TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Jason Martin, Deputy County Fire Chief
REPORT BY: Stacie McCambridge, Staff Services Manager
SUBJECT: Budget Adjustment, Sole Source for New Water Tender
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve a Budget Amendment to increase appropriations by $675,000 in the Station 25 subdivision to replace the current Water Tender 25 located at the Napa Station, waive competitive bidding requirements, and provide a sole source award to Golden State Fire Apparatus due to technical compatibility requirements. (Fiscal Impact, $675,000; Fire Fund 2100, Budgeted; Discretionary)
[4/5 vote required]
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BACKGROUND
Staff requests the approval of a Budget Transfer of $675,000 to enable the purchase of a Pierce IHC 2100 Gallon Water Tender. This apparatus will replace the current water tender located at the Napa Station (Station 25) off Monticello Road. The current Water Tender 25 will be relocated to the Carneros Volunteer Satellite Station (Station 210) located off Old Sonoma Road.
Currently, the new Station 210 is housing the water tender (WT16) that is usually placed at the Dry Creek/Lokoya Volunteer Station. The request will move WT16 back to Station 16, putting the current WT25 in Station 210 and placing the newly requested water tender in Station 25. The current tactical water tender housed at Station 25, is larger in size and will be a better fit for the area that Station 210 services. By placing the current WT25 in Station 210, the smaller, more tactical water tender requested supports the geography of the area Station 25 services, allowing for more maneuverability when responding to specific areas within the station’s response area.
The Napa County Fire Department would like to purchase the new water tender from Golden State Fire Apparatus/Pierce Manufacturing without securing competitive bids. The Department has established Pierce brand engines as standard firefighting equipment as these engines have proven to be more reliable and less expensive to maintain than other manufacturer’s engines. Service records indicate that the Pierce engines have fewer maintenance problems and, consequently, fewer out-of-service hours and maintenance costs. Standardizing apparatus by using the same vendor, saves time and money by minimizing the number of systems the mechanics must learn and the amount of fleet maintenance equipment and software required. Standardization of fire apparatus also reduces training requirements to maintain proficiency and safe operation during emergency incidents.
Requested Actions:
1. Approve Budget Amendment increasing appropriations in Fire Ops Transfer Out (2100000-57900) $675,000, using available fund balance to be transferred to the subdivision of Station 25 (2100025-55400).
2. Increase of a capital asset in the amount of $675,000 for the purchase of a new Pierce IHC 2100 Gallon Water Tender.
3. Request waiver of competitive bidding requirements and sole source award for the purchase of a new Pierce IHC 2100 Gallon Water Tender from Golden State Fire Apparatus/Pierce Manufacturing in the amount of $675,000 pursuant to County Ordinance Code 2.36.090.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Funds will be transferred from Fund Balance. |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
This item was going to be a portion of Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget. Ordering by April 2024 of this fiscal year (FY2023-24), will create a savings by not paying a 2% increase on the overall charge and an $80,000 motor upcharge for the new model. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
The cost of maintaining the apparatus would be supported by the Fire Protection Fund (2100). |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The needed water tender would go through County bidding process and may not be standardized to other County apparatus. The County would also lose the anticipated savings if the purchase were to be pushed out to the Fiscal Year 2024-25. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.