Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of September 25, 2018
Title
AWARD PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACT
TO ABSOLUTE INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
(Acting Police Chief Milton McKinnon)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award the Private Security Services contract to Absolute International Security, for the period beginning October 1, 2018 and ending June 30, 2019, in an amount not to exceed $79,372.80 for one year, with two one-year renewal options, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval; and
2. Authorize the Mayor to approve and execute the Agreement and the City Clerk to attest.
Body
Background:
The Downtown/Pier Plaza area has historically attracted large crowds during weekend and evening hours due to its bar and restaurant atmosphere, creating a need to enhance public safety resources in the area. In order to preserve the peace and maintain public order, the Hermosa Beach Police Department strives to provide additional personnel during weekend evening peak hours. However, the need in the Downtown/Pier Plaza exceeds available department resources.
Following an incident in November 2016, where officers were injured at Pier Plaza, the City determined a need to supplement police services with private security services in this area as well as during holidays. The Police department procured security services from Frontline Security on a monthly emergency basis, outside of an RFP process. Funding for security was paid for out of the Police Department’s budget. Frontline deployed private security guards on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as holidays to augment police services. The City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) April 2017 for private security services to ensure the City procured services from the most qualified and competitive vendor. Seven (7) vendors submitted proposals in response to the RFP and on August 22, 2017, Council awarded the contract for private security services to Eagle Security Services, Inc.
Police Department staff met with Eagle Security Services management and provided initial training to security personnel that would be assigned to the City, after which the company began providing security services in the downtown area on September 29, 2017. Although the company provided satisfactory services at the beginning of the contract, the quality of services declined within a short period of time. The security personnel, trained by Police department staff and assigned to the Downtown/Pier Plaza area, were replaced within months after deploying the security services, creating an inconsistency in the services provided. In addition, the company has not been able to reliably provide the requested number of personnel for each shift. The department received complaints from members of the community regarding the actions and inactions of the security personnel. Staff communicated these concerns to Eagle Security and reiterated the department’s expectations within the contracted scope of work. However, the company made no appreciable improvements to its service delivery. The term of the contract ended on July 31, 2018 and staff determined that a new Request for Proposal (RFP) for private security was necessary to provide the consistent and accountable quality of services needed for the Downtown/Pier Plaza area and during holidays and pre-planned special events.
Analysis:
On June 13, 2018, the City published notices inviting bids for private security services posted on the City’s website and advertised in the Easy Reader on June 21, 2018 and June 28, 2018. Four (4) proposals were received by the 5:00 p.m. deadline on July 23, 2018. The following summarizes proposal costs for a contract commencing on October 1st, 2018 through June 30th, 2019:
Staff reviewed the proposals from all four companies and evaluated each proposal on the following criteria: the completeness of the response to the RFP inclusive of all required forms and informational items requested, proposer’s qualifications and experience, quality of implementation plans, and costs. Based on these criteria, staff identified Absolute International Security and American Guard Services as qualified bidders and scheduled interviews with both. It should be noted that one of the four companies proposed a substantially lower cost than the other three. Although it was the lowest bidder, the company’s proposal contained minimal information and raised concerns as to its ability to provide the level of service standards required.
Police department staff met with the management of the two finalists for further evaluation. After interviewing both finalists, staff determined that Absolute International Security best meets the needs of the department’s downtown enforcement deployment plan. Additionally, staff contacted listed references for Absolute International Security and received positive feedback. Although Absolute International Security is not the lowest bidder, their proposal, including experience, professionalism, and quality of services best meets the services the City seeks.
Staff recommends City Council award the private security services contract for the Downtown/Pier Plaza area to Absolute International Security. This contract will commence on October 1st, 2018 through June 30th, 2019, with the two one-year options to renew.
Fiscal Implications:
The agreement to be awarded to Absolute International Security is for an amount not to exceed $79,372.80. Funds of $81,906 are available in the FY 2018-19 Police Department budget, of which $19,448.00 are estimated for security services from the current vendor, for the period starting July 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018; bringing the total amount for security services costs in 2018-2019 to $98,820.80, an amount $16,914.80 over the FY 2018-19 budget for this service. The department has savings in the budget from the July 4th holiday special event security procurement. Staff recommends the transfer of $16,915 from these savings to cover the estimated private security services expenditures through the end of the fiscal year.
Attachments:
1. Request for Proposal for Unarmed Security Guard Services
2. Agreement for Private Security Services by and between the City of Hermosa Beach and Absolute International Security
Respectfully Submitted by: Dorothy Scheid, Police Lieutenant
Concur: Sharon Papa, Chief of Police
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager