City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Community Services
Meeting Date: November 4, 2024
Report #:2409-3458
TITLE
Approval of General Service Contract Number C25191700A with Northwest Woodland Services, Inc. in the Amount Not-to-Exceed $1,209,780 for the Open Space Trails and Amenities Capital Improvement Program Project (OS-00001) for a Period of Five Years. CEQA status – Categorically exempt.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute Contract No. C25191700A1 with Northwest Woodland Services, Inc. for the Open Space Trails and Amenities, Capital Improvement Program Project (OS-00001) for a term of five years in the amount not to exceed $1,209,780, including $1,099,800 for basic services and $109,980 for additional services Open Space Trails Contract, pursuant to the Open Space Trails and Amenities Project (OS-00001).
BACKGROUND
In 2017, the City Council approved the Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, and Recreation Master Plan2 which provides guidance on trails and roads in open space. Palo Alto's Open Space features approximately 43.2 miles of trails, spanning across several preserves. Since 2001, the City has contracted professional trail maintenance services to ensure these trails are well- maintained, environmentally sustainable, and safe for public use. Contractors are equipped with specialized tools and training to perform this work in compliance with environmental best practices and City standards.
The trail maintenance contract covers the Palo Alto Baylands Preserve, Pearson-Arastradero Nature Preserve, and Foothills Nature Preserve. Contractors are responsible for providing all 1 Northwest Woodland Services, Inc., Open Space Trials and Amenities, Contract No. C25191700A; final_c25191700a_open_space_trail_maintenance_gsa.pdf
2 Palo Alto Parks Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation Master Plan, September 2017; palo-alto- parks-master-plan.pdf (cityofpaloalto.org)
labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, tools, supplies, and incidentals necessary to perform the required tasks in accordance with the contract's specifications.
ANALYSIS
The proposed five-year contract covers annual trail maintenance for Foothills Nature Preserve, Pearson-Arastradero Nature Preserve, and Palo Alto Baylands Preserve. This includes:
•Grooming existing trails
•Reshaping and installing new drainage features such as dips, water bars, and culverts •Closing unauthorized "social trails" using earth berms and other approved methods •Seeding and mulching disturbed areas outside of the trail path •Brushing and trimming vegetation
•Inspecting, repairing, and constructing replacement wooden footbridges •Spreading and compacting crushed rock and oyster shells on trail surfaces The contract also includes a day rate for unscheduled but necessary grounds maintenance in Open Space, such as:
•Tree clearing and brush chipping
•Maintenance of picnic and campground facilities, including retaining walls, and erosion control structures
•Maintaining trail surfaces
Additionally, a portion of the contract covers work for the Utilities Department, which involves maintaining roads, brushing infrastructure sites, maintaining roadside drainage ditches, and culverts within Pearson-Arastradero Preserve and Foothills Nature Preserve. This ensures access to utility sites and includes grounds maintenance at Hal Well and Mayfield Reservoir sites.
Procurement Process
A Request for Proposals (RFP) was released August 1, 2024, but was rebid after staff identified that the initial license requirement was overly restrictive, potentially limiting the contractor pool. In response, the requirements were revised to allow for either a Class A Engineering license or a C61/D64 Soft Dirt and Gravel Hiking Trails license, broadening the qualifications for prospective bidders. At that time staff revised the length of the agreement from a (3) three- year term agreement to a (5) five-year term.
City staff posted a rebid of the RFP on August 29, 2024 on the City of Palo Alto’s e-procurement website (OpenGov), notifying 3,251 vendors of the bid opening. There were 23 proposal packages downloaded.
The City received two (2) bids by the bid submission deadline of September 11, 2024. The Northwest Woodland Services, Inc. and Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Stewardship both met City specifications. Northwest Woodland Services, Inc. is the lowest responsive bid.
Table 1: Summary of Request for Proposal
Proposal Description
RFP 191700A OPEN SPACE TRAIL MAINTENANCE
Proposed Length of Project 5 years
Number of Vendors Notified 3,251
Number of Proposals Packages Downloaded 23
Total Days to Respond to Proposal 14
Pre-Proposal Meeting n/a
Pre-Proposal Meeting Date n/a
Number of Proposals Received 2
Proposal Price Range $1,099,800-$4,359,954
Public Link to Solicitation Project overview (opengov.com) The proposals were evaluated and determined to be responsive to the criteria identified in the RFP. Northwest Woodland Services, Inc. was selected because of the quality and effectiveness of their services, the experience of their field staff, prior record of performance with the City, and their ability to provide future services. Additionally, Northwest Woodland Services, Inc. cost for services ($1,099,800) was significantly lower than the other proposal ($4,359,954).
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Staff is recommending additional services totaling 10% of basic services as inclement weather can impact the trail system significantly. In addition, this additional services funding is necessary for this project because it accounts for unforeseen circumstances and complexities that can arise during the five-year term. These additional services help ensure we have appropriate resources available to keep the condition of open space trails to city standards despite potential challenges that exceed typical expectations.
The annual contract amount is $219,960 with no cost escalation within those five years. The contract additional services funding could be used within any of those five years.
In FY 2025 the Open Space Trails and Amenities Project (OS-00001) has funding in the amount of $296,701 with the total five-year capital improvement plan project budget of $1,248,203, which is sufficient for this contract.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The work types to be completed under this contract are categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Title 14 California Code of Regulations Section 15301 (Existing Facilities), Section 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction), Section 15303 (New Construction of Small Facilities or Structures), and Section 15311 (Accessory Structures) because it consists of the redevelopment of an existing facility.
APPROVED BY:
Kristen O'Kane, Community Services Director