KENMORE-TOWN OF TONAWANDA April 11, 2013 UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Purchasing Department
TO: Mr. Mark Mondanaro, Board of Education
FROM: Ken Morton, Purchasing Manager
SUBJECT: Cab and Chassis with Front Loading Refuse Collection Truck Body (Garbage Truck)
In conjunction with the Director of Facilities and Planning, Mr. Jeffery Hatten, it is recommended that the Board of Education award the second portion of the contract (see attached) in the aforementioned category to the low bidder meeting specifications, Labrie Wittke for $121,716.00.
The school district’s preferred choice” on the packer body (mounted on the Peterbilt cab and chassis) was the Heil product similar to the one currently in service. The last garbage truck purchase that we made had a lot to do with the fact that the Town of Tonawanda was/is using Heil almost exclusively. They, Heil, are well established in the marketplace and suspicions abound that this confidence is reflected in their prices. In the meantime, other manufacturers have improved their packer bodies substantially to be competitive and price their products accordingly to gain a foothold (Town representatives have most recently admitted to a new era of openness regarding future purchases).
The question of a “low bidder meeting specifications” needs to be addressed momentarily. Technically, if even the slightest single variation exists, even by a millimeter, nobody else can … meet the “specs”. The School District has always adopted a position above this rigid stance and prided itself on a more fundamental approach; namely, the prudent expenditure of public funds administered impartially and in fairness regarding all proposals – such is the case here.
The packer bodies reviewed by the selection committee were analyzed, comparatively, in detail. Where one company promotes a feature at the expense of another (e.g. clamp-on versus bolt-on lift arms), the competitor counters with an improvement in their specification elsewhere (Hardox metal versus plate steel) that supersedes the published “specs”. In the end, this exercise of plus and minus must materially demonstrate the difference in prices to justify the dismissal of the lowest price bid.
Wittke Starlight $121, 716
$4,228 is the difference
Wayne Titan $125,944
$4,833 is the difference
Heil $130,777
Along with the comparative analysis, reference checks on all of the companies inadvertently revealed that most of these front loaders are not used by municipalities; their primary application comes by way of commercial refuse haulers and this usually means several loads a day, heavily packed, and pressed into relentless service. Most notable among the references was U.S.A. Hauling in Connecticut with a fleet of 200 vehicles and 13 Wittke front loaders in service with 22 more on order. A full and comprehensive assessment regarding the analysis and all inquiries made is available upon request.
It is recommended that the Board of Education award the Packer Body portion (Front Loading Refuse Collection Truck Body) of the contract to the low bidder meeting specifications, Labrie Wittke for $121,716.00.