I think the recent letter to the editor about city contracts was rather broad minded. Cities usually put such contracts out for bid. That is usually a requirement for large item purchases. That would be a concern if they didn’t.
Often, there is more included in bids. Installation, replacements, replacement of parts, warranties, training, updates, etc.
Vehicles are equipped differently than street vehicles. All this isn’t free. I’m not saying there isn’t always room for improvement…