City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: MARCH 3, 2026 FROM: PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY WARDS: ALL
SERVICES DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE INTERIM EMERGENCY TREE REMOVAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR PARKS TREE REMOVALS AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES WITH WEST COAST ARBORISTS, INC. TO INCREASE COMPENSATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $466,831 FOR A REVISED TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $565,831, FOR THE CONTRACT TERM ENDING JUNE 30, 2026 ISSUE:
Approve the First Amendment to the Interim Emergency Tree Removal Services Agreement for park tree removals and maintenance services with West Coast Arborists, Inc. to increase compensation in the amount of $466,831 for a revised total contract amount of $565,831, for the contract term ending June 30, 2026.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve the First Amendment to the Interim Emergency Tree Removal Services Agreement with West Coast Arborists, Inc. to increase compensation in the amount of $466,831 for a revised total contract amount of $565,831, for the contract term ending June 30, 2026; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the First Amendment, including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Riverside, recognized as a Tree City USA since 1987, maintains a large and diverse urban forest that requires proactive and specialized care. Across the city’s 81 square miles, the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD) manages approximately 3,446 acres of parkland and nearly 30,000 trees representing over 300 species, including historically significant and iconic trees such as the Parent Navel Orange Tree and mature species that provide shade, improve air quality, support biodiversity, and enhance community well-being.
Regular tree maintenance, including grid pruning to protect power infrastructure, emergency removal of hazardous and invasive trees to reduce wildfire risk, is essential to preserving these benefits while ensuring public safety. Due to the scale of the tree inventory, the technical expertise required, and the need for specialized equipment and rapid response capabilities, the City contracts out tree maintenance services to ensure work is performed efficiently, safely, and in compliance with industry standards, while minimizing risk and controlling long-term costs.
DISCUSSION:
On February 13, 2025, the City issued a new Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2446 for Municipal Tree Management Services with PRCSD “piggy backing” off that RFP for the maintenance and removals of parks trees. The City of Riverside did not host a pre-proposal meeting, provided 96 responses by the questions and answer deadline, and had 46 prospective bidders.
On March 18, 2025, the City received 7 proposals in response to RFP No. 2446, two (2) were deemed non-responsive; one (1) due to a suspended CSLB license and the other due to lack of possession of a C-27 CSLB license.
The City evaluated five (5) proposals for responsiveness to the scope of work which are listed in Table 1 below.
Table 1 – Proposal Rankings
Vendor
Vendor City
Evaluation Scores
Great Scott Tree Service, Inc
Stanton, CA
971.79
West Coast Arborists, Inc.
Anaheim, CA
956.37
P31 Enterprises, Inc.
Oroville, CA
737.42
Rolling Green Inc.
San Bernardino, CA
693.35
Golden West Arbor Services Inc.
Pomona, CA
527.1
A three-member panel comprised of staff from General Services, Riverside Public Utilities, and the Office of Sustainability evaluated the proposals and Great Scott Tree Service, Inc. was selected as the most qualified company to perform the requirements of the RFP.
This item, originally scheduled for Council consideration on September 16, 2025, was rescheduled to the October 28, 2025, Council meeting to allow for administrative adjustments to the bid proposal documentation. To ensure an accurate and fair bidding process, the item will be readvertised later this fiscal year.
To prevent a lapse in emergency tree removal and maintenance services and ensure continuity of service beginning July 1, 2025, PRCSD obtained three informal bids and issued a purchase order in the amount of $24,900. West Coast Arborists, Inc., the incumbent contractor, was determined to be the lowest responsive bidder. When it was determined that the contract would not be presented to City Council until October 2025, PRCSD entered into an interim emergency tree removal and maintenance agreement with West Coast Arborists, Inc. in the amount of $99,000. West Coast Arborists agreed to maintain pricing from the prior fiscal year. The interim agreement became effective on November 12, 2025, and will expire on June 30, 2026.
Due to the volume of tree services required, PRCSD is requesting City Council approval to amend the interim emergency tree removal and maintenance agreement to increase compensation to the full budgeted amount. This amendment will ensure that essential trimming, removals and tree maintenance services can continue to be provided in City parks without interruption while Public Works completes the development of a new RFP for a contract anticipated to begin in Fiscal Year 2026/2027.
On June 12, 2018, City Council approved the award of Request for Proposal (RFP) 1775 per Purchasing Resolution No. 23256, Section 508 which 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.” West Coast Arborists, Inc. has extended the pricing from the original RFP without any changes.
Purchasing Resolution No. 24101, Section 702, “Exceptions”, states that, “Competitive Procurement through the Informal Procurement and Formal Procurement process shall not be required… (h) When Services, except for Professional Services, can be Procured from a Contractor who offers the same or better price, terms and conditions as the Contractor previously offered as the Lowest Responsive Bidder under Competitive Procurement or negotiations conducted by the City or another public agency, provided that, in the opinion of the Manager, it is in the best interest of the City to do so.” Purchasing Resolution 24101 Section 1104 “Change Orders” states that “Modifications to a Purchase Order shall be made only by Change Order. Subject to the availability of funds, Change Orders may be utilized for purposes of…(2) modifying unit prices, [or]…(5) modifying contract completion time or the term of a Contract. Unless otherwise specifically authorized by the Awarding Entity, Change Orders which cumulatively exceed the following will require Awarding Entity approval: (b) Any Change Order which causes the contract price to exceed the authorization in section 203 hereof, if the Contract and/or Purchase Order was not previously approved by the Awarding Entity, and (c) 10% of the original contract price for Contracts and/or Purchase Orders previously approved by the Awarding Entity and the total Change Order amount will not exceed $150,000.” The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommended actions comply with Purchasing Resolution 24101.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this action is $466,831 for the term ending June 30, 2026. Sufficient funds are available in the following accounts:
Fund
Account
Account Number
Amount
General
Parks, Tree Maintenance Contract
5215000-421205
$193,850
Measure Z
Parks, Tree Maintenance Contract
8003002-421205
$250,000
General
Fairmount Park Golf Course, Tree Maintenance Contract
5215400-421205
$22,981
Total
$466,831
Prepared by: Vanessa Mayne, Senior Administrative Analyst Approved by: Pamela M. Galera, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Interim Finance Director Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
Agreement
Presentation
First Amendment to Emergency Tree Removal and Maintenance Services ● Page 2