot is approximately 15 years old and has not received any maintenance or equipment upgrades.

For safety reasons, bomb technicians are required to work remotely with a robot to render safe CBRNE devices whenever possible. This requirement was reinforced years ago during a render safe procedure of an IED near Tuba City . During the render safe procedure, the device initiated a high order detonation severely damaging the FPD Bomb Squad's first (original) robot. Without that robot, the bomb technicians involved in this incident could have been severely injured or killed. To remain qualified as a Regional Tier 1 Bomb Squad, the Flagstaff Police Department is required to possess at least one operational robot for remote render safe procedures of CBRNE devices.

The Bomb Robot will help the Police Department preserve life and safety.