After receiving further information about costs for a new front-end loader, North Battleford council has re-confirmed its earlier, but conditional, approval of the purchase of a John Deere 444K from Brandt Equipment for $200,194.20.
The vote to purchase the equipment passed unanimously Monday, after administration filled in councillors with further information about the equipment being bought.
Councillors had conditionally approved the purchase at their previous meeting last month, but wanted further details on costs after all seven tenders came back over budget.
The John Deere model had come in $46,000, more expensive than a Case 521F from RedHead Equipment that council had also considered.
At the previous meeting Operations Manager Stewart Schafer had suggested the price difference was due to training.
But he backtracked and offered his apologies.
“It was not,” said an embarrassed-looking Schafer. The training actually cost only $6,000.
The remainder of the cost difference was due to a number of items that were not specified in the tender package but “give great value to the machine that was selected,” said Schafer.
According to a memo from Schafer, these included a JD-Link communications system that could monitor the GPS of the unit, as well as a similar cab layout and equipment controls as a JD-644 loader that the department had purchased in 2015.
There are also similar filter systems and hydraulic oils to other machines, and there were a number of other factors.
Schafer also reported they had not been able to find training for the Case equipment. He said there were power-equipment training courses at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and also with an organization called ATAP.
But while they did offer training courses, they were aimed at the type of machine and not for a particular model itself.
In the end, administration continued to recommend the John Deere 444K, and council finally agreed and approved the purchase.
