City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JULY 14, 2026 FROM: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL SUBJECT: PURCHASE OF AUTOMATED BLACK REFUSE CARTS, WITH INTERCHANGEABLE GRAY, GREEN, AND BLUE LIDS, FROM TOTER, LLC OF STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH SOURCEWELL COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NO. 120324-TOT IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $800,000 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2027 ISSUE:
Approve the purchase of automated black refuse carts with interchangeable gray, green, and blue lids from Toter, LLC of Statesville, North Carolina through Sourcewell Cooperative Agreement No. 120324-TOT in an amount not to exceed $800,000 through June 30, 2027.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve the purchase of automated black refuse carts with interchangeable gray, green, and blue lids from Toter, LLC of Statesville, North Carolina through Sourcewell Cooperative Agreement No. 120324-TOT in an amount not to exceed $800,000 through June 30, 2027; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute all required documents to effectuate the purchase with Toter, LLC, including making minor and non-substantive changes, subject to the availability of budgeted funds.
DISCUSSION:
The Public Works Department’s Solid Waste Division purchases automated bins for new residences and to replace damaged, lost, or stolen bins for City customers, and has purchased bins from Toter, LLC for nearly 16 years. Toter, LLC has a reputation for providing the toughest, most durable municipal garbage bins, with an average service life of 15 to 20+ years, thereby providing superior value for the City’s investment.
Toter, LLC holds a Cooperative Agreement (Contract No. 120324-TOT) with Sourcewell to streamline the purchase and acquisition of waste bins. The Sourcewell agreement expires on April 4, 2029. To help maintain fiscal stability in an unpredictable environment, Toter has agreed to continue providing services at a 20% discount of the current pricing level throughout the extended term, which runs through June 30, 2027.
The Public Works Department is satisfied with the performance of Toter, LLC due to their high ratings for durability, ease of use, and effectiveness.
This extension of current pricing will allow the Public Works Department to continue providing the same level of services to the public without cost increases impacting the level of services.
Purchasing Overview
On October 15, 2024, Sourcewell, the State of Minnesota local government unit and service cooperative issued Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 120324 on Sourcewell’s Procurement Portal seeking prospective proposers to provide Plastic Refuse and Recycling Containers with Related Technology Solutions.
The solicitation notification is summarized in the table below:
Action
Number of Vendors
External Vendors Notified
0 City of Riverside Vendors Notified
0 Vendors who downloaded the RFP
38 Proposals received
12 A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting was held on November 7, 2024. A total of 9 questions were received from prospective proposers, and 4 addenda were posted. RFP No. 120324 closed on December 3, 2024, with a total of 12 responses. All responses were found to be responsive and responsible.
Under the guidance of Sourcewell, the State of Minnesota local government unit, a service cooperative Purchasing, and 4 individuals from Sourcewell, evaluated the proposals for 1 round, which resulted in Toter, LLC ranking No. 2. The evaluation criteria, total points and rankings for each evaluation round are summarized in the tables below.
Round 1 – Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Total Points
Conformance to RFP Requirements
Pass/Fail
Financial Viability and Marketplace Success
50 Ability to Sell and Deliver Solutions
150
Marketing Plan
100
Value Added Attributes
100
Depth and Breadth of Offered Solutions
200
Pricing
400
Round 1 – Evaluation Results
Vendor
Location
Proposed Cost
Evaluation Scores
Rank
Cascade Engineering, Inc.
Grand Rapids, MI
N/A
861.00
1 Toter, LLC
Statesville, NC
N/A
838.00
2 Rehrig Pacific Company
Monterey Park, CA
N/A
818.00
3 Schaefer Plastics North America, LLC
Charlotte, NC
N/A
796.00
4 The Prestwick Group
Sussex, WI
N/A
791.00
5 Following the evaluation process, Sourcewell awarded contracts to multiple qualified vendors, providing participating agencies the ability to evaluate available options and select the vendor that offers the best overall value based on their specific operational needs.
While another proposer received a higher overall evaluation score, the City considered additional factors permitted under the RFP and Sourcewell procurement process, including product performance, lifecycle costs, warranty provisions, operational benefits, pricing, and the vendor's demonstrated ability to meet the City’s needs.
Toter, LLC has provided refuse carts for the City for more than fifteen (15) years and has consistently delivered durable, high-quality products that have met the City's operational needs. The company offers a comprehensive ten (10) year warranty covering damaged or defective carts, which is expected to reduce replacement and maintenance costs over the life of the contract. By comparison, although the higher-scoring proposer demonstrated strong qualifications, Toter’s warranty coverage, product performance history, and familiarity with the City’s operations provided distinct advantages.
In addition, Toter, LLC offers a cart buy-back program that allows the City to receive credits for retired carts, creating an additional cost-saving opportunity not otherwise available through competing proposals. Toter has also committed to a fixed shipping rate for the duration of the contract and has offered the City pricing that is twenty (20%) below Sourcewell contract pricing. These pricing concessions provide substantial savings, combined with the company's proven performance, warranty coverage, and long-standing successful relationship with the City, provide significant economic and operational advantages.
Based on the City’s evaluation of the awarded Sourcewell vendors, including a comparison of pricing, warranty coverage, operational benefits, past performance, and overall lifecycle value, the City determined that Toter, LLC offers the best overall value and is the vendor most advantageous to the City. Accordingly, the City selected Toter, LLC for contract award as being in City’s best interest.
This action is pursuant to Purchasing Resolution 24101, Section 602 which states, “Competitive Procurement through the Informal Procurement and Formal Procurement process shall not be required in any of the following circumstances …(f) When Cooperative Purchasing is available and undertaken or when Goods can be obtained through Federal, State and/or other public entity pricing contracts or price agreements.” The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommended action is compliant with Purchasing Resolution 24101.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of the actions of this report is a total of $800,000 over a 1-year term.
Sufficient funds amount of $800,000 are budgeted and available in the Refuse Fund, Solid Waste Collection, Special Department Supplies Account No. 4130100-426800.
Prepared by: Christina Navaratnam, Principal Management Analyst Approved by: Nathan Mustafa, Public Works 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:
Toter Contract No. 120324-TOT
Sourcewell Discounted Pricing
Sourcewell Contract Pricing 12041521-TOT
Purchase of Automated Refuse, Green Waste, and Recycling Bins with Toter, LLC h Page 5