Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF PURCHASE AGREEMENT THROUGH THE NASPO COOPERATIVE PURCHASING PROGRAM FOR CITY PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
The City departments use competitively solicited cooperative purchase agreements by other government agencies as allowed by the Carson Municipal Code Section 2611(g). National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) is a cooperative purchasing agency facilitating public procurement solicitations and agreements using a lead-state model. In 2015, through the NASPO program, the State of Washington Department of Enterprise Services awarded Master Agreement No. 06913 for Public Safety Communications Equipment to JCVKenwood USA Corporation (Radios) and Master Agreement No. 05715 for Public Safety Communications Equipment to Power Products Unlimited Inc. (Batteries). Both master agreements will expire on December 31, 2021. Utilizing the lowest prices obtained through these agreements, staff is recommending approving a Purchase Agreement with Portacraft, Inc., an authorized reseller of both JVCKenwood USA Corporation and Power Products Unlimited Inc. for purchase of radios, radio equipment, batteries, and chargers, for a combined amount not to exceed $307,459.14.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. WAIVE the bidding requirements of the Carson Municipal Code (CMC) pursuant to Carson Municipal Code Sections 2611(g) (cooperative purchasing);
2. APPROVE Purchase Agreement with Portacraft, Inc. for a total not to exceed amount of $307,459.14;
3. APPROVE Resolution No. 21-072 Amending the FY 2020-21 General Fund budget; and
4. AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the Purchase Agreement with Portacraft, Inc., following approval as to form by the City Attorney.
Body
III. ALTERNATIVES
1. TAKE any other action the City Council deems appropriate that is consistent with the requirements of law.
IV. BACKGROUND
In 2012, the federal government passed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which included a section related to public safety radio communications and mandated that by 2023, public safety agencies would have to abandon the UHF frequency spectrum currently used and move to a different spectrum.
The City of Carson UHF radio system that supports public safety and public works will begin transitioning to the Los Angeles Regional Interoperability Communication System (LA-RICS) in 2021-2022. This will allow communication compatibility between city partners such as the Sheriff’s Department, Fire Department, and CSU Dominguez Hills. Phase 1 of this project will fund the initial equipment purchase (radios, batteries and chargers) to transition to LA-RICS. Phase 2 will cover primarily installation and programming services and will be addressed at a future City Council meeting. Staff will utilize current radio communication system while transition occurs.
The City departments use competitively solicited cooperative purchase agreements by other government agencies as allowed by the Carson Municipal Code (CMC) Section 2611(g). National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) is a cooperative purchasing agency facilitating public procurement solicitations and agreements using a lead-state model. NASPO is a non-profit association dedicated to strengthening the procurement community through education, research, and communication. It is made up of the directors of the central purchasing offices of the 50 states, District of Columbia and territories of the United States. NASPO provides a high standard of excellence in public cooperative contracting by leveraging the leadership and expertise of all states and the purchasing power of their public entities, and delivers high-valued, reliable and competitively sourced contracts, all with the result of offering public entities outstanding prices.
In 2015, through the NASPO program, the State of Washington Department of Enterprise Services awarded Master Agreement No. 06913 for Public Safety Communications Equipment to JVCKenwood USA Corporation (Radios) and Master Agreement No. 05715 for Public Safety Communications Equipment to Power Products Unlimited Inc. (Batteries). Both master agreements will expire on December 31, 2021.
Utilizing the lowest prices obtained through these agreements, staff is recommending approving a Purchase Agreement with Portacraft, Inc., an authorized reseller of both JVCKenwood USA Corporation and Power Products Unlimited Inc. for purchase of radios, radio equipment, batteries, and chargers, for a combined amount not to exceed $307,459.14.
Staff has obtained quotes for the radio project from the following NASPO contractors:
1. JVC Kenwood - 10 NX 5800K 45 Watt radios - $25,486.13
2. JVC Kenwood - 110 NX 5300K2 5 Watt portables - $268,458.96
3. Power Products - 2600 mAh Li-ion Battery and Charger - $13,514.05
Section 2611(g) of the CMC allows City, through its Purchasing Manager, to dispense with competitive bidding processes to purchase materials, supplies, equipment, or services by utilizing a cooperative purchasing program engaged in by any local, county, State, or Federal public entity or entities, provided that: (1) the selected bidder was selected in compliance with the competitive bidding or proposal process requirements of any participating entity or association; (2) the Purchasing Manager determines that the competitive bidding or proposal process utilized is at least the same as that contained in the City’s Purchasing Ordinance (“Purchasing Ordinance”); and (3) the Purchasing Manager determines that, as a result of cooperative purchasing, the price of the materials, supplies, equipment, or services is likely to be lower than it would be if purchased directly by the City pursuant to the Purchasing Ordinance.
The City’s Purchasing Manager has determined that the competitive bidding or proposal process utilized by the State of Washington through the NASPO cooperative purchasing program is at least the same as that contained in the City’s Purchasing Ordinance, and has further determined that the pricing obtained through NASPO for the equipment City seeks to acquire is likely to be lower than it would be if purchased directly by the City pursuant to the Purchasing Ordinance. Accordingly, the City is permitted to utilize and benefit from the competitive process engaged in through the NASPO program.
The total initial cost for Phase 1 of the radio project amounts to $307,459.14. Staff is recommending City Council approval to transfer the unused crossing guard budget balance of $307,459.14 to be used for this project. The unused balance is a result of the pandemic and schools not meeting in session. After applying the unused balance to the radio project will leave a balance of $1,540.86 remaining in the crossing guard budget with all invoices accounted for. Staff is also recommending City Council approval to transfer $144,000 from the unused balance of the City Training budget to fund the cost of the Phase 2 of the radio project.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
If City Council approves staff’s recommendations, there will be no fiscal impact for FY 20/21.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. JVCKenwood quote no. 1 - page 5
2. JVCKenwood quote no. 2 - page 6
3. Power Products quote - page 7
4. Purchase Agreement - pages 8 - 17
5. Resolution No. 21-072 - pages 18 - 19
Prepared by: Raymond Cheung, Emergency Services Manager