Select Board authorizes procurement exception for Henniker fire pumper; chief says build will take ~30 months

The Henniker Select Board voted March 18 to allow the fire department to use a purchasing consortium and an exception to the town bid procedure to procure a new pumper truck.

Fire Chief Morse outlined that apparatus purchases often use consortium purchasing rather than sealed competitive bids to ensure like-for-like comparisons across custom specs. Chief Morse said the department has been working with a truck committee and multiple manufacturers; he told the board, "It's at least 30 months on most every builder," when asked about delivery timelines. Town staff and the committee noted the legislative body had authorized funding (the transcript references a sum of $1,075,000) and that the department expects to remain within that appropriation.

Why it matters: Fire apparatus are custom-built, technically specified purchases with long lead times and sizable capital cost. The procurement exception lets the department work within an industry consortium that delivers packaged options tailored to fire apparatus purchases, rather than a sealed-bid that the department said would not compare "apples to apples." Board members discussed oversight, contract review steps and the plan to return to the board for final authorization of a vendor contract.

Board action: The board moved to permit the department to proceed under the procurement exemption (bid process number 19, per the procurement policy) and authorized the department to continue negotiations with the consortium and manufacturers. The motion carried (recorded in the transcript as "motion carries 5 nothing").

Next steps: Chief Morse said staff will return with contract paperwork for town-admin review and possible town-attorney review before final signature. The town will track the build schedule and intend to seek maximum trade-in proceeds or surplus-sale proceeds for the old unit when replacement arrives.