Title
Sheriff’s Office recommending the Board:
1) Waive formal bid requirements for the purchase of a Peterbilt 220 Chassis vehicle that will be used as the Sheriff’s Office Explosives Ordnance Disposal Truck in accordance with County Ordinance 3.12.160 Section D;
2) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to utilize the Sourcewell (formerly known as National Joint Powers Alliance - NJPA) Contract 081716-PMC for the acquisition of a Peterbilt 220 Chassis, and issue a PO for the purchase of a Peterbilt 220 Chassis in the estimated amount of $83,162 not including tax and applicable fees;
3) Waive formal bid requirements for the purchase of a Truck Body that will be mounted on the Peterbilt 220 Chassis in accordance with County Ordinance 3.12.160 Section B; and
4) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue a Purchase Order for the purchase of an Explosives Ordnance Disposal Truck Body in the estimated amount of $139,662 not including applicable taxes, delivery fees and other fees.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The current EOD Bomb Truck is 14 years old and is in need of being replaced. It has been plagued with electrical problems in the Chassis and the up-fitted Truck Body, and requires two jump boxes to start the vehicle which reduces its response-ready capability. Over the years, it has suffered a blown head gasket, a brake fire, and has outgrown its storage capacity making it the smallest Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) response vehicle in the region. The EOD Unit's most significant issue with the current Bomb Truck is that staff has to climb over equipment, and remove the two bomb robots in order to reach other operational equipment. Sufficient space is needed to keep the operational equipment and the bomb robots separate and accessible.
This board item is seeking approval to purchase a truck chassis and a truck body that will be attached together and become the Sheriff's Office Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Truck. The chassis will be purchased from Western Truck Parts and Equipment Corporation. The body will be purchased from Trivan Truck Body. Trivan will install the truck body on the Peterbilt 220 chassis.
A new EOD Bomb Truck is listed on the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Fixed Asset List for Fiscal Year 2018-19.
Peterbilt 220 Chassis
Our preferred Truck Chassis solution for the Sheriff’s Office Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit is the Peterbilt 220. The best available pricing for this vehicle is through Sourcewell (formerly known as National Joint Powers Alliance - NJPA) Contract 081716-PMC. In order to “piggyback” on an existing contract we must comply with the County’s Procurement Ordinance Chapter 3.12.160 and demonstrate that a Comparative Market Analysis was performed.
3.12.160 Exemptions from Competitive Process.
D. all of the following requirements are met with respect to the item: 1) the item may be procured from a vendor that has a contract with another public agency of this state, an alliance of this state and other states, or an alliance of local public agencies within the state for the purchase of the item; and, 2) the contract was awarded utilizing a competitive bidding process substantially the same as that utilized by the county; and, 3) the item and terms of the transaction are the same, or substantially the same.
Comparative Market Analysis
Over the last several months, our EOD Unit and the County’s Fleet staff have determined their needs and created specifications for a new Truck chassis. Specifications were determined analyzing height, weight, length, engine power, turn radius, torque and wheelbase. An important factor that we also considered was a chassis’ ability to perform in rugged terrain found in the rural areas of El Dorado County. Our analysis found that the Cab-Over Engine design chassis was going to be the best option for the Sheriff’s Office. Cab-Over Engine Designs are more maneuverable. Typically a cab over truck may provide a 30-40% tighter turn radius. Cab-Over trucks have more visibility than a conventional chassis.
We received quotes from various manufacturers and dealers. Of note, we received quotes from Peterbilt, Kenworth, EarthCruiser, Braun Northwest and Izuzu. A comparison revealed that: the EarthCruiser solution required the purchase of a Mitsubishi-Fuso FG4x4 chassis ($48,697 without options and other add-on pricing). The Mitsubishi-Fuso FG4x4 chassis does not allow a vehicle to perform well in the rugged areas of El Dorado County and we do not believe if would be an intelligent purchase. Braun Northwest designs custom ambulances on an International 4300 chassis (we requested a quote from an International dealer and did not receive a response). The International 4300 chassis does not have a drop floor design which we need to load our robots and explosive magazines. We received pricing for an Izuzu FTR ($85,858) but we believed the Peterbilt better met our needs for the price. We looked at other models and found that the chassis were either a conventional design (not a cab over design) or did not meet our needs.
When comparing chassis with the Cab-Over Engine design, we found that the Kenworth K270 and Peterbilt 220 were the only ones which met all of our needs. These models allow for a short length vehicle while maintaining the appropriate space needed for storage and operational capabilities.
