City of Grand Forks Staff Report Service/Safety Committee March 10, 2015 City Council March 16, 2015 Agenda Item: Sole Source Approval for Project #7348-2015 Siren Construction Submitted by: Engineering Department, Jane Williams, City Traffic Engineer Staff Recommended Action: Approve Sole Sourcing for Siren Construction Committee Recommended Action: Council Action: BACKGROUND: In 1999 the city installed a new emergency siren alert system. Since that time the city has grown (and is continuing to grow) increasing the need for additional emergency sirens. To answer this need City Council approved the installation of two new sirens in the 2015 Budget. One siren will be located at the Clearwell water reservoir and will service the Industrial Park area. The second siren will be located at Lift Station #40 and will service Discovery Elementary School and the new homes and businesses in the surrounding area. The emergency siren system is like many other electrical systems; when all of the components are the same brand they function better. This can be attributed to the manufacture designing new components to work with existing components and proprietary software. Sole Source Purchasing was approved on April 18, 2011 by City Council as a method to help ensure the health, safety and welfare of the public. Staff secured a sole source letter (attached) from Federal Signals which identifies the specific components needed for the construction of the new sirens; the letter also identified the regional office that covers our area. Sole sourcing will ensure seamless integration of the new sirens to our existing system and provide immediate access to the new emergency sirens and eliminates the need for redundant equipment such as controllers and software programs. (Because the K:\Staff Reports\2015\7348 Emergency Sirens.doc
University of North Dakota is a partner in the emergency siren system any change in equipment would also require updating their equipment.) Sole sourcing reduces the costs of maintenance; staff does not need to trouble shoot problems to determine which company call for repairs and does not need to be trained on the operation of several systems. Most importantly the construction and integration of the new sirens to our existing system will not create any interruption in service. The Finance Director has authorized us to proceed with the sole source purchase. ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS OF FACT: Funding for this project is in the 2015 approved budget and is identified on page 43 as a capital outlay. The quote for $38,322 is less that the approved $40,000 funding amount. Sole sourcing is an approved purchasing option which will eliminate the need to purchase and/or maintain redundant equipment and ensures the continued emergency siren system to function as designed. SUPPORT MATERIALS: Project Location Map Sole Source letter and quote Page 43 of the 2015 City Budget indicating funding source for this project Finance Director Approval to proceed with sole sourcing. K:\Staff Reports\2015\7348 Emergency Sirens.doc
K:\Staff Reports\2015\7348 Emergency Sirens.doc
K:\Staff Reports\2015\7348 Emergency Sirens.doc
K:\Staff Reports\2015\7348 Emergency Sirens.doc
2012 Amended Account Number Description Budget Fund 1100 General Fund 2012 Actual Amount City Of Grand Forks Fund 1100: General Fund - Engineering 2013 Amended Budget 2013 Actual Amount 2014 Adopted Budget 2015 Adopted Budget Budget Transactions: Budget Transactions: Budget Transactions: Department Total: Engineering $1,938,386.00 $1,878,830.19 $2,071,912.00 $1,970,224.03 $2,167,302.00 $2,360,214.00
From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Maureen Storstad Jane Williams Candi Stjern Re: Emergency Beacons 02/24/2015 08:25 AM Yes, you have my approval to proceed. Thanks. Maureen Storstad Director of Finance & Administrative Services City Of Grand Forks 701-787-3776 mstorstad@grandforksgov.com Jane Williams---02/24/2015 08:19:22 AM---We have a line item in the 2015 Budget to add two emergency beacons to our existing system. All of From: Jane Williams/CGF2 To: Maureen Storstad/CGF2@grandforksgov, Candi Stjern/CGF2@grandforksgov, Date: 02/24/2015 08:19 AM Subject: Emergency Beacons Jane Williams---02/23/2015 03:51:09 PM---We have a line item in the 2015 Budget to add two emergency beacons to our existing system. All of We have a line item in the 2015 Budget to add two emergency beacons to our existing system. All of the items are sole sourced including the installation of the pole which also includes the installation of the equipment and guarantee. None of the items exceed $10,000. I have attached the sole source letter from Federal Signal. The equipment specified is required to ensure integration with our existing system. Can we go ahead and order the equipment and get this installed, or is there something else that needs to be done? (We are expecting a price increase on March 1) [attachment "Grand Forks 2015 Siren Project.pdf" deleted by Maureen Storstad/CGF2] Thanks,
Jane Williams City Traffic Engineer Desk 701.787.3720 Cell 701.740.7905 FAX 701.787.3744 255 N. 4th St. PO Box 5200 Grand Forks, ND 58206-5200