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Council OKs $27,006 police vehicle upfit amid debate over bidding and funding source
Summary
The council approved a $27,006.19 purchase from Metro Emergency Upfitters for emergency lighting and installation on a police vehicle, funded from drug-forfeiture and donations accounts. Some councilors opposed approving without competitive bids despite staff saying state contract pricing applied.
The Pryor Creek City Council approved an expenditure totaling $27,006.19 to Metro Emergency Upfitters LLC for emergency lighting equipment and installation on a police vehicle. The purchase will be paid from the police drug-forfeiture account ($20,000) and the police donations account ($7,006.19), city staff said; the purchase was presented as Oklahoma state contract pricing (SW 142).
Council discussion focused on whether the city should solicit competitive bids rather than use state-contract pricing and on timing/turnaround for upfitting vehicles. Several councilors asked whether the city could obtain multiple bids to compare price and lead time; staff and the police department said Metro Emergency Upfitters was a preferred, one-stop vendor with manufacturer relationships that can reduce lead times and handling complexity.
Councilor Smith and Councilor Lamar voted against the motion, citing concerns about procedure and price comparison; the motion carried with the remaining councilors in favor. Police department representatives said the truck will be used as a pool vehicle at City Hall after upfit and the older black unit would be surplused. Staff also noted some of the equipment can only be upfitted by vendors with certain dealer relationships and that vehicle backlog can affect turnaround time.
What’s next: The police department will complete the upfit; the city will surplus the replaced vehicle after the new unit is placed in service. Councilors who requested it were told they could pursue a future procurement review to compare state contract purchases with open bidding in similar procurements.
