ITEM TITLE:
Approval to Purchase Emergency Non-Perishable Food Supply from ReadyWise Wise Company, Inc. in the amount of $238,425.49
SUBMITTED BY: Bart Hinkle, Chief of Police
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: $238,425.49
Unencumbered Balance: $255,000
Funding Source: 001-3550-46120
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the purchase of Emergency Non-Perishable Food Supply from ReadyWise Wise Company, Inc. in the amount of $238,425.49.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
The City of Valdez Office of Emergency and Disaster Management (EDM) budgeted for a non-perishable food supply in the 2022 budget. This preparatory measure builds local government readiness for displaced persons seeking shelter due to tsunami, earthquake or other natural and manmade disasters.
Estimates show the possibility, during peak seasons, of up to 3,200 displaced persons, should Valdez experience inundation from an evacuation-causing tsunami (i.e. Affected inundation zone persons/places: local residences, local business districts, harbors, all hotels, all RV parks, both fish processors, and others affected). Consequently, these persons/organizations may not have access to their own preparedness resources for hours, days, or weeks depending upon the severity of a tsunami and/or the magnitude of an earthquake, among other evacuation-causing disasters. City-sponsored evacuation shelters will be open during these circumstances and potentially large quantities of non-perishable food may be necessary.
If disaster circumstances are localized, aid from the State of Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHS & EM) may eventually be available. When one or more disasters affect diverse regions of Alaska simultaneously, aid from DHS & EM, and/or FEMA Region 10, may not be logistically-prompt. For this purpose, City government is engaging in several types of readiness efforts, one of which is described herein. What this is NOT, is “food for all” during disaster. The EDM office will be engaging all residents in 2023 and 2024 with personal-readiness initiatives.
Invitations for quotes, for an approximate two-week supply, were sent to three major national food suppliers. One company declined to participate, a second company was hesitant, based on quantity, but ultimately provided a cost quote three times higher than the selected company. The selected company, ReadyWise Wise Company, Inc, had the capacity for manufacturing and delivering the large order, as well as the experience through private sector, government, and military contracts. ReadyWise Wise Company, Inc. pricing to the City is below General Services Administration, or GSA, pricing. These products have a minimum 15-year shelf life.
ReadyWise Wise Company, Inc. will be supplying the City with conventional, as well as gluten-free, freeze-dried meal options. Meeting all nutritional needs from a single source supplier is challenging. Thus, the City will continue to source, albeit a small percentage of the total, additional food options for those with allergies and other nutritional needs, for evacuees requiring sheltering. Hygiene products and other resources are also being sourced. See attached documents for your approval in moving forward with this City preparedness effort.