DATE: July 14, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: John Zanoni, Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator
Edward Hill, Chief Operating Officer/Interim Director of General Services
SUBJECT: Agreement with Cook’s Communications Corp. for Vehicle Up-fitting
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Under Administrative Policy No. 34 for competitive bids or requests for proposals (AP 34) determine that an exception to the competitive bidding requirement under AP 34 is satisfied and a suspension of competition is warranted due to unusual or extraordinary circumstances as Cook’s Communications Corp. is the only local authorized parts and service provider meeting specified requirements; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Cook’s Communications Corp. to provide vehicle upfitting parts and services for the Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator’s Office and General Services Department, effective August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2031, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two automatic one-year extensions, total not to exceed $10,000,000.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator’s Office (Sheriff’s Office) and General Services Department (GSD) need vehicle upfitting parts and services used primarily for law enforcement vehicles. The recommended Agreement provides for a continuation of these services with the current vendor, Cook’s Communications Corp. (Cook’s). This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There are no viable alternative actions. If the recommended actions are not approved, the user departments will not be able to obtain specified parts and services in the most timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner for the necessary upfitting of law enforcement vehicles.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
It is requested that the County find under AP No. 34 that an exception to the competitive bidding requirement is satisfied, and a suspension of competition is warranted due to unusual or extraordinary circumstances. Cook’s is a qualified installer and servicer of equipment specific to emergency services vehicles, and is the only vendor within the immediate area that is an authorized service and repair facility for Federal Lighting and Kenwood Electronics products. This saves the user departments time and money by not having to send the products out for repair, thus greatly reducing vehicle down-time and added repair costs. Specialized sales and installation of such products is only done by three vendors in the State of California. Cook’s is the only local vendor of the three, and this affords the County greater control over the workflow and quality control. Cook’s also offers the most practical package for cost savings to the County. Based on this, a letter of interest was not necessary. The GSD-Purchasing Division concurs with the Department’s assessment that this satisfies the exception to the competitive bidding process required by AP 34.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum compensation of the recommended Agreement is $10,000,000, to be utilized by both the Sheriff’s Office and GSD-Fleet Services. Over the total potential five-year term, GSD-Fleet Services will be allocated $3,000,000 and Sheriff’s Office will be allocated $7,000,000. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Sheriff’s Office Org 3111, and GSD-Fleet Orgs 8910 and 8911 FY 2026-27 Recommended Budgets and will be included in future budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
The Sheriff’s Office and GSD-Fleet Services (previously ISD-Fleet Services) have contracted with Cook’s for the upfitting of emergency services vehicles since 2008. The current agreement with Cook’s was approved by your Board on September 21, 2021 not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, Agreement No. A-21-374, total not to exceed $6,000,0000 expires July 31, 2026.
The Sheriff’s Office is the primary user of these services; it maintains a fleet of patrol vehicles to provide a law enforcement presence for the unincorporated areas of the County’s 6,000 square miles. On March 24, 2015, the Board approved a Sheriff-Coroner Vehicle Replacement Plan to allow for the timely, systematic replacement of patrol vehicles. The vehicle upfitting process is a critical component of this Vehicle Replacement Plan. The synchronization of vehicle ordering, along with a timely upfitting process, will most efficiently enable the Sheriff’s Office to place new vehicles into service.
The GSD-Fleet Services Department is the secondary user of these services. It maintains a fleet of non-patrol vehicles and provides a multitude of vehicle services for the County’s District Attorney, Probation, Public Works, and Security vehicles. The vehicle upfitting process is a critical component of this Vehicle Replacement Plan. Synchronizing vehicle ordering with a timely and upfitting process will enable County vehicles to be placed into service as quickly as possible, maximizing operational readiness and minimizing delays.
The Sheriff’s Office evaluated four vendors for vehicle upfitting services: Cook’s, Dana Safety Supply, Cop Shop Installations, and Silke Communications. Only Cook’s met all operational, technical, service, and turnaround requirements. They are manufacturer-authorized, provide in-house Kenwood radio service, can meet required production capacity, offer rapid repair turnaround, and have the necessary technical expertise and tools.
Dana Safety Supply could not meet required timelines and lack in-house Kenwood service. Cop Shop Installations and Silke Communications are too far away to meet response-time and service requirements. Therefore, Cook’s is the only vendor capable of meeting all minimum criteria, and the selection is based solely on capability, not preference.
Any equipment purchased under this agreement that meets the criteria for capitalization, per Management Directive 410, will be returned to your Board for review and approval to appropriately establish the item as a capital asset in accordance with the County’s asset management and accounting requirements.
If approved, the recommended Agreement will be effective August 1, 2026, with a three-year base contract and two automatic one-year renewal terms. The County, upon providing 30-days advanced written notice, may terminate the Agreement without cause.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
BAI #26, September 21, 2021
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Suspension of Competition Acquisition Request
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Cook’s Communications Corp.
CAO ANALYST:
Fine Nai