The success of a vehicle bidding process used to be measured by whether the offers came in under budget. These days, however, it can be a win just to find a bidder willing and able to deliver a vehicle.

A recent call for bids for a new patrol car for the Powell Police Department netted one proposal from Fremont Motor Powell, which the city council unanimously accepted at its Jan. 3 meeting. The city will pay $38,271 for the 2023 Dodge Charger, which was about $3,000 more than budgeted, said Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt.

Mayor John Wetzel asked if the vehicle was located at the dealership, and, in a sign of the times, city administrator Zack Thorington responded with a “no.”

However, Fremont Motor expects to be able to deliver the vehicle by April 1. If it goes past that deadline, the business will be subject to a penalty of $50 per day.

Once police receive the vehicle, an upfitter will need to add the necessary police equipment, at a cost of $8,000 to $10,000, Eckerdt said.

Beyond the rising prices of vehicles and equipment, it’s become challenging to secure police vehicles amid a supply chain crunch and a general move away from sedans.

A Charger the city ordered in November 2021 took nearly nine months to be delivered, Eckerdt said, and when it arrived, “everything [the upfitter] needed was backordered also.”

“We’re 13, 14 months into getting this car on the road,” Eckerdt said. He and Lt. Matt McCaslin picked up that vehicle in Casper on Monday.