Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of May 14, 2019
Title
AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR LANDSCAPE
MAINTENANCE SERVICES TO MERCHANTS LANDSCAPING
(Acting Public Works Director Lucho Rodriguez)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award Merchants Landscaping Inc. the contract to provide landscape maintenance services for the City for three years for a total amount not to exceed $937,205.00;
2. Authorize the Mayor to execute and the City Clerk to attest the attached Professional Services Agreement subject to approval by the City Attorney; and
3. Authorize the Director of Public Works to make changes to the contract within the project budget.
Body
Executive Summary:
The City contracts with Merchants Landscaping Inc., a landscape maintenance company, to provide maintenance and janitorial services at the City’s parks and open spaces. The existing contract is set to expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Staff issued a request for proposal to obtain services and recommend a provider for landscape maintenance services for a new three-year contract. After issuing the request for proposal and evaluating the three proposals received, staff recommends the award of a new three-year contract to Merchant’s Landscaping Inc., the City’s current contractor, in the amount of $937,205.00.
Background:
The City has contracted with landscape maintenance service providers for a number of years, for landscape maintenance services at parks, medians, and open spaces throughout the City (Attachment 1). The current contract for landscape maintenance services with Merchants Landscaping Inc., managed by the Public Works Department, is set to expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
Maintenance services provided by the City’s landscape maintenance company typically include the following: mowing and edging of grass; weeding; litter pick-up; annual and biannual tree trimming; maintenance of Little League ball fields, soccer fields, and the City’s lawn bowling green; as well as janitorial services for the City’s parks and restrooms. The scope of services for the newly proposed three-year contract will also include janitorial services for new park restrooms as they are constructed.
Additionally, staff proposes to include in the new contract: annual Greenbelt pathway chip replacement, a summer schedule to empty trash at Valley Park and South Park, the provision of additional landscape maintenance services based on observed needs, and other minor changes to help better manage the contract.
Analysis:
With the contract set to expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2018-19, a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Landscape Maintenance Services (Attachment 2) was prepared and advertised for formal competitive bidding on March 14, 2019. The RFP identified a proposed contract length of three years to cover Fiscal Years 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22. The RFP was advertised in a local newspaper and the documents were sent to multiple landscape companies to encourage their response through formal proposals. Proposals were due on April 4, 2019 and packages were publicly opened and read aloud by the Deputy City Clerk.
A total of three proposals were received by the proposal deadline from the following companies and in the following amounts:
Company Bid Amount
Merchants Landscape Inc. $ 937,205.00
Venco Western, Inc. $ 1,399,196.00
Bennet Landscape $ 1,695,060.00
Staff recommends award of the three-year contract to Merchants Landscaping, Inc. as the lowest responsible bidder. Their bid schedule is provided as Attachment 3 and a professional services agreement is provided as Attachment 4. Staff has reviewed the bid proposal from Merchants Landscaping Inc. and found it in order and in conformance with the bid documents. Merchants Landscaping Inc. is the City’s current landscape maintenance service provider, having taken over the role for the City after the previous landscape contractor, South Bay Landscaping, quit the contract in October of 2017. Merchants Landscaping Inc. also provides landscaping maintenance services for the cities of Manhattan Beach, Irvine, Ontario, West Covina and Chino.
General Plan Consistency:
PLAN Hermosa, the City’s General Plan, was adopted by the City Council in August 2017. The provision of landscape maintenance services supports several PLAN Hermosa goals and policies from the Parks + Open Space Element that are listed below.
Goal 1. First class, well maintained, and safe recreational facilities, parks and open spaces.
Policies
• 1.1 Facility upgrades. Improve and update park and open space facilities on a regular basis.
• 1.3 CPTED principles. Utilize “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” (CPTED) principles in the design and renovation of new and existing parks and open space facilities, including the greenbelt.
• 1.5 Low-maintenance design. Promote environmentally sustainable and low maintenance design principles in the renovation, addition, or maintenance of parks and recreation facilities.
Goal 10. Abundant landscaping, trees, and green space provided throughout the community.
Policies
• 10.1 Urban forest. Expand the urban forest and green spaces citywide on public and private property.
• 10.2 Non-invasive landscapes. Encourage the planting of native, non-invasive, and drought-tolerant landscaping and trees, and encourage the planting of edible landscapes and fruit trees.
• 10.3 Green space co-benefits. Recognize the many positive qualities provided by landscaping, trees, and green space including reduced heat gain, controlled stormwater runoff, absorbed noise, reduced soil erosion, improved aesthetic character, and absorption of air pollution.
• 10.4 Scenic features. Ensure landscaping, trees, and green spaces on public property are designed to conserve scenic and natural features of Hermosa Beach.
• 10.5 Park landscaping. Landscaping in parks located within the Coastal Zone shall consist of non-invasive and drought-tolerant plants.
• 10.6 City landscaping. Encourage landscaping, trees, and green spaces across the city consist of non-invasive and drought-tolerant plants.
• 10.7 Park LID Design. Incorporate Low Impact Development concepts into the design and renovation of City parks and public facilities.
Fiscal Impact:
Total fiscal impact to the City is $937,205 for Merchants Landscaping Inc. services for the period of FY19-20 through FY21-22.
The proposed project funding sources, which are included in the Preliminary FY19-20 Budget as Landscape Maintenance, for the first year of landscape maintenance services are:
FUNDING:
001 General Fund (Parks): $ 254,405.00
105 Lighting/Landscape: (Medians) $ 43,200.00
TOTAL BUDGETED AMOUNT: $ 297,605.00
Anticipated costs include costs for landscape maintenance services through
FY19-20 to 21-22. These costs are displayed below:
Services Contract [Merchants Landscape Maintenance, Inc.]
Fiscal Year 19-20: $ 297,605.00
Fiscal Year 20-21: $ 318,000.00
Fiscal Year 21-22: $ 321,600.00
TOTAL ANTICIPATED SERVICES COSTS: $ 937,205.00
Attachments:
1. Map of Parks Maintenance Areas
2. Request for Proposals Landscape Maintenance Services
3. Merchants Landscaping Bid Schedule
4. Draft Professional Services Agreement for Merchants Landscape
Respectfully Submitted by: Ells Freeman, Public Works Superintendent
Concur: Lucho Rodriguez, Acting Public Works Director
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager