COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Sheriff’s Office

DATE:

July 2, 2010

BOARD MEETING DATE:

August 10, 2010

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Sheriff Greg Munks, Office of Emergency Services Area Coordinator

SUBJECT:

Purchase of Talon Robot Accessories and Hazmat Sensors for the Sheriff’s Bomb Squad Talon Robot.

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a Resolution:

A.

Waiving the Request for Proposal process; and

B.

Authorizing the Purchasing Agent to purchase Talon Robot accessories and Hazmat sensors from QinetiQ North America in the amount of $111,460.

BACKGROUND:

In 2009, the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services was awarded funding from the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Grant Program to purchase equipment to upgrade the Talon Bomb Robot used by the Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad.

DISCUSSION:

With the growing threat of terrorism it is imperative that the Bomb Squad be able to identify and mitigate any potential chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear devices that may pose a threat to the public as well as the Bomb Squad.

With the purchase of Hazmat sensors and CBRNE accessories for the Talon Robot, the Bomb Squad and the Hazmat Team will be able to identify potential hazards without sending individuals into the “hot zone” which could be potentially life threatening to those first responders.

Waiving the Request for Proposal process and purchasing the accessories from QinetiQ North America is being requested since the Talon Robot used by the Bomb Squad was manufactured by QinetiQ. Compatibility and training issues would exist if the accessories were purchased from a different manufacturer.

County Counsel has reviewed and approved the Resolution as to form.

This purchase aligns with the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Collaborative Community by the collaboration of fire, law, and environmental agencies sharing resources that enhance the ability to prevent, deter, respond, and recover from threats and incidents of terrorism thereby ensuring the safety of the public and first responders.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE:

Measure

FY 2009-10
Actual

FY 2010-11
Projected

Number of incidents responded to by the Bomb Squad

118

95

FISCAL IMPACT:

The cost of the Talon Robot accessories and Hazmat sensors from QinetiQ North America is $111,460. The FY 09 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Grant is funding $102,022 of the purchase while the remainder of $9,438 has been included in the Sheriff's Office FY 2010-11 Adopted Budget.