Portage Board reviews police vehicle bids, approves faster upfitter at roughly $4,700 premium

The Portage Board of Works publicly opened bids for seven pursuit vehicles (Dodge Durangos) and five administrative pickup trucks (Silverados) and voted to take the bids under review pending staff and legal analysis. Separately, the board approved Federal Signal to perform vehicle upfitting, accepting an estimated $4,708 premium for faster turnaround.

During the bid opening, staff read prices from multiple vendors: Fletcher Chrysler submitted seven Durangos at $39,568 apiece (total $276,976); Graff offered five Silverados at $254,770; Donahoe Chevrolet offered five Silverados at $259,975; and John Jones submitted competitive bids including five Silverados for $250,007.29 (lowest on the Silverado package). Staff explained there were two procurement groupings—seven pursuit vehicles and five administrative units (three for police and two for fire)—and recommended a review to verify compliance and any unsolicited items.

A motion to take the bids under advisement for staff and legal review was made and approved by the board.

Staff then presented three upfitting quotes: for the Durangos La Porte Dodge $68,285, Northwest Indiana Emergency Outfitters $52,500, and Federal Signal $55,851.60; for the trucks La Porte Dodge $29,265, Northwest $23,626, and Federal Signal $24,983. Staff recommended Federal Signal because it could outfit vehicles faster (about two cars per week), shortening downtime. The police chief told the board the department had recently suffered multiple vehicle losses on duty—‘‘we've had 7 crashes’’—and stressed the need to return cars to service quickly.

A committee member moved to approve Federal Signal based on the timeliness staff described; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The board accepted the modest additional cost in exchange for faster delivery and instructed staff to proceed with contracting and scheduling.