Both the Kenworth and Peterbilt chassis are built in batches and there are not many available at this time. The next batch of vehicles should be produced in May, 2019. We found 1 Kenworth K270 available for sale in Pennsylvania with a discounted price of $73,000, normally priced at $79,600. There were no shipping options through Kenworth to get this vehicle delivered to Placerville. Private party shipping or picking up the vehicle could cost in access of $7,000-$10,000, not including overtime costs to send personnel to Pennsylvania to receive and drive the vehicle back to Placerville. Purchasing the Kenworth was not economically feasible considering the effort needed purchase and pickup the chassis.
Therefore the Peterbilt 220 is the best choice.
There is a Peterbilt 220 chassis available for sale on the west coast. The sticker price for the 220 is $91,673. With the NJPA Contract Discount, the chassis is $71,203. This is cheaper than the discounted Kenworth K270 and is more locally available. There are additional modifications that the 220 needs to fit our design. These include shortening of the wheel base ($6,214) and upgrading the engine ($1,160). With the other modifications needed, warranty costs, and other fees ($4,585) the final price of the Peterbilt 220 $83,162. This price does not include tax, license and title fees.
After completing our required Comparative Market Analysis and discussing options with County Fleet and County Procurement, it was determined that sourcing the Peterbilt 220 Chassis through the Sourcewell Contract was going to be the best course of action.
Truck Body
3.12.160 Exemptions from Competitive Process.
B. the unique nature of the property or services required precludes competitive bidding
TriVan’s truck body will allow us to mount it on the Peterbilt 220 chassis which is best suited to the terrain found in El Dorado County. TriVan Truck Body has been identified as a vendor that has extensive experience engineering, testing & building custom EOD bodies and emergency response bodies for law enforcement agencies across the U.S. One of the unique design features required in this custom 16 foot bomb squad body is the capability of securely storing two bomb robots (A 200lb Telemax, and a 500lb F6A) in a drop-pod area (drop-floor design) within the body. This drop-pod storage area is accessed via a heavy-duty aluminum drop-ramp door custom designed to carry 1000+ pounds. Such a drop-pod design is necessary as it lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle (important especially when these 2 heavy robots are being transported in the truck. The drop pod design floor is approximately 14" to 16" lower than the floors of standard non-custom bodies). This is especially important for safety & vehicular stability when transporting heavy objects (700+ pounds) over very rough off-roads. TriVan is the only known manufacturer in the USA that offers the drop-floor design for this application. This single vendor possesses unique technical qualifications for the drop-pod, the custom ramp door and the custom mount system for off-road application. Additionally, TriVan bodies have undergone rigorous testing for Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS-220) rollover reduction, and Ambulance Manufacturers Division (AMD) requirements.
While there are other manufacturers in the US of custom law enforcement vehicles, none offer this custom engineered design. In addition to the custom design offering, TriVan's construction system is proprietary. They use an extruded aluminum interlocking "Snap Lock" wall panel system to construct the exterior walls of its truck bodies and trailers. This interlocking extruded panel is 12" wide and almost .100" (1/10 of an inch) thick and forms a vertical rib/stiffener (like a stud in a house) every 12" when each wall panel snaps together. When the panels snap together side by side, a rivet-free & puncture resistant exterior skin is formed that is super tough, robust and scratch/impact resistant. On the outside, the finish is smooth (no rivets or bumps) and is great for decals and vinyl wraps/logos. The inner studs (that are every 12") form a superior anchoring point for interior furnishings such as desks, overhead cabinets, cargo netting and provide space for insulation. If the panels get damaged, they are weldable and can be individually cut out (no need to replace an entire sidewall). The Snap Lock Panel system of body construction is unique to TriVan who is the only provider of this proprietary system. The Snap Lock bodies by TriVan have been tested & proven in some of the world's toughest environments (Alaska oil field work, hundreds of van bodies are in use there since 2004) and California wildfires (California Conservation Corps crew carrier trucks and CAL FIRE rigs). TriVan is the only company that offers this robust system of construction of an aluminum truck body with a smooth outer skin system and vertical integral posts on the inside every 12".
County Procurement has signed off on the Sole Source form for this purchase.
ALTERNATIVES
N/A
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel reviewed and approved the use of the Sourcewell Contract. County Fleet assisted in sourcing the Peterbilt 220 via the Sourcewell contract.
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
It is recommended that the Board approve this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
No Change to Net County Cost. The funding for Peterbilt 220 Chassis and Truck Body was approved in the Sheriff’s Office FY 2018/19 budget.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Public Safety
CONTACT
Undersheriff Randy Peshon