City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JUNE 24, 2025 FROM: PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY WARDS: ALL
SERVICES DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE SERVICES – REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2397: AGREEMENT WITH INLAND EMPIRE LANDSCAPE, INC. FOR NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE SERVICES IN THE AMOUNT OF $2,247,600 FOR THE TERM OF JULY 1, 2025, TO JUNE 30, 2027, PLUS AN ADDITIONAL $200,000 PER YEAR FOR IRRIGATION AND GRAFFITI REMOVAL COSTS, WITH THE OPTION TO EXTEND THE AGREEMENT FOR FOUR ADDITIONAL ONE-YEAR TERMS; INCLUDES A 10% CHANGE ORDER AUTHORIZATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $224,760, FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $2,872,360 ISSUES:
Approve the Landscape Maintenance Services Agreement for Neighborhood Parks with Inland Empire Landscape, Inc., of San Bernardino, California, pursuant to Request for Proposal No. 2397, in the amount of $2,247,600 for the term of July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027. The agreement includes an additional $200,000 per year for irrigation repairs and graffiti removal costs, with the option to extend the agreement for four additional one-year terms. Also included is a 10% change order authorization in the amount of $224,760, for a total contract amount of $2,872,360.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve the Landscape Maintenance Services Agreement for Neighborhood Parks with Inland Empire Landscape, Inc. of San Bernardino, California, in the amount of $2,247,600 for the period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027, with the option to extend for four additional one-year terms; Approve an additional $200,000 per year for irrigation, vandalism and graffiti removal costs; Authorize 10% change order authority on the base contract price in the amount of $224,760 for the initial contract term; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Agreement for Annual Landscape Maintenance Services in Neighborhood Parks with Inland Empire Landscape Inc., including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Riverside has 27 Neighborhood Parks that are currently being maintained by an outside contractor. The contractor provides complete landscape maintenance including irrigation, mowing, blowing, debris management and graffiti abatement.
DISCUSSION:
Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2397 was posted on the City’s online bidding system, Planet Bids, on August 23, 2024, seeking prospective bidders to provide services for Annual Landscape Maintenance Services for City Neighborhood Parks.
The solicitation notification is summarized in the table below:
Action
Number of Vendors
External Vendors Notified
500
City of Riverside Vendors Notified
309
Vendors who downloaded the RFP
37 Proposals received
14 A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting was held on August 28, 2025, with 18 vendors in attendance. RFP 2397 closed on September 13, 2024, with a total of 14 responses. All responses were found to be responsive and responsible. Under the guidance of the Purchasing Division, four City staff evaluated the proposals for two rounds, which resulted in Inland Empire Landscape ranking No. 1. The evaluation criteria, total points and rankings for each evaluation round are summarized in the tables below.
Round 1
Evaluation Criteria
Total Points
Technical Approach and Methodology
35%
Experience (Projects of similar size and scope)
25%
Qualifications
20%
Professional References
5%
Pricing
15%
Evaluation Results
Vendor
Location
Total Annual Cost
Total Point
Rank
Inland Empire Landscape, Inc.
San Bernardino, CA
$1,171,344.00
891
1 Mariposa Landscapes, Inc.
Irwindale, CA
$1,195,872.00
863
2 Pacific Coast Landscape & Design, Inc.
Riverside, CA
$811,200.00
858
3 Merchants Landscape Services, Inc.
Santa Ana, CA
$1,434,000.00
815
4 Stay Green, Inc.
Santa Clarita, CA
$981,132.00
714
5 RP Landscape & Irrigation
San Bernardino, CA
$1,008,779.64
700
6 Integrity Arborist and Ecoscape, Inc
Riverside, CA
$1,037,157.50
696
7 Priority Landscape Services, LLC.
Anaheim, CA
$883,800.00
686
8 J. Orozco Enterprises
Pomona, CA
$941,490.73
648
9 Excel Landscape
Corona, CA
$1,679,760.00
604
10 Evolution Landscaping & Plumbing
Huntington Beach, CA
$937,851.16
573
11 BrightView Landscape Services
Riverside CA
$2,626,367.04
521
12 Greentech Landscape, Inc.
Whittier, CA
$834,480.00
414
13 Greenfield Landscaping & Maintenance
Hacienda Heights, CA
$999,000.00
388
14 The top four vendors were within a competitive point range and were invited to move forward into Interviews (Round 2 Evaluation).
Round 2
Evaluation Criteria
Total Points
Methodology
30%
Staff Availability
20%
Company Quality Control Program
20%
History of Performing Similar Services
20%
Financial Resources to Maintain Solvency while Performing Services 10%
Evaluation Results
Vendor
Location
Total Cost
Total Point
Rank
Inland Empire Landscape, Inc.
