The Police Department is purchasing new rifles for the entire agency to replace existing end of service life rifles. A patrol rifle consists of a rifle, sling, light, suppressor, and sight/optic. The new replacement rifle purchase was presented to the Council via a Decision Package and was approved as a two-part purchase at the June 19, 2018 City Council meeting under Agenda Item 19. The first part of the purchase was planned to take place during Fiscal Year 2018-19 and is specific to the purchase of the accessories including sights, lights, suppressors and racks. The second step will be the purchase of the actual rifles themselves during Fiscal Year 2019-20.
Suppressors, by design, reduce the audible sound of high velocity rounds reducing the likelihood of permanent hearing damage to the officers. In addition to sound reduction, suppressors also reduce muzzle blast and side blast gases, which can be harmful to officers and civilians in proximity to a weapon being fired. We have tested a variety of suppressors from AAC, SureFire LLC, Gemtech, APD, and Sig Sauer and concluded that the SureFire Socom 556SB suppressor meets the needs of our patrol rifle program and is a proven brand and device. Surefire Socom suppressors are currently in use by the United States Military Special Operations Command forces, where they have been used extensively for many years, and by our SWAT team in small quantities over the years. Their durability is well established. Surefire Inc. is a local Orange County company located in Fountain Valley, California, which is an additional benefit should there be any warranty issues that arise in the future.
The retail price of the SureFire Socom 556SB suppressor is $1,175 per unit. This particular model was discontinued at the beginning of 2018 and we have the opportunity to purchase them for a significant cost savings of $650 per unit or $39,000 for the 60 units that we require for our rifle program. The new model, Socom556SAB2, has the same internal baffles as this device, same noise reduction rating, and the only change to it was the aesthetics of the end cap. This price is based on our existing relationship with Arms Unlimited and a $45 per unit savings over their published price of $695 per unit. This is within the budget established in the Decision Package.
We are required to sole source this item specifically as it is currently only available in the quantity we need from one vendor, Arms Unlimited, as they bought out the remaining supply of these suppressors from the manufacturer. We have an established a relationship with this vendor and have been purchasing tactical equipment from them for several years. This is a time sensitive purchase as this is the last inventory in existence for this product and there are less than 150 units available. Attached is a letter from SureFire LLC stating that the only vendor with sufficient inventory to fulfill our order is Arms Unlimited. The letter also documents that these units are still fully warrantied by SureFire Inc’s outstanding customer service and warranty. We requested a quote from one of our other regular suppliers, Adamson Police Products, and they responded that they were unable to provide this product. Based on all of the above factors, staff recommends approving the Purchasing Agent to purchase the 60 units from Arms Unlimited. |