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APPROVE MOTION TO AUTHORIZE PAYMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $195,052 TO REMOTEC, INC. FOR CITY’S SHARE OF COSTS FOR THE PURCHASE OF AN EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DETAIL ROBOT
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve a motion to:
1. Authorize payment to Remotec, Inc. for the City’s share of costs for the purchase of a bomb robot for the City in the amount of $195,052; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to take all necessary and appropriate actions to carry out the purpose and intent of the motion.
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Summary
The San Joaquin Metropolitan Bomb Squad is a multi-jurisdictional team which includes several law enforcement agencies including the Stockton Police Department (SPD) and San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. As a member, the SPD's Explosive Ordnance Detail (EOD) Team is required to have and maintain a functional bomb robot. The EOD Team currently has a robot purchased in 2002, which is now beyond its useful life. The City requested financial assistance from San Joaquin County (County) through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) - Homeland Security Grant program to purchase a replacement robot. The County approved an amount of $101,122 for this purpose; however, the lowest bid received from Remotec, Inc. is for $270,802, plus sales tax, for a total purchase price of $296,174. Staff seeks Council approval to authorize payment for the City's share (Attachment A) in an amount not to exceed $195,052.
DISCUSSION
Background
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) oversees all law enforcement EOD Teams in the United States and maintains minimum requirements for all certified teams. The FBI created the metropolitan team concept which requires each participating agency be primarily responsible for EOD calls for service within their jurisdiction and to do so, must possess and maintain a functional and appropriate robot for operational use. Additional support, whether in the form of personnel or equipment, is provided by the teams of the other participating agencies subsequent to a formal request for mutual aid.
EOD Teams use robots to remotely and safely approach a suspicious package or device. The capabilities of a bomb robot are dependent upon the size and design. The FBI recommends each metropolitan team procure and maintain robots of varying sizes and capabilities to leverage available technology. The SPD currently uses a large Remotec Andros robot purchased in 2002 which is beyond its useful life and needs to be replaced. As the largest member city, SPD’s robot is the largest of the team. While other, smaller robots are available on the market, replacing the Remotec Andros with a like model allows the county-wide team access to a variety of tools to assess and render safe any suspicious package or device.
Present Situation
The EOD Team responds to approximately 25 to 30 calls for service per year pertaining to a suspicious package or device. According to the FBI safety standards, a robotic approach should be used for approximately 80% to 90% of those calls for service. Since 2012, SPD’s robot has not operated in a reliable manner, requiring several repairs and resulting in an inability to respond to an EOD call for service approximately 75% of the time. When SPD receives an EOD call for service and the robot is inoperable, we rely on our partner agencies to respond with their equipment. This causes significant delays and can result in not being able to respond to the call at all. To maintain compliance with the FBI’s regulations, SPD must maintain an operable robot.
In December 2017, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors accepted the 2017 CalOES Homeland Security Grant award and established a local Approval Authority to decide how grant funds are spent. The SPD submitted a request for funding to replace its aging robot and was awarded $101,122 towards the purchase. Purchasing a new robot will equip the EOD Team with an entirely new system with no damage or wear and tear. Furthermore, it will bring the EOD Team into full compliance with FBI regulations. Based on the EOD Team's recommended specifications, the County received a bid for the Remotec HD SEL, which is a comparable replacement for SPD’s existing Remotec Andros. The submitted bid price is consistent with the EOD Team’s estimate and is reasonable for the value of the equipment. The grant allocation is not sufficient to cover the purchase price; therefore, SPD is requesting Council approval of an allocation of $195,052 to complete the purchase.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
The cost to purchase the Remotec HD is $270,802, not including sales tax. San Joaquin County will issue payment in the amount of $101,122 with the CalOES Homeland Security grant funding. The City’s share of the cost is $195,052. This includes the robot cost of $178,947 plus the applicable sales tax. Sufficient funds are available in the Police Department’s State Citizens’ Option for Public Safety (COPS) Account No. 024-6426-603.
Attachment A - Remotec Bomb Robot Bid