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
MARK A. RIVAS, Management Analyst II
Public Works Department, Street Maintenance and Graffiti Divisions
SUBJECT
Title
Award a requirements contract to West Coast Arborists, Inc. in the amount of $3,827,900.00 per year for Annual Tree Trimming
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council award a requirements contract in the amount of $3,827,900.00 per year for one-year with the option for four, one-year extensions to West Coast Arborists, Inc. (WCA) as the best value for annual tree trimming services and to authorize the Public Works Director or designee to sign the contract on the City’s behalf.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Landscape Division of Public Works is seeking a requirements contract to procure tree trimming services to maintain City owned trees. The Landscape Division of Public Works outsources tree trimming maintenance services to help maintain the City of Fresno’s urban forest, which includes trimming, removal and replacement of trees, and GPS tree inventory, as needed, within established geography-based segments of the City. The Landscape Division works closely with the outside contractor to ensure quality of work, urban forestry best management practices and standards, timeliness, and professionalism. The requirements contract will be utilized for City street trees, City parks, median islands, trails, Lighting & Landscape Maintenance District (LLMD) trees, and Community Facilities District (CFD) trees.
BACKGROUND
On October 7th, the City posted a new RFP on PlanetBids for qualified firms to bid on annual tree trimming services for the City. Following the receipt of 3 bids on October 26th, a committee was formed which was comprised of the Landscape Division Assistant Director, Senior Procurement Specialist and other various Department stakeholders. The goal of the committee was to thoroughly review each proposal in order to recommend the best value to Council. As part of the review, the committee members evaluated the proposers on 1) cost as shown on the proposal form, 2) ability to meet the stated service requirements, 3) past performance and experience based on references and experience, 4) conformance to the terms and conditions of the RFP, 5) financial stability based on information provided, 6) Certified International Society of Arboriculture License, and 7) other related information. In addition to the established criteria, the committee also reviewed information collected from follow up questionnaires requested of the top two candidates. The committee met four times over the course of two weeks and ultimately voted unanimously to recommend the proposal from WCA based on their strength in the following key areas:
• Local presence - WCA has maintained a local office in Fresno since 1994, and in that time has hired over 75 employees from the Fresno area. With 27 local employees currently on staff, and the resources and equipment already in Fresno, WCA is positioned to immediately begin work with no additional ramp up time required.
• Proven experience with municipalities - Along with their work with the City, WCA provided a list of references which included 158 municipalities in the State, including 4 in the Central Valley, all with similar needs as requested in the RFP.
• Familiarity with the City of Fresno’s urban forest - WCA, who was previously contracted with the City to perform the requested work, is familiar with the City’s urban forest, and has proven to be extremely competent and reliable while working on various projects for the City.
These areas represent not only the most critical criteria, but also outlined the starkest contrasts between WCA and the other firms. In each case, the clear advantage came down on the side of WCA. Based on the overall evaluation, the committee determined that WCA’s proposal represented the best value for the City.
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved to form.
Staff recommends that the City Council award a requirements contract in the amount of $3,827,900.00 per year for one year with the option for four, one-year extensions to WCA as the bidder representing the best value for the City for the procurement of tree trimming services and to authorize the Public Works Director or designee to sign the contract on the City’s behalf.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, this item is not a project for the purposes of CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented due to this contract utilizing State funding. WCA has maintained a local office since 1994.
FISCAL IMPACT
Appropriations for tree trimming are included in the FY2022 adopted budget and consist of General Fund, Measure “P”, CFD/LLMD revenue and State Gas Tax.
Attachments:
Bid Evaluation
Committee Evaluation Report - Pricing Comparison
Questionnaire Response: West Coast Arborists, Inc.
Questionnaire Response: Kingsborough Atlas Tree Surgery Inc.