San Bernardino, CA
$1,171,344.00
1803
1 Mariposa Landscapes, Inc.
Irwindale, CA
$1,195,872.00
1756
2 Merchants Landscape Services, Inc.
Santa Ana, CA
$1,434,000.00
1672
3 Pacific Coast Landscape & Design, Inc
Riverside, CA
$811,200.00
1631
4 Inland Empire Landscape, Inc. entered into negotiations with City Staff and reduced their pricing without changing scope of work, from $1,171,344 annually to $1,123,800, resulting in $47,544 annual savings.
Purchasing Resolution 24101, Section 508 Awards states, “Contracts procured through Formal Procurement shall be awarded by the Awarding Entity to the Lowest Responsive and Responsible Bidder, except that: (c) Contracts procured through Formal Procurement for Services or Professional Services, where a Request for Proposals or Request for Qualifications was used to solicit Bids, shall be awarded by the Awarding Entity in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in the Request for Proposals or Request for Qualifications.” The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommended actions are in accordance with Purchasing Resolution 24101, Section 508 (c).
The City is currently incurring approximately $200,000 annually in the landscape contracts for materials related to mainline breaks, irrigation repairs, over 10’ by 10’ foot graffiti abatement, and vandalism repairs. Historically, a budget for this cost was not specifically written into the contract, resulting in multiple amendments. The City finds it is necessary to formally include them moving forward. Under the agreement, Inland Empire Landscape, Inc., will provide landscape maintenance services at 27 neighborhood parks, seven days per week. These sites are listed in the following table.
Park Name
Ward
Park Name
Ward
Arlington Park
5 North Park
1 Bergamont Park
4 Rancho Loma Park
7 Castleview Park
4 Riverwalk
7 Collett Park
6 Rutland Park
7 Dario Vasquez Park
1 Springbrook Clubhouse
1 Doty-Trust Park
7 Swanson Park
3 Harrison Park
5 Sycamore Canyon Park (parking lot and Nature Center only) 2 Highland Park
2 Sycamore Highlands Park
2 Islander Park
2 Taft Park
2 Kensington Pocket Parks
2 Thundersky Park
4 Lincoln Park
1 Washington Park
3 Low Park
3 White Park
1 Martha McLean-Anza Narrows Park
3 Mtn. View Park
3 Myra Linn Park
6 Additionally, to compensate for rising labor and material costs over the course of the six-year agreement, the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD) and Inland Empire Landscape, Inc., has agreed to an increase in subsequent two-year extensions. CPI increase will be based on the November 2025 Consumer Price Index for “Services” for the Los Angeles-Anaheim-Riverside Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (1982-84+100) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
The work contributes to Strategic Priority 1 – Arts, Culture and Recreation, which aims to provide diverse community experiences and personal enrichment opportunities for people of all ages.
The agreement with Inland Empire Landscape, Inc. aligns with the Arts, Culture and Recreation Strategic Priority, and contributes to Strategic Goal 1.3 in addressing parks and open space maintenance needs.
This action aligns with each of the Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust – Well maintained city facilities serve the public interest, benefit the City’s diverse populations, and result in greater public good.
Equity – Well maintained neighborhood parks ensure outdoor play areas are accessible and safe for public use.
Fiscal Responsibility – The Request for Proposal ensures the Department selects a qualified vendor at a reasonable rate.
Innovation – The Agreement ensures that the neighborhood parks are maintained and continue to be utilized for various community needs.
Sustainability & Resiliency – Landscape maintenance preserves the beautification and maintenance of parks for future use.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact of this action is $2,872,360 which includes a 10% change order in the amount of $224,760 and an additional $400,000 for landscape maintenance services and additional costs for materials for mainline breaks, vandalism, irrigation repairs and graffiti abatement for the two-year period of July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2027. Funds are budgeted in General Fund, Neighborhood Maintenance Contract, account number 5215000-421204.
A budget adjustment will be completed in FY 2025/26 to cover the shortfall as detailed in the Table 1 below. After the budget adjustment is completed, sufficient funds will be available as outlined in Table 2 below.
Table 1. FY Budget Adjustment
Fund
Account
Account Number
Amount
General
Parks Maintenance/Repair of Buildings and Improvements
5215000-424130
($112,000)
General
Parks Neighborhood Maintenance
5215000-421204
$112,000
Table 2. Contract Allocation
Contract Cost
Fund
Account
Account Number
FY 2025/26
FY 2026/27
Total
Annual Agreement
General
Parks Neighborhood Maintenance
5215000-421204
$1,123,800
$1,123,800
$2,247,600
Irrigation, Graffiti and Vandalism
General
Parks Neighborhood Maintenance
5215000-421204
$200,000
$200,000
$400,000
Total
$1,323,800
$1,323,800
$2,647,600
Change Order Authority
General
Parks Neighborhood Maintenance
5215000-421204
$112,380
$112,380
$224,760
Grand Total
$1,436,180
$1,436,180
$2,872,360
Prepared by: Vanessa Mayne, Senior Administrative Analyst Approved by: Pamela M. Galera, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
RFP Award Recommendation
Agreement
Presentation
Neighborhood Parks Landscape Maintenance ● Page 3