Title
To authorize and direct the Finance and Management Director to issue a purchase order to Vance Outdoors in the amount of $269,548.00 for the purchase of body armor vests for the Fire Division; to authorize the expenditure of $269,548.00 from the General Permanent Improvement Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($269,548.00)
Explanation
BACKGROUND The Fire Division needs to purchase body armor for Firefighters. This ordinance authorizes and directs the Finance and Management Director to issue a purchase order to Vance Outdoors in the amount of $269,548.00 from the General Permanent Improvement fund for this purchase in accordance with Solicitation SA003471.
Bid Information/Contract Compliance: Bids were solicited via the Purchasing Division via Solicitation SA003471, with the specifications requiring an exact vest and no alternates being accepted; bids were as follows:
Standard Law $690.00/vest ~ non-responsive; bid an alternate vest
Vance Outdoors $853.00/vest ~ bid exact vest as per specs
Roy Tailor $909.00/vest ~ non- responsive; bid an alternate vest
The above solicitation specified an exact vest, with bids for alternates not being accepted. The vests bid by Standard Law, the low bidder, were alternate vests, and thus the bid was deemed non-responsive. The Division of Fire specified a product called the PACA vest. The Fire Division recommends the vest bid by Vance Outdoors, as the lowest, responsive, and responsible bidder as they bid the PACA vest.
The PACA vest specified in the bid specification was chosen by a committee for its superior comfortable fit and wearability. This vest was compared with the other vests offered and was unanimously chosen as the best for comfort, wearability, ease of use, and protection. The PACA vest was found to be the easiest to wear, put on, and take off. Also, it was the opinion of the committee that the PACA vest offered the best placement of ballistic plates which added to the ease in their use.
Contract Compliance: Vance's Outdoors #542072038 exp. 01/01/2012
Emergency Designation: This legislation is to be considered an emergency measure to allow for the immediate use of funds and immediate purchase of this equipment.
FISCAL IMPACT: Ordinance 0592-2009 passed April 20, 2009 reserved appropriation within the General Permanent Improvement Fund 748 for this purchase via AC029838 in the amount of $270,000.00. This ordinance authorizes an expenditure of $269,548.00 from the General Permanent Improvement Fund to procure safety vests for the Division of Fire. It has been several years since the Division of Fire purchased a significant number of vests.
Body
WHEREAS, the Fire Division is in need of new body armor vests for use by Firefighters; and
WHEREAS, bids were solicited via the Purchasing Division per SA003471, and
WHEREAS, Vance Outdoors was the lowest, responsive, and responsible bidder; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire, in that it is immediately necessary to purchase said body armor vests for the preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety, and welfare; Now, Therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Finance and Management Director is hereby authorized to issue a purchase order to Vance Outdoors for the purchase of body armor vests for the Division of Fire in accordance with Solicitation SA003471.
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of $269,548.00, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby authorized to be expended from the Fire Division 30-04, via Permanent Improvement Fund 748 ~ funding has been reserved via AC029838 by Ordinance 0592-2009, passed April 20, 2009 to pay the cost thereof.
SECTION 3. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.