BOARD MEETING DATE: November 6, 2009
AGENDA NO. 8

PROPOSAL:

Issue Program Announcement for Electric Lawn Mower Vendors

SYNOPSIS:

Staff proposes to extend the successful Lawn Mower Exchange Program by offering similar incentives in the spring of 2010 to generate cost-effective emission reductions. This action is to issue a program announcement to solicit competitive bids from manufacturers of cordless electric lawn mowers in sufficient quantities and at the lowest possible price for the expanded 2010 program.

COMMITTEE:

Mobile Source, October 16, 2009, Recommended for Approval 

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Approve issuance of Program Announcement and Application PA# 2010-03 for purchase of at least 4,000 electric lawn mowers for the Lawn Mower Exchange Incentive Program with an option to conduct the program one additional year. The final quantity of lawn mowers needed for this program will depend upon any additional match funds received from CARB.
 

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

As part of Rule 2202 on-road motor vehicle mitigation options, affected employers may participate by electing to invest in the Air Quality Investment Program (AQIP) which is an AQMD-administered restricted fund. Investment can be either $60 annually per employee reporting to the worksite during the 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. peak window, or $125 triennially per employee. The restricted monies are to be used by the AQMD to fund proposals that achieve mobile source emission reductions that would otherwise have been achieved by implementing a rideshare program.

Upon registering under this option and submitting the designated investment amount, an employer is considered to be in compliance with the Rule and there is no need for the employer to take further action to reduce mobile source emissions. The collected monies are used to fund alternative mobile source emission reduction strategies that reduce mobile source emissions at a cost-effective rate which could potentially result in greater overall emission reductions.

Proposal

Lawn Mower Exchange Program

Over the last seven years, AQMD conducted forty-six (46) lawn mower exchange events where operable gasoline powered lawn mowers were exchanged for zero emission cordless electric lawn mowers. The program funded by the Rule 2202 Air Quality Investment Program (AQIP) has helped mitigate substantial amount of emissions. Individuals exchanging their lawn mowers paid a substantially discounted price. Staff believes additional events should be considered in spring 2010.  

The purpose of this Program Announcement is to solicit competitive proposals from qualified manufacturers/suppliers for the production and supply of cordless electric lawn mowers to be used in the lawn mower exchange program in the South Coast Air Basin. Staff recommends that participants be given a specific discount and an option to choose from different manufacturers/models. The goal of this proposal is to identify potential manufacturers/suppliers and products for AQMD’s lawn mower exchange program at the lowest possible price. Proposals from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM)/suppliers are to include but not limited to the following:

• Detailed product specification

• Availability

• Supply commitment

• Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

• Price offered to SCAQMD:
  Each manufacturer must provide their best price for each model they plan to offer. Although the AQMD plans to exchange up to a total of 4,000 mowers, there is no way to predict how many of each make or model will be sold. The quantity of mowers needed could potentially be higher if additional State match funds become available.

• Lead time

• Details of assistance to be provided for the lawn mower exchange event advertisement outreach.

• Details on exchange-event staffing to be provided by the company.
  At the minimum, each company is expected to provide adequate staff to operate its own cashier stations and product loading lines. In addition, each company must staff a small display area at each event where undecided customers can see and discuss the product.

• Product warranty information to be provided to consumer.

AQMD staff will evaluate the proposals based on product specifications, availability, production capacity and the lead time, price of the product and the exchange event assistance capabilities of the contractor.

Outreach

In accordance with AQMD’s Procurement Policy and Procedure, a public notice advertising the RFP/RFQ and inviting bids will be published in the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, the San Bernardino Sun, and Riverside County Press Enterprise newspapers to leverage the most cost-effective method of outreach to the entire South Coast Basin. 

Additionally, potential bidders may be notified utilizing AQMD’s own electronic listing of certified minority vendors. Notice of the RFP/RFQ will be mailed to the Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses and various minority chambers of commerce and business associations, and placed on the Internet at AQMD’s Web site (http://www.aqmd.gov where it can be viewed by making menu selections “Inside AQMD”/“Employment and Business Opportunities”/“Business Opportunities” or by going directly to http://www.aqmd.gov/rfp/index.html). Information is also available on AQMD’s bidder’s 24-hour telephone message line (909) 396-2724.

Resource Impact

Amount of funding will be determined after the selection of contractors from the submitted proposals. Funding will be provided from the Rule 2202 AQIP Special Revenue Fund. Additional match funding may also be available from California Air Resources Board’s AB 118 Air Quality Investment Program.

Attachment (DOC, 492k)

Program Announcement and Application #PA 2010-03; Lawn Mower Exchange Program