TITLE
WITHDRAWN
Recommendation to adopt Specifications No. ITB PW15-119 and award contracts to West Coast Arborists, Inc., of Anaheim, CA, and Great Scott Tree Service, Inc., of Stanton, CA, for providing as-needed tree trimming services, in an aggregate annual amount of $1,488,000, and authorize a 25 percent contingency in the amount of $327,000, for a total aggregate annual amount not to exceed $1,860,000, for a period of three years, with the option to renew for three additional one-year periods, at the discretion of the City Manager; and authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into contracts, including any necessary amendments thereto regarding the term and/or scope of services. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested to enter into contracts with West Coast Arborists, Inc., and Great Scott Tree Service, Inc., for as-needed tree trimming services. The Public Works Department (Public Works) is responsible for citywide tree trimming and maintenance of the urban forest in the public right-of-way, excluding parks. These contracts will provide for supplemental grid trimming, as-needed, and emergency response tree services.
Currently, Public Works utilizes one vendor to provide both the annual grid trimming schedule and storm response service. Crews are pulled from scheduled work when it is necessary to support unplanned events. For example, the high-wind storms in early February resulted in over a 150 trees citywide being uprooted and knocked over citywide. This event severely strained the Department’s ability to respond, and demonstrated the need for enhanced tree service capacity. With the forecasted El Niño rain and wind, summer periods of excessive heat resulting in limbs falling, ongoing drought weakening and compromising trees, removal of dead/diseased trees, and pruning of young trees to facilitate survivability and proper growth, building service capacity is essential. Accordingly, staff recommends entering into two concurrent contracts to provide for better response and ensure adequate coverage to meet the City’s tree work needs.
In order to ensure that capable, qualified contractors bid this opportunity, a three-fold procurement process was followed. Phase One began May 19, 2015, with vendors submitting their qualifications by June 16, 2015. Only those firms qualified by Public Works would move on to Phase Two, to submit a complete bid. Phase Three gave bidders the opportunity to submit their final bid pricing by February 17, 2016.
The bid was advertised in the Press-Telegram on May 22, 2015, and 643 potential bidders specializing in tree trimming services were notified of the bid opportunity. Of those bidders, 25 downloaded the bid documents via our electronic bid system. The bid documents were made available from the Purchasing Division located on the seventh floor of City Hall, and the Division’s website at www.longbeach.gov/purchasing <http://www.longbeach.gov/purchasing>. A bid announcement was also included in the Purchasing Division’s weekly update of Open Bid Opportunities, which is sent to 22 local minority and women-owned business groups. Four bid qualifications were received on June 16, 2015. Of those four qualification bidders, two were Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs), none were Women-owned Business Enterprises (WBEs), one was a certified Small Business Enterprise (SBE), and none were a Long Beach business (Local).
Two bidders, Great Scott Tree Service, Inc., of Stanton CA (not an MBE, WBE, SBE or Local) and West Coast Arborists, Inc., of Anaheim, CA (not an MBE, WBE, SBE or Local), were deemed qualified in accordance with the requirements in the bid. These two firms were invited to submit bids and pricing on February 17, 2016. The pricing submittals are consistent between the two firms and with amounts currently paid by the City for tree trimming services.
Local Business Outreach
In an effort to align with our outreach goal, Long Beach businesses are encouraged to submit bids for City contracts. The Purchasing Division also assists businesses with registering on the Bids Online database to download bid specifications. Through outreach, 72 Long Beach vendors were notified to submit bids, of which one downloaded and none submitted a bid. The Purchasing Division is committed to continuing to perform outreach to local vendors to expand the bidder pool.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Amy R. Webber on February 17, 2016 and by Budget Management Officer Victoria Bell on February 18, 2016.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action to adopt Specifications No. ITB-PW15-119 and award contracts concurrently is requested on March 8, 2016, to ensure the contracts are in place expeditiously.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total aggregate contract expense will not exceed $1,860,000 per year, including the recommended 25 percent contingency of $372,000. The requested annual contract amount is based on the combined estimated tree trimming needs for the Public Works (PW), Airport (AP), and Harbor (HA) Departments. Any work not currently budgeted will only proceed at such time that funding has been identified and approved by City Council.
Approval of this recommendation will provide continued support to the local economy by assisting in the preservation of employment for 16 full-time employees residing in Long Beach.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
CRAIG A. BECK
INTERIM DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
JOHN GROSS
DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL MANAGMENT
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER