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meet. However, both Draeger and Survivair are involved in the compliance testing stage, and approvals are anticipated in early November. As a result, all proposed products will meet compliance requirements, which will be required as a condition of purchase. All of the vendors meet the service and training requirements including agreement to train the appropriate LPFD personnel to maintain and service the SCBAs as required by NFPA. Regarding pricing, all vendors submitted proposals priced at 1 to 6 percent of each other and as a result, staff determined that this difference could be insignificant when compared to other matters including equipment suitability and performance. Based on proposal review and field testing involving 42 Firefighters, (one third of the Department personnel) the task force recommended the proposal from Emergency Equipment Management for Draeger equipment. While there were many notable benefits to this equipment, the task force particularly noted that the design of the backpack assembly allows firefighters to adjust the equipment to fit their torso which significantly improves both weight distribution and comfort of the backpack. In addition, the integrated design of the communications components into the mask assembly was superior in the Draeger equipment. Finally, the Personal Alert Safety System (PASS), which provides a continuous evaluation of the air supply along with an enhanced audible alert system, was determined to be superior in design and performance. As indicated above, while the Emergency Equipment Management proposal exceeded the low bid by $37,949 (5.5%). However, this cost differential was determined to be minor enough to not be a significant factor in the evaluation process. In addition, the pricing difference is also minimized by the fact that the cost of each of the 104 Draeger SCBA units being purchased differ by less than $365/unit from the low bidder. Had the pricing gap been greater, staff would have placed more weight on this factor. However, notwithstanding pricing, staff and the task force determined that the other factors, including those related to equipment operability, have a greater evaluation factor than the pricing. It should also be noted, that the City's recently adopted purchasing procedures do not require low bid for these types of purchases provided the project was competitively bid with clear evaluation criteria including more than pricing, and provided the department head justifies vendor selection. As a result, this recommendation is consistent with current purchasing procedures. Equipment Funding In accordance with LPFD cost sharing principals, both Pleasanton and Livermore will share equally in the cost of this purchase. In addition, as noted, the LPFD will receive a $203,904 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to offset the cost of the equipment. Based on these contributions, the City's net cost will be a $237,826. In anticipation of this purchase, in Fiscal Year 2005/06, the LPFD reduced program expenditures, including some that were earmarked for this equipment, resulting in cost savings of approximately $360,000. As a result, a supplemental appropriation is necessary to use these carry-over funds for the project. Page 3 of 4