TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Jeff Carey, Chief of Fire
SUBJECT:
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Purchase of Four (4) Complete Horton Ambulances from Foster Coach in the amount of $1,571,356.00 for Budget Years 2027 - 2028
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BACKGROUND:
The Joliet Fire Department and Fleet Services has developed a schedule for equipment replacement over the next 5 years. Currently, six (6) units on order expected for delivery in 2027 (CM #571-24 & 573-24). These six (6) units correspond to budget years 2024-2026. This request pertains to replacements scheduled for budget years 2027-2028. Currently, new ambulances require approximately 30-36 months for production. As result, a unit ordered today would not be delivered until late-2028 at the earliest. The future four (4) units will not be paid for until they are received. By placing an order now, the City of Joliet will remain on plan and avoid expected annual increases. Following discussions with the Finance Director, future five-year capital plans will indicate that these items have been already approved and ordered.
The Public Safety Committee will review matter.
CONCLUSION:
The City of Joliet has standardized their Ambulance purchases to Horton Emergency Vehicles in prior years. Fleet Services and the Joliet Fire Department interviewed several other builders using exact specifications from previous Joliet Fire Department purchases. Most vendors were unable to meet required safety standards and testing. The one supplier that did submit a competing bid was 15% higher in cost. Foster Coach is the area distributor for Horton Ambulances and has a long-standing record of providing superior service to the City. In previous years they were the only bidder to meet equipment specifications, which led to this standardization. Additionally, Horton is a Sourcewell participating supplier and utilizes government standardized pricing.
Sufficient funding will exist in the Capital Improvements / Fire Department Fund (Org 30070020; Object: 557500) for this ...
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