City council agreed to spend $513,000 to increase the Vancouver Police Department fleet to 467 vehicles before the Stanley Cup riot, but after the riot, the force wanted six more vehicles and made a $24,480, no-bid contract with Budget Rent-a-Car.
Const. Lindsey Houghton said 70 people are investigating 300 offences involving 300 people around B.C. and the Integrated Riot Investigation Team doesn't want to impact other VPD probes.
"Investigators within IRIT came from (seven) other police agencies and other areas of the department, they did not bring vehicles with them," Houghton told the Courier. "IRIT did not previously exist and vehicles were immediately needed to support the investigators."
The expenditure was part of a growing city trend toward awarding contracts directly without testing the market. In 2011, city hall more than doubled the value of sole source contracts to $5.44 million and quintupled the number of no-bid contracts to 132, according to the annual report to Tuesday's council meeting. The city's general policy is open, public competitive procurement for purchases over $75,000 ($200,000 for construction). If the amount is under the threshold, the policy says staff will "endeavor to obtain at least three bids" via internal price records or solicit prices by phone or in writing from known suppliers.
Otherwise, it will go direct if the need is deemed highly specialized or urgent.
VPD also spent $132,000 directly with Michel Gravel Agency for ammunition, but the report does not mention any of the primary contracts for the Stanley Cup fan zone wrecked by rioters June 15, 2011. Documents released after the Nov. 19, 2011 civic election showed Fresh Air Cinemas ($129,219), Pit Stop Portables ($48,204), Concord Security ($40,491), Brand Live Management Group ($39,626) and Super Save Fence Rentals ($34,256) were suppliers.
City manager Penny Ballem heads a three-member, staff committee that can normally award contracts as high as $2 million. It awarded a $17.4 million fuel supply contract to Chevron Canada without political oversight while city council was recessed for November's election.
The $5.36 million banking services deal with Moneris Solutions and $5.23 million traffic control contract with Ansan rounded out the top three tendered contracts. The report said the city awarded 489 contracts worth $80.08 million
Last year's biggest direct award was $1 million to Canada Pipe Company for supply and delivery of ductile iron pipe. That dwarfs 2010's high of $277,305 to Tempest Development Group for bylaw ticketing software changes.
A dozen contracts worth $504,500 were awarded directly by the Office of the City Manager. Three worth a combined $284,400 were to the Vancouver Economic Commission for promoting small business energy audits, recommending continuation of the CityStudio program and "greening" business in the city. A $9,000 sole source award through Ballem's office was made to a Vancouver Latin American Film Festival production called Solefood.
Ballem did not respond to an interview request.
