Title
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH MSA SAFETY SALES, LLC FOR THE PURCHASE OF TWENTY-SEVEN SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS AND ALL ASSOCIATED ACCESSORY EQUIPMENT; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Brief Description: This request will enable Hudson Fire Department to replace their existing fifteen-year-old SCBA’s that are expiring in August of 2022. We estimated and budgeted $300,000 for this project. In March of 2021, $202,827.27 in grant funding was requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG). In August of 2021 the Hudson Fire Department was awarded $174,872.73 to assist with our SCBA project. The additional portion of the project that was not eligible to be covered by the grant is $88,697.45 and is currently approved in the HFD 2022 budget. The total cost of this SCBA project is $263,570.18 which is $36,429.82 below our initial project estimate.
Body
Legislative History
Resolution No. 21-31, a resolution affirming the application submitted by the City Manager’s designee to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for an Assistance to Firefighters Grant; Passed 3/16/21
Resolution No. 21-97, a resolution affirming the acceptance by the City Manager’s designee of an Assistance to Firefighters Grant awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Passed 9/21/21
Purpose & Explanation
Our current SCBA cylinders expire in August of 2022 and will no longer be able to be used per the U.S. DOT Code of Federal Regulations. We started preparing for replacing our SCBA’s in early 2021. We applied for the FEMA AFG grant in the amount of $202,827.27 on 3/16/21. We were notified on 8/27/21 that we were awarded $174,872.73 to assist with our SCBA project. Only certain parts of the SCBA project were eligible to be included in the grant. The balance of the project, $88,697.45 needs to be purchased from HFD funds.
A committee of five members from the Hudson Fire Department was formed on 9/13/21. The committee met and created an extensive packet of SCBA evaluation forms. They surveyed all current HFD personnel about our existing equipment and using that input determined the wish list for potential new equipment needs and accessory options. The committee scheduled sales and manufacturer representative presentations with the three major SCBA suppliers in our area. They met on 10/5/21 with Drager, 10/7/21 with Scott and 10/13/21 with MSA. A ten-hour hands-on evaluation day was scheduled for 11/1/21 where all three SCBA suppliers left samples of their newest units for the committee to conduct rigorous hands-on evaluations including crawling through smoke filled environments, climbing ladders, swinging axes/tools and many other fire scene work applications.
Following the hands-on time with each SCBA, the committee member privately and independently evaluated the SCBA using the SCBA evaluation packet. The independent scores were compiled onto the master spreadsheet and final scores were determined. All five committee members unanimously chose MSA as their number one choice. The final evaluation totals were MSA = 1990/2325, Scott = 1571/2325, Drager = 1415/2325.
We requested a quote from the designated MSA vendor for our area Fire Safety Services, Inc. for our list of SCBA’s and accessories. That quote is $274,853.04.
We requested a U.S. General Services Administration Cooperative Purchasing Program (GSA) pricing quote directly from the SCBA manufacturer (MSA Safety Sales, LLC) with the expectation that the GSA pricing could be less than the quote that we received from Fire Safety Services, Inc. We have been waiting for the GSA pricing quote from MSA for many weeks and finally received the revised quote on 1/27/22. That quote is $263,570.18.
I am requesting authorization to enter into a contract with MSA in an amount not to exceed $263,570.18. The reason that this legislation needs to be an emergency is that we need permission from Council to place the order now or we may be too late to get the order placed manufactured and delivered before our August deadline.
Legal Authority for Proposed Legislation
Competitively bid and advertise for two consecutive weeks
X Cooperative Purchasing Program (GSA) Contract # GS-07F-5530P
Professional Services
____ Other
Fiscal Impact
X Currently Budgeted - ($174,872.73 from a FEMA AFG Grant & $88,697.45 from HFD )
Supplemental Appropriation Required
Appropriation Not Required.
Does this legislation require use of an emergency clause?
X Yes; To expedite delivery of new equipment before the August cylinder expiration date.
No
Recommendation
Suggested Action
Staff recommends that City Council approve this Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with MSA Safety Sales, LLC in an amount not to exceed $263,570.18.
Submitted by,
Jane Howington, City Manager
Jerry Varnes, Fire/EMS Chief