REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 11, 2024
FROM
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
Purchase of Breath Alcohol Testing Instruments and Accessories
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue Purchase Orders to Intoximeters, Inc., for the following breath alcohol testing instruments and accessories:
1. 46 Intox EC/IR II instruments in an amount not to exceed $521,000.
2. 45 Alco-Sensor VXL Point of Arrest instruments in an amount not to exceed $188,000.
(Presenter: Kelly Welty, Chief Deputy Director, 387-3760)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The expense for breath alcohol testing instruments and accessories in the total aggregate amount of $709,000 is included in the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator’s (Department) 2023-24 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department’s Scientific Investigations Division (SID) provides accredited laboratory services to all law enforcement agencies in the County. SID’s Forensic Alcohol Unit (FAU) is responsible for detecting, quantifying, and interpreting blood and breath samples for alcohol, the latter obtained using Evidential Breath Alcohol Testing (EBT) instruments, and provides accurate and reliable alcohol analysis to determine the concentration of alcohol in blood samples for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) cases.
The desktop Intox EC/IR II and the portable Alco-Sensor VXL Point of Arrest (POA) are EBT instruments that will replace units currently used by the Department that have reached their useful life expectancy, which utilize Intoximeters, Inc.’s (Intoximeters) fuel cell sensor and infrared technology to provide accurate, precise, and reliable results of alcohol concentration levels in a breath sample collected to assist in DUI enforcement.
Approval of this item will authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue non-competitive Purchase Orders to Intoximeters for the EBT instruments in an aggregate amount not to exceed $709,000.
PROCUREMENT
This is a non-competitive procurement based on Intoximeters being the sole manufacturer of the Intox EC/IR II and Alco-Sensor VXL POA EBT instruments, related accessories, and factory certified spare parts. Department staff from the FAU are certified users and calibrate, maintain, and train all operators of Intoximeters’ EBT instruments used within the County. Utilizing other manufacturers’ products would increase costs due to the need for training and certifications required to operate those new devices. The Purchasing Department supports this non-competitive procurement. Additionally, County Policy 11-04 requires Board of Supervisor’s approval for non-competitive purchases of goods in excess of $200,000 during a single annual period.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace B. Parsons, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 9, 2024; Purchasing (Jason Cloninger, Lead Buyer, 387-0321) on May 7, 2024; Finance (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on May 23, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 23, 2024.