Fremont City Council Meeting: 09/17/24 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Environmental Services
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5253) DOC ID: 5253
Updated: 9/9/2024 3:27 PM by Dina Lewis Page 1
CONTRACT AMENDMENT FOR SOLID WASTE RECORDKEEPING AND
REPORTING SERVICES - Authorize the City Manager or Designee to execute a three-year amendment to the agreement with Routeware, Inc. for waste management recordkeeping and reporting services, increasing the not-to-exceed amount from $72,139 to $155,000.
Contact Persons:
Name: Allyn McAuley Dan Schoenholz
Title: Environmental Specialist II Community Development Director Div/Dept: Environmental Services Community Development
Phone: 510-494-4576 510-494-4438
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: For the past three years, the Environmental Services Division has been using Routeware’s Program Tracker cloud database system to help provide garbage, recycling, compost, and edible food recovery services to Fremont businesses. The Program Tracker has been an invaluable resource to track services and outreach provided to businesses, monitor compliance with solid waste laws, and facilitate reporting to the State.
Since the Program Tracker has become an essential tool for the Environmental Services Division to comply with increasing State regulations, staff recommends amending the agreement with Routeware to extend through September 30, 2027, and increase the not-to- exceed compensation from $72,139 to $155,000.
BACKGROUND: California’s landmark organic waste law, SB 1383 (effective January 1, 2022), led many jurisdictions to adopt a tracking and reporting system to assist with increased programmatic and reporting obligations. In 2021, in preparation for the new law, the City and Citizen Communications, LLC (dba Recyclist) entered into a 3-year agreement in the amount of $72,139 for provision of a database system (Program Tracker) and related services to enable the City of Fremont and partners to implement programs and track compliance with California solid waste laws.
In April 2023, Routeware Inc. acquired Recyclist and assumed the rights and obligations under the agreement for the Program Tracker and related services. Following the ownership transition, staff has remained satisfied with the product and experienced no degradation of system performance, customer service, nor associated services provided.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: Since the initial setup in 2021, the Program Tracker has performed exceptionally well and has been easy to use. Staff has been pleased with how the system is tailored to the specific duties of the integrated waste management team. Its sophisticated features have streamlined the tasks that the team has been performing for many years. Staff have been provided with clear visual summaries and useful analytical tools – not previously available through existing technology – which has helped staff improve programs. Staff is able to run helpful reports and perform insightful queries of the data to identify program improvements.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5253) Meeting of September 17, 2024 Updated: 9/9/2024 3:27 PM by Dina Lewis Page 2
In addition, contractors hired by the City have become accustomed to using the Program Tracker to log in-person, phone, and email communications with businesses, enabling a comprehensive customer service record populated by all parties that provide waste management services. The system provides access to crucial information about Fremont businesses when staff is working in the field, as well as the ability to upload photos and update information.
Finally, the Program Tracker compiles data in the format required by the State for annual reporting, reducing staff time committed to this mandatory task. This includes reports and charts pre-made in the needed formats, that staff can generate at will to be auto-populated with the latest data.
Due to the aforementioned reasons, staff desires to extend the agreement with Routeware in order to continue utilizing the beneficial Program Tracker.
FISCAL IMPACT: The Program Tracker services will be fully funded by already-awarded funds from the State’s SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program and the Integrated Waste Management Fund. There is no expected impact to the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The proposed amendment to the services agreement is exempt from and not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because, without limitation, it is not a “project” as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2) and/or 15378(b)(5) and as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant effect on the environment pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), each as a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Authorize the City Manager or her Designee to execute an amendment to Agreement 21-0225 with Routeware, Inc., extending the agreement through September 30, 2027, and increasing the not-to-exceed amount from $72,139 to $155,000.
2. Find the proposed action exempt from CEQA under guidelines 15378(b)(2), 15378(b)(5), and/or 15061(b)(3) as detailed in the staff report.