DATE:	17 February 2012
TO/DEST:	Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board
FROM/EXP:	Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service
SUBJECT/OBJET:	PURCHASE OF POLICE PACKAGE VEHICLES - 2012

RECOMMENDATION

That the Ottawa Police Services Board approve the purchase of 58 police package vehicles for 2012 at a cost of $1,621,596, including applicable taxes.

BACKGROUND

The Ottawa Police Service, along with a number of other police services throughout Ontario including the Toronto Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police, participate each year in the Police Cooperative Purchasing Group (PCPG). The aim of the PCPG is to combine the purchasing power of its members with the goal of achieving bottom-line budget savings in the acquisition of goods and services.

The PCPG Fleet Sub-Committee, of which the OPS Fleet Services Manager Staff Sergeant Sean McDade is a standing member, develops specifications for full-size, mid-size and four-wheel drive police package vehicles and establishes standing offers for these purchases. The PCPG posts tender information on the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) web site for the benefit of all members.

The Police Services Act of Ontario mandates the type of vehicles to be used as general police patrol vehicles. Currently, there are five models offered by three manufacturers that are approved as general patrol vehicles:

Ford: Police Interceptor

General Motors: Caprice and Impala

Chrysler: Enforcer and Magnum

The Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (CVPI), which is currently the predominant model used by the OPS as the general patrol vehicle, was discontinued by Ford after the 2011 model year. It was replaced in 2012 by the Ford Police Interceptor, which is based on the Ford Taurus platform.

DISCUSSION

Replacement Planning

To determine the number of replacement vehicles to order, Fleet staff reviewed the maintenance data for vehicles currently in the OPS fleet. In the case of general patrol vehicles which are, for the most part, assigned to Platoon and District functions, those which have been in service for three years or more, or have reached 160,000 kilometres, are candidates for replacement.

Fleet Services has a deployment strategy for the replacement vehicles acquired through the PCPG program. It identifies the sequencing and timing for the older vehicles that will be de-commissioned and the new vehicles that will be put into service. Development of the replacement plan incorporates a number of factors, including:

· Degradation of vehicle reliability

· Safety

· Vehicle mileage

· Maintenance and repair costs

· Disposal value.

It is not uncommon for the replacement plan to change given operational needs including factors such as serious vehicle collisions, which can prompt an immediate replacement. In some circumstances, it is possible that the planned replacement of some vehicles will be postponed until the following year. OPS vehicles that are at the end of their lifecycle are sent to public auction and the proceeds are used to help fund the vehicle replacement program.

In general, the three manufacturers “build” only the quantity of police package vehicles ordered by customers and organize their factories for a specific production of police package vehicles. They do not produce and hold an inventory of spare vehicles. Historically, the OPS places its order for replacement vehicles in the first quarter of each calendar year.

The requirement for replacement vehicles for the marked general patrol vehicles in 2012 is projected to be 58 vehicles. This quantity is fairly consistent with previous years. Table 1 shows the number of vehicles order in prior years:

Table 1

Replacement of Marked General Patrol Vehicles

Year	Quantity
2009	57
2010	40
2011	58
2012	58

Selecting the OPS General Patrol Vehicle

OPS staff evaluated police package vehicles offered by all three manufacturers as the replacement for the CVPI and as the OPS general patrol vehicle. The evaluation included field testing of the vehicles, as well as conducting research and consultation directly with the manufacturers’ engineering teams. The selection criteria emphasized value for money, the health and safety of our members, reliability and suitability for the needs of general patrol policing. In addition, consideration was given to the installation and configuration of the police electronic equipment infrastructure and mobile computer workstation.

The rear wheel drive Dodge Enforcer was a strong contender as the replacement for the CVPI. However, officers identified sight line issues during field testing. The other general patrol vehicles considered included the General Motors rear wheel drive Chevrolet Caprice. However, the Caprice is currently not available in Canada. The Impala was deemed too small for general patrol duties.

The Ford Interceptor has been selected as the replacement for the CVPI, particularly for its all-wheel drive capability, safety standards, endorsement by the PCPG partners and purpose-built design. Additionally, the Interceptor was chosen based on the potential to reuse various pieces of equipment from the CVPI

Fleet staff will continue to evaluate all vehicles on offer and see if they are appropriate matches for other, non-patrol functions in the OPS’ fleet.

Delivery and Warranty Considerations

The time frame from order date to delivery for the 2012 police vehicles is expected to be four to five months from date of ordering. This means that the delivery date for an order placed in February 2012 is expected to be June 2012. This time frame aligns with anticipated operational requirements for the replacement of existing police vehicles. Ford Canada has stated that warranty coverage starts when the vehicles are put into service as opposed to the delivery date.

CONSULTATION

Consultation took place with law enforcement services across Ontario and subsequent discussions from PCPG participating partners Fleet staff also participated in vehicle demonstrations and test drives provided by Ford Canada, General Motors Canada and Chrysler Canada.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

The purchase of fifty eight (58) 2012 police package vehicles is estimated to be $1,621,596 as summarized below. Funding for this purchase is available and will be drawn from the 2012 Capital Project Account #906552 – 2012 Fleet Program.

2012 Fleet Program Capital Project #906552

Approved Budget to Date $2,850,000

Balance Available $2,753,236

This Request $1,621,596

Balance Remaining $1,131,640

As shown in Table 2, the per vehicle cost of the 2012 Ford Interceptor is slightly higher than the 2011 CVPI due to AWD availability as well as technology and safety advancements. The reduced pricing for both years 2010 and 2011 resulted from generous concession allowances from the manufacturer. In 2012, concession allowances through the PCPG program were comparable to 2009.

Table 2

Cost Summary Per Vehicle

Replacement Year	2009	2010	2011	2012
Date of Order	January 2009	March 2010	August 2010	February 2012
Base Price Freight Federal AC Tax Fuel Consumption Tax Cost Before Discount & Tax Discount	$ 35,609.00 $ 1,300.00 $ 75.00 $ 36,984.00 $( 8,692.00)	$ 35,739.00 $ 1,350.00 $ 100.00 $ -- $ 37,189.00 $(13,551.00)	$ 35,739.00 $ 1,350.00 $ 100.00 $ -- $ 37,189.00 $(13,551.00)	$ 32,100.00 $ 1,500.00 $ 100.00 $ -- $ 33,700.00 $ ( 6,225.00)
SUB-TOTAL:	$ 28,292.00	$ 23,638.00	$ 23,638.00	$ 27,475.00
PST/HST (Not Recoverable)	$ 2,263.36	$ 1,891.00	$ 416.03	$ 483.56
Total Cost per Vehicle	$ 30,555.36	$ 25,529.00	$ 24,054.03	$ 27,958.56
Number of Vehicles Required				58

CONCLUSION

Fleet Services is constantly striving to balance operational needs with fiscal responsibility, while exploring opportunities to generate savings. Staff is confident that the selection of the Ford Interceptor will best meet general patrol requirements. Acquiring these vehicles through the Police Cooperative Purchasing Group (PCPG) will ensure that the Board conducts business in both an economical and an efficient way.

(Original signed by)

Vern White

Chief of Police