TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Purchase of Portable Bus Lifts
ACTION ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider authorizing the General Manager to execute a contract with Mohawk Lifts, LLC, to purchase three sets of portable bus lifts.
Staff Contact:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Infrastructure Modernization
Purchase of the new portable lifts will supplement existing shop equipment, replace aging end-of-useful-life portable lifts, and allow for safer and flexible utilization of maintenance shop space.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost of the project is $315,940. It is funded with $153,374 of Bay Area Toll Authority funds (from prior project cost savings), $96,922 in Federal funds and the remainder with District Capital funds.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
AC Transit uses portable and in-ground lifts in its maintenance shops to perform scheduled routine maintenance, inspection, and repair of the bus fleet. The portable lifts presently in use are reaching the end of their useful lives, are less reliable, and require more maintenance to continue operating. Additionally, the existing portable lifts require 480 volts of power, and adding or moving outlets to other areas of the shop is very difficult and not cost-effective.
After researching replacement lifts, staff found cordless portable lifts that are supplied under the Sourcewell Cooperative agreement. This new cordless design meets the needs of the District and allows for use in any location with multiple configurations. Cordless portable lifts are safer to deploy in a busy maintenance shop environment because they reduce tripping hazards with fewer cables on the ground.
The Sourcewell cooperative agreement, formally known as the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA), was competitively bid in January 2020 with fourteen respondents. Mohawk Lifts, LLC, was evaluated as one of the six awardees, with a satisfactory balance of safety, efficiency, and cost.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
The purchase of these replacement lifts will help with the productivity and safety of the shop by allowing maintenance staff to make undercarriage repairs in more areas of the shop. As the new lifts do not need to be near a specialized power outlet, they can be relocated to various areas within the shop.
There are no disadvantages to proceeding with the execution of this contract.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
Rehabilitation of the existing portable lifts is not an option because some main components are no longer serviceable; therefore, the useful life cannot be extended on these units.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Board Policy 465 - Procurement Policy
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Prepared by:
Chris Durant, Assistant Director of Maintenance
In Collaboration with:
Seema Prasad, Senior Capital Planning Specialist
Michael Silk, Assistant Director of Procurement and Materials
Approved/Reviewed by:
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
Fred Walls, Director of Procurement and Materials
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer