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City explains bulk purchase of patrol and fleet vehicles, citing state bid schedule and replacement needs
Summary
At a Sept. 24 pre‑meeting, staff explained the city’s large, state‑bid vehicle orders — including dozens of Chevrolet Tahoes for police — are driven by state purchasing windows, factory production schedules and routine fleet replacement (about 100 patrol vehicles per year); staff also said the city plans vehicles for 24 additional officers.
City staff told the Mobile City Council at a Sept. 24 pre‑meeting that a large group of vehicle purchase orders on the consent calendar reflects the state bid process, production scheduling and annual fleet replacement rather than an ad‑hoc bulk buy.
Councilman Woods asked why the city was buying so many vehicles at once. A city procurement/fleet staff member explained that the state purchasing department opens a bid window that guarantees prices for a set period; local governments order against that state bid to reserve production slots. “If we don't do it this year, it's gonna be the following year before we can actually order them,” the staff member said. He said manufacturers may stop normal passenger…
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