Agenda Item: 11
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: June 11, 2024
SUBJECT: LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS FOR LMD ZONES
T23, T23A, and T23B
DEPARTMENT: Administrative Services
PRESENTER: Andrew Adams
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Award three contracts to Stay Green, Inc., to provide landscape maintenance services for Landscape Maintenance District Zones T23 (Mountain View), T23A (Mountain View Condos/Seco Canyon), and T23B (Seco Villas), for two-year contract amounts not to exceed $1,023,272, $537,200, and $174,426 respectively.
2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute up to three additional one-year renewal options beginning in year three, 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.
3. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all contracts and associated documents, subject to City Attorney approval.
4. Appropriate an ongoing budget increase, beginning in Fiscal Year 2024-25, of $285,989 from the Landscape Maintenance District Fund Balance (Fund 357) to Zone T23 expenditure account 3572420-516110 ($221,860), to Zone T23A expenditure account 3572421-516110 ($40,888), and to Zone T23B expenditure account 3572422-516110 ($23,241).
5. Find that the award of contracts is 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-23-24-28 for the maintenance of LMD Zone T23 (Mountain View), Zone T23A (Mountain View Condos/Seco Canyon), and Zone T23B (Seco Villas) was published and circulated via the City’s e- procurement system BidNet on March 5, 2024.
The City transmitted the solicitation to 838 vendors on BidNet, of which 41 vendors downloaded the RFP. Five companies submitted proposals for consideration. Unlike a bid procurement, where the recommended contract award is based upon the lowest, most responsive bid, the Request for Proposal procurement approach 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.
An evaluation panel comprised of staff representing the City’s Special Districts division scored the responses based on a 300-point system. The following categories comprised the weighted criteria used to evaluate proposals:
• Value Provided - Includes Team Composition/Crew Structure and Rotation Schedule/Response Times (65%)
• Acknowledgement and Understanding of Specifications (15%) • References and Certifications (10%)
• Proposal Amount (10%)
Following an initial review by the evaluation team, three firms - Stay Green, Inc. (Stay Green), Mariposa Landscape, Inc., and Specialized Landscape Management - were selected for interviews due to the competitiveness of their proposals. During the interviews, several technical questions related to the scope of work within each zone were asked. Additional follow-up questions were submitted to each firm to ensure a full understanding of each proposer’s offering to the City.
As a result, Stay Green received the highest score from the evaluation team. The team concluded that their proposal offered the best overall value for all three LMD zones. Moreover, Stay Green demonstrated a robust understanding of the landscaping complexities within each zone and articulated a comprehensive approach to a rotation schedule that meets the specific demands of each area.
While lower-cost bids were received, none offered the man hours and rotation schedules sufficient to meet the City’s standards and requirements outlined in the RFP. Following the determination of the highest-ranked proposer, City staff coordinated with Stay Green to reduce their initially proposed annual maintenance cost from $945,672 to $766,929. This was achieved
by reducing the proposed crew size to align with budget constraints, while still providing the necessary manpower to meet City expectations.
Each firm’s final ranking is as follows:
COMPANY LOCATION POINTS
AWARDED
ANNUAL
COST
Stay Green, Inc. Santa Clarita, CA 278 $ 945,672*
Mariposa Landscape, Inc Irwindale, CA 267 $ 909,780
Specialized Landscape Management Simi Valley, CA 239 $1,147,320 Elite Maintenance & Tree Service Clovis, CA 169 $ 506,928 Marina Landscape Services, Inc. Stevenson Ranch, CA 163 $ 632,160 Oakridge Landscape, Inc. Valencia, CA 145 $ 823,824
American Heritage Landscape Canoga Park, CA 128 $ 924,356 *(reduced to $766,929)
Staff completed a due diligence review of Stay Green’s professional references and determined their work history meets the City's standards and performance expectations. Based on this review, staff recommends awarding the landscape maintenance contract to Stay Green.
To support these contracts, staff is requesting an ongoing appropriation of $285,989, specific to LMD Zones T23, T23A and T23B. The requested ongoing base adjustment is reflective of rising fuel and industry labor costs, and an appropriate increase of weekly manpower within the zones.
Moreover, the recommended contract amount is necessary to ensure Stay Green can perform monthly landscape maintenance and repairs, maximize operational efficiencies, and complete such work promptly. Maintenance and repairs include responding to emergencies, irrigation repairs, replacement of irrigation systems, addressing vandalism, and one-time beautification enhancement projects.
The increase in expenditure authority granted by the City Council does not guarantee additional compensation under the terms of the recommended contract. Beyond retaining the discretion to utilize alternative contractors as deemed necessary, all unscheduled repair work or one-time enhancement projects performed by Stay Green under the contract 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.
The award of this contract is not subject to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Article 19 - Categorical Exemptions, Section 15301, Existing Facilities, (h) Maintenance of Existing Landscaping. This contract meets the criteria for this exemption because the scope of work falls under existing landscape maintenance.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended action requires an ongoing appropriation of $285,989 from the Landscape Maintenance District fund (Fund 357) beginning in Fiscal Year 2024-25 for a total budget of $766,929, to support recurring landscape maintenance costs associated with the award of these contracts. Funding for future years is contingent upon the appropriation of funds by the City Council in the annual budget for such fiscal year.
ATTACHMENTS
LMD-23-24-28 Zones T23, T23A, T23B - Published Bid Documents (available in the City Clerk's Reading File)
Stay Green, Inc, Zones T23, T23A, and T23B - RFP Proposal File (available in the City Clerk's Reading File)