Chester First Aid Squad. Ambulance Procurement Committee Second Presentation April 2015

Transcription

1 Chester First Aid Squad Ambulance Procurement Committee Second Presentation April 2015

2 At last month s meeting, the squad was provided the initial Power Point presentation explaining the process behind acquiring the new ambulance. A copy of said presentation was also made available to all members on the squad website for later review.

3 The committee is recommending a Type I ambulance on a 2016 Ford F-450 XLT 4X4 chassis. Originally PL Custom was the sole builder considered, but it was suggested that we look at other builders and making the process more competitive.

4 After all, if anyone was suggesting we purchase something expensive, the squad would ask for three quotes. So we went and contacted three builders.

5 Two additional builders were brought to the table: First Priority (Road Rescue and Braun) and VCI (Horton). On April 1 all had agreed to present their products along with Stryker at the open house we had on Tuesday, April 7. First Priority brought a Braun Type III and a Demers Type I. VCI brought a Horton Type I. PL Custom brought a Type I. The types I rigs do fit in the station.

6 When the builders were contacted, they were given instructions that we are looking to keep our existing fleet as close as possible, with the exception of switching to a pick-up truck chassis with 4x4 and probably adding the Stryker Power load system. The new Stryker had overwhelming support at the March meeting.

7 On Wednesday, April 1, each builder was given a builder questionnaire/light spec with 170 questions to fill out, which was due at 1700 hrs on Friday, April 17.

8 When EMS 52 was in development it s original bid was rejected by the town councils, as only one builder bid on it. It had a lot of proprietary things hidden throughout it. Eventually when the spec was revamped, PL Custom won the less restrictive bid.

9 To avoid repeats of the past, we asked the builders how they would design the new ambulance, keeping in mind that we wanted something similar to what we already have. Our light spec meant that certain things had to be maintained E.g. compartment E (the curbside rear) needed to accommodate 2 backboards and the stair chair.

10 The questionnaire is something that we (CFAS) are not accustomed to, as the last two rigs were purchased by municipal funds and by an established spec.

11 The questionnaire was a recommended step in William Peter s Fire Apparatus Purchasing Handbook (Publisher: Fire Engineering Books, ISBN: , January 1, 1994) Amazon.com s review: This text details the step-by-step instructions needed to write specifications, go out to bid, evaluate the bids, inspect the apparatus, and save your department money. Chief Peters provides insights into various apparatus features, real-life mishaps, maintenance programs, and warranty information that will help you and the department purchase the right vehicle for the job.

12 The April 17 deadline for questionnaires were received as follows: First priority for Braun was received at 1341 hrs. First priority for Road Rescue was received at VCI for Horton was received at PL Custom was received at 1652.

13 After the questionnaires were returned, a criteria was developed for committee members to rate the responses of each builder. A scale of 3,000 total points was possible for each builder. The criteria scale was unbiased, so points were not skewed in favor of one builder over another for key (significantly weighted) questions. On Thursday, April 23, four committee members voted on the replies.

14 Names of the builders were written on paper and drawn randomly, each builder was given a letter. The replies were placed side-by-side and each question was evaluated by a predetermined point schedule. Replies revealing the builders were masked until the end, it was a blind test. Only the committee chair and a non voting associate member serving as a witness knew who the builders were in advance.

15 The results were as follows: Percentages are points out of the combined 12,000 total (4 times 3,000). Builder A was Road Rescue, receiving 10,652 total points (88.77%) Builder B was PL Custom, receiving 11,226 total points (93.55%) Builder C was Horton, receiving 6,249 points (52.08%) Builder D was Braun, receiving 10,668 total points (88.90%)

16 As PL Custom was the original builder looked at and has won the blind questionnaire, the committee recommends moving forward and selecting them for the replacement to EMS 53.

17 All builders said they could match the Houston-Galveston Cooperative pricing. In the questionnaire all were advised if they said they could, then they would have to provide us with a signed and notarized affidavit. This may be the workaround getting competitive pricing without going through this long process.

18 PL Custom has quoted us $10,000 for EMS 53 as a trade-in, sight unseen. ($20,000 for EMS 51 and $2,500 for Support 56, but both are municipally owned.) Since the last presentation, EMS 53 has incurred more problems. PL Custom is stating a 252 day build (second lowest in the questionnaire). If the contract is awarded on May 27 th, this would mean delivery around February 3, 2016.

19 About 90-95% of the work is done in designing a new ambulance with PL Custom, it should be finalized by the May meeting. The committee is looking into taking a field trip to Martinsville RS and Mountainside RS later on this week to look at recently delivered PL Custom Type I s for comparison, to look at craftsmanship, and to see if their members have experienced any problems since their deliveries.

20 The committee would be looking to bring in the salesman along with Andy, the DPW foreman in early-to-mid May to have one last pre-construction meeting to knock out any issues and for final tweaks.

21 Another thing the squad should be concerned about: Ambulances purchased after July 1 will be subject to KKK-A-1822F s new revision. Among the called for changes are: SAE Certified seats. SAE Certified Cot Mounts. SAE Certified Equipment mounts. FSAM (final stage ambulance manufacturer) seats, such as bulkhead seating, CPR side seats, Squad Bench, etc. will require new compliance testing to these standards.

22 KKK-A-1822-F is by the federal government s General Services Administration, they do specifications for Star-Of-Life Ambulances. They are one of the most common standards for ambulances, but other standards are out there such as NFPA 1917 and ASTM International. Waiting to purchase the ambulance after July would mean higher costs and delays associated with the new process.

23 At this point, PL Custom is asking for $200,555. Out of that figure, $51,940 is for the chassis. It appears that it is cheaper for them to provide the chassis than it would be for us to buy it. The committee is trying to haggle below $200,000 turn key with the tweaks.

24 This figure does not factor in the Stryker Power Load costs or the trade-in. We are also looking at different finance options, like if it would make more sense to pay it off in installments or as a lump sum.

25 In addition to CFAS buying the ambulance, we need to explore funding to replenish/offset what we spend. E.g. agreeing to use this year s fund drive proceeds and other fundraising with the new ambulance specified as the goal.

26 The committee would be ready for a motion tonight based off our recommendations, with the final vote next month with the following verbiage guidelines: Purchase of a 2016 Ford F-450 XLT 4X4 Type I ambulance awarded to PL Custom. Taking the recent $25,000 Offray donation and applying that towards the Stryker Power Load stretcher system. Price cap should be around $210,000 to give the committee some wiggle room for tweaks and any difference the Offray donation does not cover with the Stryker system. Overall, it should be less than $210,000 out of pocket with the donation. The funds used to purchase the vehicle cannot be from tax dollars, so from General Fund II. The trade in does not need to be figured right now unless the squad feels compelled to trade in EMS53 and make that part of the motion.

27 QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION?