Saipan Mayor’s Office to get a new bucket truck
The Saipan Mayor’s Office has already received its allotted $100,000 for the purchase of heavy equipment and they plan to buy a bucket truck with it, according to Mayor Marian Tudela yesterday.
She noted that $510 of the $100,000 was taken for contractual advertising purposes.
“We are working on purchasing equipment and getting other contractors for purchasing equipment that we need,” Tudela told Saipan Tribune.
Her special adviser, Henry Hofschneider, said the check for the bucket truck is now ready “and the company from whom we will buy the bucket truck will be decided within the next two weeks or so.”
Hofschneider said the contract is now being routed through several government offices.
He said they would use the truck to prune and remove old tree branches.
“The staff is using hand pruners and a chainsaw, which limits the ability to do the work faster and safer. We don’t use a ladder and the staff have undergone safety training and have received certificates so they know to be more careful,” he said.
Other equipment
According to Hofschneider, they are also looking at getting a smaller grader. The mayor’s office’s two large graders are down and are beyond repair.
Hofschneider said they are also looking at acquiring two dump trucks and two backhoes.
“We’re down to one backhoe and in order for us to continue maintaining secondary roads, we have to continue renting,” Hofschneider said.
According to him, they are making good progress in buying heavy equipment using the $400,000 they got from the Office of Insular Affairs earlier this year.
Tudela also said that they are in the process of notifying the director of Division of Procurement and Supply to issue a notice of award to the sole bidder of riding mowers.
“The reason of purchasing these heavy equipments is for our office to do our work diligently and better, so we’re working on it,” she said.
“The Saipan Mayor’s Office has already received its allotted $100,000 for the purchase of heavy equipment and they plan to buy a bucket truck with it, according to Mayor Marian Tudela yesterday.”
At least do daily preventive maintenance on the equipment, so no one would get hurt again.
BTW, within the purchase agreement the manufacture is supposed to send a representative to conduct training and certify the operators on this bucket truck.
They will also certify at least one person as an instructor to be able to train others and also to make sure the equipment is maintained due to warranttee concerns.
I could not find this on Saipan companies in the past.
If this is not offered, IN WRITING, go to the next and so on.
This bucket truck must also be certified and the boom tested for its required insulated properties. There must be paperwork. Also it must also the new EPA exhaust emission reg for the diesel engine. (certificate supplied) Many companies are sending the units that do not meet the regs overseas and to places such as the NMI as there is not many here wirthin the Govt agencies that can understand or care.
Training is a must especially for any mechanic as simple things like hydraulic hoses replacement cannot be replaced with steel braid hoses especially through the boom. Steel braided hoses (and add on electric wires) creates a direct electric path to the bucket operator incase of contact with a power line.
In the past I had to get these hoses and fittings from Guam and Hawaii.
Also in the past when I purchased new equipment after a RFP none of the NMI companies were able to supply the Manufacturer Rep for training as they were not infact an authorized dealer.
These “dealers”just bought the equipment and marked it up then gave it to the customer.
It was cheaper to purchase and had better support buying from off island. Even Guam.
I used to buy much equipment for many business and individuals for the NMI, Guam and Hawaii both new and also auction trips to Subic equipment auctions and other areas such as Japan..