Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 12/17/2002 - RESOLUTION 2002-117 APPROVING THE PURCHASE OF ONE AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY ITEM NUMBER: 27 DATE: December 17, 2002 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL FROM • Jim O'Neill SUBJECT : Resolution 2002-117 Approving the Purchase of one John Deere 544H Loader From Colorado Machinery as an Exception to the Competitive Purchasing Process. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Utility Department has for many years purchased John Deere equipment as an exception to the competitive process for its construction machinery needs. Staff has requested that this practice be continued based on the department requirements and its experience with John Deere equipment. John Deere loaders have been very reliable and dealer support has been excellent. The department has a wide variety of attachments which can be used on John Deere equipment. It would be cost- prohibitive to maintain a similar supply of attachments for more than one make. Ergonomically,the units are nearly identical, so operators can work with all of them. The issue of using an exception to the competitive process for certain brands of equipment for the purpose of standardization across a department has been a topic of discussion by the City's Internal Equipment Review Board. The Board consensus has been that standardization is appropriate for relatively small equipment pools, such as Utilities, where physical and functional similarity can enhance efficiency and safety. Utility employees, especially when on-call, are required to operate machinery they are not normally assigned to, sometimes at night and in bad weather. John Deere maintains a similar control setup throughout product lines, which enhances operator safety and makes it simpler and quicker to complete tasks. Water Utility is in need of a replacement for an aging front loader. Colorado Machinery has offered the City a new John Deere 544H loader, priced at$110,419,per a bid award won by a different John Deere dealer. While the award was made via a competitive process the awarded vendor cannot sell equipment to the City because John Deere does not allow its dealers to compete across territory lines. In order to take advantage of this bid pricing, Council approval is required. Section 8-161 of the Code states that any exception to the use of competitive bidding in excess of $100,000 must be approved by the City Council. The Resolution would authorize the purchase of one John Deere 544H loader as an exception to the use of competitive bid or proposal as provided in Section 8-161(d)(4). RESOLUTION 2002-117 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROVING THE PURCHASE OF ONE JOHN DEERE 544H LOADER FROM COLORADO MACHINERY AS AN EXCEPTION TO THE COMPETITIVE PURCHASING PROCESS WHEREAS, Utility Services has been using only John Deere loaders and backhoe/loaders for many years and has had excellent results from them; and WHEREAS, John Deere has provided excellent service and support; and WHEREAS, Utilities Services has a front loader now in use that is at the end of its service life and Utilities needs a replacement; and WHEREAS, the Purchasing Agent has determined that the purchase of a new loader from John Deere as an exception to the competitive process is in the best interests of the City to allow the best use of machine attachments already owned by the City,and because the physical and functional similarity of machine types is important to the safety of Utility equipment operators; and WHEREAS,funds have been budgeted and approved in the Utility budget and are available; and WHEREAS, Section 8-161(d)(1)(c) of the Code of the City of Fort Collins authorizes the Purchasing Agent to negotiate the purchase of supplies and services without utilizing a competitive bidding process where the Purchasing Agent has determined that a particular material is required to maintain interchangeability or compatibility as part of an existing integrated system; and WHEREAS, the Purchasing Agent has determined that purchase of the John Deere loader is necessary to maintain interchangeability and compatibility with existing Utility equipment; and WHEREAS, the Purchasing Agent has submitted the requisite justification to the City Manager for approval; and WHEREAS, the City Manager has reviewed and concurred in that determination for this acquisition; and WHEREAS, Section 8-161(d)(3) requires approval of this purchasing method by the City Council for items costing more than One Hundred Thousand Dollars($100,000)prior to acquisition. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the purchase of one John Deere 544H loader in the amount of ONE HUNDRED TEN THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED NINETEEN DOLLARS($110,419) from Colorado Machinery, as an exception to the City's competitive Purchasing requirements, is hereby approved. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 17th day of December, A.D. 2002. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk