CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Approve the award of Sole Source Procurement 20-044, Bearcat Armored Rescue Vehicle, to Lenco for an amount not to exceed $320,000
body
DEPARTMENT: Police Department
SUBMITTED BY: Robert Marshall
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The Police Department’s Special Response Team (SRT) currently uses an armored rescue vehicle that is owned by the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm Systems (ILEAS) group. ILEAS is a state agency that was created to meet the needs of local law enforcement throughout the State of Illinois in matters of mutual aid, emergency response and the combining of resources for public safety and terrorism prevention and response.
The current armored rescue vehicle supplied by ILEAS is now 16 years old and is having issues that a vehicle of this age encounters. Additionally, there are no plans for ILEAS to replace this vehicle in the near future or pay for the on-going maintenance it will require. Thus, the City would be responsible for the upcoming maintenance costs associated with the current vehicle.
The Bearcat is an armored rescue vehicle that gives the Police Department’s SRT a great range of operational capabilities. It is ideally suited for use in rescuing victims in active incidents and is also used to provide protection when moving SRT personnel into or evacuating individuals from danger areas. This vehicle is often used to place the team and its equipment near critical incident locations to provide as many tactical options as close to the incident as possible while limiting exposure and preserving safety for all parties involved. Furthermore, Bearcats are some of the few vehicles heavy enough to weather natural disasters and have been deployed repeatedly in rescue missions during severe weather-related incidents.
DISCUSSION:
This sole source is requested for a one-time purchase of the Bearcat Armored Rescue Vehicle. Based on the age of the ILEAS vehicle and the decommissioning of the Brinks truck, the PD is seeking to purchase a new armored rescue vehicle produced by Lenco.
Police staff researched several armored vehicle options by attending conferences, speaking with vendors and meeting with other police departments. Staff recommends the Lenco Bearcat Armored Rescue Vehicle.
The primary justification for the sole source for the PD to purchase the Lenco’s Bearcat is standardization and familiarity. The armored vehicle provided by ILEAS that the SRT team has trained with for the last 16 years is the Bearcat. Maintaining this platform will prevent the team from needing to train and learn a new platform and gain the necessary confidence in using it during any team operations.
ILEAS uses Bearcats throughout the state and Aurora and Joliet also own Bearcats. During critical incidents that require mutual aid there is familiarity with the Bearcat platform by our neighboring partners that will be assisting.
Lastly, the Bearcat vehicle provides an option known as the Medevac. This option is specifically designed to house, protect and assist Tactical Medics with life support capabilities for those impacted by a tragic event within the hot zone perimeter.
Staff did research to confirm that the price point was consistent with other Lenco products sold to other departments in the state. In 2019, the Chicago PD, Illinois State Police, Kane County Sheriff and the Northern Illinois Police and Alarm Systems (NIPAS) spent between $329,000-$399,000 to acquire their Bearcats. Thus, the pricing is consistent with what other departments have paid for this vehicle.
This vehicle will greatly aid the police department to insure the safety of our citizens and police officers and will be used in numerous areas such as, but not limited to critical incidents, special events, and severe weather-related incidents.
The current ILEAS owned vehicle will be returned to the state upon acquisition of the police department’s vehicle.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP #: VEH002 - Vehicle Replacement
The purchase of the armored rescue vehicle is expensed to the vehicles & equipment account listed below. A total of $320,000 has been budgeted for CIP VEH002 in 2020. The requested award of $320,000 is within budget.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
21212200-551505 |
Capital Projects Fund |
$906,000 |