Agenda Item: 5
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: October 24, 2023
SUBJECT: LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS FOR LMD ZONES T- 68, T-69
DEPARTMENT: Administrative Services
PRESENTER: Andrew Adams
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Award a two-year contract to Marina Landscape Services, Inc. to provide landscape maintenance services for Landscape Maintenance Districts Zone T-68 West Creek, and, if necessary, other zones for which they are under contract, for a total two-year amount not to exceed $169,686.
2. Award a two-year contract to Marina Landscape Services, Inc. to provide landscape maintenance services for Landscape Maintenance District Zone T-69 West Hills, and, if necessary, other zones for which they are under contract, for a total two-year amount not to exceed $708,872.
3. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute up to three additional one-year renewal options beginning in year three for both contracts, not to exceed the annual contract amounts, inclusive of as-needed expenditure authority, plus an adjustment in compensation consistent with the appropriate Consumer Price Index, upon request of the contractor, and contingent upon the appropriation of funds by the City Council in the annual budget for such fiscal year.
4. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all contracts and associated documents, subject to City Attorney approval.
5. Appropriate an ongoing budget for $7,588 from the Landscape Maintenance District Fund Balance (Fund 357) to expenditure account 3572463-516110 (West Creek) and $34,787 to expenditure account 3572462-516110 (West Hills).
6. Find that the award of contracts are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Article 19 – Categorical Exemptions, Section 15301, Existing Facilities, (h) Maintenance of Existing Landscaping.
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Clarita (City) administers 62 financially independent zones within the Landscape Maintenance District (LMD), providing landscape maintenance services through contracts with private companies. Request for Proposal (RFP) LMD-23-24-12, for the maintenance of LMD Zone T-68 (West Creek) and LMD Zone T-69 (West Hills) was published and circulated via the City’s e-procurement system, BidNet, on September 1, 2023.
Unlike a bid procurement, where the recommended contract award is based upon the lowest, most responsive bid, this procurement utilizes multiple weighted criteria to evaluate and score proposals. This approach reinforces performance expectations and ensures that vendors dedicate adequate employees to service the contract. While the price for services is a component constituting 10 percent of the weighted evaluation criteria, 90 percent of the evaluation criteria focuses on the overall value provided, including the composition and structure of the contractor’s crew, their schedule to rotate through the maintenance areas, understanding of the specifications, and references.
The following categories comprised the weighted criteria used to evaluate proposals:
• Value Provided - Team Composition/Crew Structure/Rotation Schedule (65%) • Acknowledgement and Understanding of Specifications (15%) • Proposal Amount (10%)
• References & Certifications (10%)
The City transmitted the solicitation to 657 vendors on BidNet, of which 28 vendors downloaded the RFP. Eight companies provided proposals for consideration. An evaluation panel comprised of staff representing the City’s Special Districts division scored the responses based on a 300- point system, with the results outlined below.
ZONE T-68 & T-69
PROPOSALS
COMPANY LOCATION POINTS
AWARDED
Proposal 1 Marina Landscape
Services, Inc.
Santa Clarita, CA 256
Proposal 2 Oakridge Landscape, Inc. Santa Clarita, CA 218 Proposal 3 Staygreen, Inc. Santa Clarita, CA 209
Proposal 4 American Heritage
Landscape
Canoga Park, CA 202
Proposal 5 EMTS, Inc. Clovis, CA 197
Proposal 6 SGD Enterprises Van Nuys, CA 184
Proposal 7 JAS Landscape, LLC Oxnard, CA 102
Proposal 8 Green Garden, Inc. Winnetka, CA 97
Marina Landscape Services, Inc. (Marina Landscape) achieved the highest score on the RFP, with the evaluation team determining their proposals offered the best overall value. While all companies dedicated comparable crew man-hours for the recurring maintenance, Marina Landscape’s proposal represents the greatest overall value. Marina Landscape’s proposed crew structure, approach for rotating personnel throughout the two assigned LMD zones, and proposed modification of operations due to seasonal changes are consistent with LMD’s standards for overall maintenance. Staff has completed a due-diligence review of Marina Landscape’s professional references and determined their work history meets the City's standards and performance expectations. Based on the above, staff recommends awarding both landscape maintenance contracts to Marina Landscape.
To support these contracts, staff is requesting an ongoing appropriation of $42,375, which will be combined with the funds previously appropriated during the annual budget process. If approved, the total budget, including additional appropriations, will be $84,843 in Zone T-68 (West Creek) and $354,436 in Zone T-69 (West Hills). This ongoing base adjustment is reflective of rising fuel and industry labor costs. The recommended contract amounts are required to ensure Marina Landscape can perform monthly landscape maintenance and repairs, maximize operational efficiencies, and ensure such work is completed in a timely manner.
Maintenance and repairs include, and are not limited to, responding to emergencies, repairs, or replacement of irrigation systems that are damaged or have reached the end of their useful service life; replacement of dead plant material; addressing vandalism; and one-time beautification enhancement projects.
Finally, the increase in expenditure authority granted by the City Council does not represent any guarantee of additional compensation under the terms of the recommended contracts. Beyond retaining the discretion to utilize alternative contractors as deemed necessary, all unscheduled repair work or one-time enhancement projects performed by Marina Landscape under both contracts will continue to require staff review and advanced authorization by the City’s Special Districts Division. Furthermore, to improve maintenance standards and enforce accountability, the solicitation also includes provisions to impose payment reductions for poor performance should the contractor fail to meet their maintenance obligations.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Determination This award of contracts is not subject to CEQA review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Article 19 - Categorical Exemptions, Section 15301, Existing Facilities, (h) Maintenance of Existing Landscaping.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
1. Do not award contracts to Marina Landscape Services Inc.
2. Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended action requires an ongoing appropriation of $42,375 from the Landscape Maintenance District Fund Balance (Fund 357) to support recurring landscape maintenance costs
associated with the award of this contract. Funding for future years are contingent upon the appropriations of funds by the City Council in the annual budget for such fiscal year.
ATTACHMENTS
LMD-23-24-12 LMD T68 & T69 - RFP Docs (available in the City Clerk's Reading File) LMD-23-24-12 LMD T68 & T69 - Marina Response File (available in the City Clerk's Reading File)