REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, P.E., Director
Public Works Department
BY: BRIAN E. RUSSELL, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Streets, Landscape, and Graffiti Divisions
ERIKA L. PELAYO-LOPEZ, Community Coordinator
Public Works Department, Streets, Landscape, and Graffiti Divisions
SUBJECT
Title
Award a requirements contract to Landscape Maintenance of America dba California Highway Adoption Company, in the amount of $865,956 for a one year contract for highway litter removal.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council award a requirements contract in the amount of $865,956 per year for a one year contract with an option for four one-year extensions for Highway Litter Removal, as the best value for highway litter removal services and to authorize the Public Works Director or designee to sign the contract on the City’s behalf.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On July 25, 2019, the City Council approved the Delegated Maintenance Agreement for highway litter control on all four state highways within City of Fresno city limits. The Public Works Department has contracted out these services and managed this contract on the City’s behalf since that time. As of March 31, 2022, this has resulted in a total of 25,795 bags of trash collected, representing approximately 258 tons of trash removed from the freeways throughout the City of Fresno. This program has been very successful in removing litter from highly trafficked and highly visible areas across the City. The partnership between the City, Caltrans and the contractor have created improved processes and response times related to litter control, the reporting of safety issues and homeless encampments. Caltrans maintenance management has commented on the success of this program and is using Fresno as an example in an effort to implement litter control programs throughout the state.
The highway litter control was advertised as a Request for Proposals (RFP) on February 18, 2022 in the Business Journal, Planet Bids, and on the City website. The City received two bid proposals by the opening date of March 15, 2022. The RFP process allows the City to award the contract based on best value for the City. The best value is determined by a panel of representatives preselected by the City. This panel was comprised of highly qualified representatives which included one person from Caltrans, one from City Code Enforcement, and 3 from Public Works. The panel evaluated the proposals and submitted follow up questions to both candidates. After reviewing the proposals and the answers to the follow up questions, the panel unanimously selected Landscape Maintenance of America dba California Highway Adoption Company due as best value. Landscape Maintenance of America dba California Highway Adoption Company has 27 years of Caltrans highway litter removal experience and has been the City contractor for the past 2 years. Caltrans and the City have been pleased with the safety performance and is pleased to confirm zero reports of safety incidents within these past two years.
Landscape Maintenance of America dba California Highway Adoption Company currently has three employees assigned to the contract who are local Fresno residents. In the past two years services have been increased twice due to additional funding from Caltrans and both times the contractor hired locally and has committed that any additional employees will be Fresno residents. Public Works staff works closely with the contractor to ensure quality work, best management and safety practices and standards, timeliness in completing assignments, and ensuring that professionalism is always maintained.
The City saw the best results across the 4 highways and a reduction in complaints when the highways were serviced weekly. $865,956 is the amount for weekly service on all 4 highways. The RFP requested bids for different levels of service, which allows the flexibility to increase or decrease level of service based on the available funding. The levels are listed by sections and provide options for monthly, bi-weekly, weekly, and hot spot services and can be adjusted by freeway as needed. Services will be adjusted as funding becomes available, not to exceed the approved amount annually. The services will include all four freeways and state right of way within City limits, which also includes Caltrans pedestrian bridges that are maintained by the City.
Staff recommends that the City Council award a requirements contract in the amount of $865,956 for a one year contract with an option for four one-year extensions for Highway Litter Removal, with the option to select services from all sections within the bid proposal, and a contingency amount not to exceed 20%.
BACKGROUND
On January 16, 2020, City Council approved a contract with Landscape Maintenance of America dba California Highway Adoption Co. for $197,376 to provide monthly highway litter control along California State Routes 41, 99, 168 and 180 throughout the City of Fresno limits. The award amount for monthly service was significantly under the total program funding available and staff began pursuing opportunities to fully utilize available Caltrans and Measure C Litter Abatement Program funding to further enhance these services. On May 14, 2020, City Council approved a City initiated contract change order for $119,500 to utilize savings in available funding to increase litter control from (1) one time per month to (2) two times per month, for a total of (24) twenty-four times per year on Highway 41 and 99.
Actual work began on the Highway Litter Control Program on March 9, 2020, with monthly clean-up service of State Routes 41, 99, 168 and 180. Service was increased in May 2020 to two clean-up cycles per month on State Route 41 and 99. In early 2021, Caltrans approached the City requesting a change order to utilize an additional $200,000 with no match required, to increase service frequencies as much as possible, with the condition that the funding had to be fully expended by June 30, 2021. On March 18, 2021, City Council approved a City-initiated contract change order for $195,194 utilizing one-time funding from Caltrans to increase service frequency to (4) four times per month on all (4) four State highways from April 2021 through June 30, 2021.
The Public Works Department and Caltrans has been very pleased with the first two years of this program. Landscape Maintenance of America dba California Highway Adoption Company has done an exceptional job providing services over the previous two years with zero safety incidents.
The proposed funding crosses fiscal years. There is $316,500 appropriated in FY2022. There is currently $400,000 from Caltrans to be made available during FY2023, which consists of $200,000 of FY2023 funding and $200,000 that will be rolled over from FY2022. For future years, Caltrans has committed a minimum of $200,000 annually for these services per the delegated maintenance agreement which will remain in place until the agreement is cancelled. Caltrans anticipates providing additional funding as it becomes available. The Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA) has also provided a total of $200,000 dollars over the previous two years and is currently considering if the initial two-year pilot of the Litter Abatement Program (LAP) should be extended.
Staff recommends the award of contract to Landscape Maintenance of America dba California Highway Adoption Company, as the most experienced and qualified vendor for the work requested.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15378, this is not a project as defined by CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because this contract uses State funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
This request will have no impact to the General Fund. The proposed funding crosses fiscal years. There is $316,500 appropriated in FY2022. There is currently $400,000 from Caltrans available for FY2023.
Attachments:
Bid Evaluation - Listing of Proposers
Committee Evaluation Report - Pricing Comparison
Highway Limits Map