City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Public Works
Meeting Date: June 17, 2025
Report #:2504-4545
TITLE
Approval for the City Manager or their Designee to Execute Contract No. C25194016 with SCA of CA, LLC, Utilizing Sourcewell Cooperative Contract No. 062421-SWP, to Procure Services for the Sweeping of Residential and Commercial Streets for a Period of Five Years for a Total Not- to-Exceed Amount of $9,883,850; CEQA Status – Not a Project
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute Contract No. C25194016 with SCA of CA, LLC, utilizing Sourcewell Cooperative Contract No. 062421-SWP to procure street cleaning services for a 5-year term (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2030) with a Year 1 annual amount of $1,658,772 and 4% annual increases rate for a total amount Not-to-Exceed $9,883,850, which includes $8,985,318 for basic services and $898,532 for additional services.
BACKGROUND
The Public Works Department’s Public Services Division is responsible for the maintenance of most City-owned facilities and public areas, including the annual sweeping of over 18,000 curb miles of roadways within the City. Street sweeping keeps the community clean and safe by removing dirt, fine metals, petroleum products, vegetation, and other debris that regularly collect on the streets and bike lanes. This routine maintenance prevents pollutants from entering storm drains, which ultimately discharge into local creeks and the San Francisco Bay.
Keeping the storm drains clear not only helps to reduce pollution but also reduces the likelihood of flooding during heavy rain.
SCA of CA, LLC1, the current contractor, has provided reliable sweeping services to the City over the past ten years, meeting City staff standards for quality and responsiveness. Their personnel 1 SCA of CA, LLC, Street Sweeping Contract Amendment No. 1 C20177684A; https://www.paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/public-works/public- services/contracts/c20177684a_sca_amend-1-fully-executed.pdf
have demonstrated flexibility in accommodating service requests and have been effective in addressing concerns raised by City staff and residents.
ANALYSIS
The sweeping services and frequency will remain unchanged from previous years: University Avenue and California Avenue business districts will be swept three times per week, El Camino Real once per week, and residential and light commercial areas will be serviced every other week. Sweeping frequency for residential and light commercial areas increases to weekly service during “leaf season”, which typically occurs between mid-October and mid-February.
Without the recommended sweeping services contract, the City may fall out of compliance with its storm water discharge permit. The San Francisco Bay Municipal Regional Stormwater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit2, also known as the Municipal Regional Permit (MRP), requires the City to use an effective approach to reduce trash from entering the City’s storm water system. Street sweeping is an accepted service to reduce trash generation and meets the requirements of the MRP. In the absence of a contractor, the City would be required to hire additional staff and purchase additional equipment to provide sweeping services in-house. This is estimated to include hiring five staff members and purchasing five street sweepers.
Procurement Process
Palo Alto Municipal Code section 2.30.360 (j) allows the use of cooperative purchasing agreements in lieu of conducting a competitive solicitation. Sourcewell, a cooperative purchasing agency serving governmental, higher education, K-12 education, not-for-profit, tribal government, and other public agencies, conducted a Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP for the procurement for Facilities Maintenance Services posted on the Sourcewell Procurement Portal in May 2021, with Sweep America Intermediate Holdings, LLC being awarded the contract on August 8, 2021. The City requested a quote from SCA of CA, LLC (whose parent company is Sweep America Intermediate Holdings, LLC) on March 24, 2025, and received it on April 11, 2025.
The current 2020-2025 street sweeping contract was extended by three months through June 30, 20253, and included an increase for both Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustment for the extension period. The newly proposed 2025- 2030 Street Sweeping Contract will not include a price increase for the first year (see Table 1). 2 Municipal Regional Stormwater NPDES Permit, May 11, 2022; https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/board_decisions/adopted_orders/2022/R2-2022-0018.pdf 3 SCA of CA, LLC, Street Sweeping Contract Amendment No. 2; https://www.paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/public-works/public- services/contracts/c20177684a_sca_amend2_3.24.2025_docusign.pdf After the first year of the contract, a 4% price increase will be added to each subsequent contract year (see Table 2).
The quote received is consistent with the 3-month 2025 extension rate as shown in Table 1 below and their current service level meets the City’s needs; therefore, staff recommends approval of the contract with SCA of CA, LLC. 4
Table 1: Comparison of contract rate schedules
Sweeping Categories Annual Quantity
2020-2025
Contract
Rate
2025 Contract
Extension Rate
2025-2030
Proposed
Rate, Year 1
Residential and Light
Commercial (Task 1)
13,617.28 Curb Miles $79.50 $83.48 $83.48
University Downtown (Task 1) 2,052.33 Curb Miles $79.50 $83.48 $83.48 California Downtown (Task 1) 1,679.18 Curb Miles $79.50 $83.48 $83.48 El Camino Real (Task 1) 971.73 Curb Miles $79.50 $83.48 $83.48 Sweeping Services for
Protected Bike Lanes & Other
Obstructed Areas (Task 3)
250 Hours $200.00 $225.00 $225.00
Non-Routine (Task 4) 250 Hours $200.00 $225.00 $225.00
Emergency Service (Task 4) 75 Hours $200.00 $225.00 $225.00
Table 2: Compensation by contract year
Year Sweeping Services
Contract Year 1 $1,658,772
Contract Year 2 $1,725,122
Contract Year 3 $1,795,001
Contract Year 4 $1,865,892
Contract Year 5 $1,940,528
Total $8,985,318
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Funding for the contract will be provided by the Public Works Department’s Refuse Fund, and the Office of Transportation’s University and California Avenue Parking District Funds. Funding for Year 1 of the contract, totaling $1,658,772, is included in the Fiscal Year 2026 Proposed budgets and subsequent contract years will be requested and appropriated through the City’s annual budget development process.
4 SCA of CA, LLC Street Sweeping Contract No. C25194016; https://www.paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/public-works/public-services/contracts/c25194016-sca-of- ca_street-sweep-svc_halfexecv2.pdf
The funding breakdown for Year 1 is as follows:
•Refuse Fund: $1,347,266
•University Avenue Parking District Fund: $171,329
•California Avenue Parking District Fund: $140,178
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Stakeholder engagement was not conducted for this contract as it continues the same level and frequency of sweeping services. Palo Alto residents are asked about the quality of street sweeping services annually through the Palo Alto Community Survey.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This contract is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Sections 10560 and 10561.
ATTACHMENT
None.
APPROVED BY:
Brad Eggleston, Director Public Works/City Engineer