Title
Light Rail Vehicle and Streetcar LED Railway Lights and Headlights
Action
Action:
A. Approve the purchase of light rail vehicle and streetcar railway lights and headlight assembly LEDs by the sole source exemption,
B. Approve a contract with Transit Design Group for the purchase of light rail vehicle and streetcar railway lights and headlight assembly LEDs for the term of three years, and
C. Authorize the City Manager to renew the contract for up to two, one-year terms with possible price adjustments and to amend the contract consistent with the purpose for which the contract was approved.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Brent Cagle, CATS
Victoria Johnson, CATS
Gary Lee, CATS
Sole Source Exemption
§ NC General Statute Section 143-129(e)(6) provides that formal bidding requirements do not apply when:
- Performance or price competition are not available;
- A needed product is available from only one source or supply; or
- Standardization or compatibility is the overriding consideration.
§ Sole sourcing is necessary for this contract because performance or price competition are not available.
§ City Council approval is required for any purchases made under the sole source exception.
Explanation
§ The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) operates 42 S70 light rail vehicles (LRV) and six S700 streetcars that are used to provide transit service on the Blue Line and Gold Line, respectively.
§ CATS must purchase headlight assembly LEDs, railway lights, and railway light kits for the S70 LRVs and the S700 streetcars from Transit Design Group (TDG), the original equipment manufacturer.
§ The LED lights consume less power and have a longer lifecycle that regular incandescent lighting.
§ The TDG LED lights have been field tested and provide longer use and higher visibility for the LRV operators.
§ There was no proven beneficial functionality in other lights that were tested.
§ Annual expenditures are estimated to be $80,000.
Charlotte Business INClusion
This is a sole source contract and is exempt under the Charlotte Business Inclusion Program.
Per CBI’s Administrative Procedures Manual (8.21.5), sole source contracts are exempt from CBI Program goals, as these contracts do not involve a competitive bidding process and do not present opportunities for subcontracting. Sole sourcing was required for this contract because performance or price competition are not available. This aligns with what is required by NC Statute Section 143-129(e)(3).
Fiscal Note
Funding: CATS Operating Budget