Title
800kW Mobile Generator Purchase
History
Recent severe weather events have exposed a gap in the Village's ability to provide reliable backup power to mission-critical facilities. While the Police Department's backup power has recently been addressed with the mechanics almost complete with the pump rebuild, Public Works' current setup (150kW and 80kW generators) can power only a portion of the building, leaving phone lines inoperable and large areas without electricity.
The Public Works Optimization Project, which includes a dedicated backup generator sized for the entire facility, is likely still one to two (1-2) years from installation. In the meantime, Public Works identified the 800kW temporary mobile trailer generator currently stationed at the Police Department as an ideal way to bridge that gap and began investigating a similar unit for Village purchase.
Once acquired, the mobile 800kW unit would serve as a dispatchable emergency power source for any Village facility lacking its own generator-including the Civic Center, FLC, SportsPlex, and CPW-once Public Works' dedicated generator is in place. It would also serve as a backup for the Main Pump Station generator in the event of a failure there. This is not a single-use purchase; it's an asset with a clear, multi-year, multi-facility deployment plan already in view.
The purchase also aligns with an existing budget conversation: for FY27, the Village had already planned to budget for a "5th-wheel generator"-a mobile unit large enough to power any Village facility-and the 800kW unit meets that specification.
While the temporary unit currently at the Police Department is not for sale, Dav-Com Electric, Inc. has submitted a co-op proposal for the purchase of a 2025 Caterpillar 800kW APS800A mobile trailer generator; the same unit as the one at the Police Department. The unit is C27-powered, rated 800kW standby (725kW prime) at 3-phase 480V, and housed in a sound-attenuated 30-ft ISO container (69-74 dBA at 7 meters) mounted on a tandem-axle, air-ride trailer chassis rated for 65,000 lbs GVWR. It includes a 2500A 3-pole main breaker, a high/low Wye 480/240V changeover board (with an optional 240V Delta configuration), manual paralleling with load sharing, a 1000-gallon double-wall UL142 fuel tank (approximately 17.5 hours of runtime at full 800kW load), jacket-water and battery/condensation heaters, exterior customer connection lugs, and standard safety features including fire extinguishers and access ladders. The unit measures 30' L x 8' W x 13'5.75" H and weighs approximately 40,000 lbs empty and 49,000 lbs fueled.
It should be noted that transporting this unit will require a truck tractor with fifth-wheel coupling. Instead of purchasing a truck tractor, whenever the unit needs to be moved, the Village will engage local truck support, including from the list of tow companies already under Village contract.
A summary of Dav-Com’s proposal is provided below:
Proposal Summary
800kW Mobile Generator Purchase: $778,800.00
Public Works also canvased different vendors locally and in the Midwest for available generators. Due to high demand from summer storms, the few mobile units have already been sold. A generator was found in Jacksonville, Florida but due to it being older than the proposed generator (2025 versus 2019), no maintenance records, no cold weather kit, unable to physically inspect the components and trailer, and being on a coast with salt air that could have caused corrosion on the internals of the generator, that option was ruled out.
Cooperative Purchasing / Contracting Programs
The Village utilizes a variety of cooperative programs (e.g. Omnia, Sourcewell, HGACBuy, State of Illinois Joint Purchase Program) to obtain proposals for goods and services. While not always the chosen approach, cooperative purchasing simplifies the procurement and service process for public agencies by allowing them to purchase through existing contracts negotiated by other public agencies. In other words, cooperative purchasing contracts have already gone through a competitive solicitation, evaluation process and been awarded to a supplier. The benefits of cooperative purchasing for public agencies include reduced procurement costs, greater time efficiency and the ability to obtain value-add and higher-quality products and services at industry-leading pricing. For further reference, additional information regarding cooperative purchasing has been included as supporting documentation.
As such, staff recommends that the Board of Trustees approve the purchase of an 800KW mobile generator for a price not to exceed $778,800.00. A contingency is not requested for this purchase.
Financial Impact
A budget adjustment would be necessary to make this purchase as funds were not budgeted for this purchase in FY2026.
Recommended Action/Motion
I move to approve the contract with Dav-Com Electric, Inc. in the amount of $778,800.00, and as fully presented.
(Full motion - not necessary to be read)
I move to approve participation in the joint purchasing cooperative Omnia Partners pursuant to Contract #02-139 and authorize the approval and execution of a vendor contract between the Village of Orland Park and Dav-Com Electric, Inc. for the purchase of one (1) 800kW Mobile Generator based on Dav-Com Electric, Inc.’s proposal 26-167-24 dated August 13, 2026, for a total not-to-exceed contract price of $778,800.00;
AND
Authorize the Village Manager to execute all related contracts subject to Village Attorney review;
AND
Authorize the Village Manager to approve change orders related to this contract within the authorized amount.