City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: April 11, 2023
Agenda Item: 5.E
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Edward F King, Director, Department of Transportation, Transit Maintenance Subject: Award Bid to Uniserve Facilities Service Corporation for Detail Cleaning of Transit Buses
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption (Class 1 Existing Facilities) pursuant to Section 15301 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Award Bid #4440 to Uniserve Facilities Service Corporation for detail cleaning of Santa Monica Department of Transportation’s fleet of transit buses; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Uniserve, in an amount not to exceed $695,076, including a $63,189 contingency, and a 3% cost escalator, over a five-year period with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The Big Blue Bus, a division of the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT), operates 195 transit buses across 69 square miles of greater Los Angeles providing over 600,000 rides each month. The buses’ heavy use creates wear on interior amenities including flooring, seating, windows, and panels, as well as exterior body panels and wheels. DOT staff perform regular cleaning of transit buses, but DOT also uses a bus detail cleaning service to ensure that its fleet of transit buses is maintained in a like-new condition to provide the best possible riding experience for its customers.
Staff recommends that Bid #4440 be awarded to Uniserve for detail cleaning of transit buses for a five-year period in an amount not to exceed $119,019 for the first year with 2 of 5
the total five-year contract not to exceed $695,076, which includes a 10% contingency and a 3% cost escalator.
Discussion
DOT is committed to providing a safe and pleasant environment for passengers and staff and its maintenance standards are an important part of its customer experience.
DOT’s fleet of transit buses requires daily cleaning, fueling, and fluids inspection which is provided by DOT staff. To maintain a high standard of cleanliness for the exterior and interior of buses DOT has developed a program wherein each bus receives detail cleaning service at least twice a year. This comprehensive program includes the cleaning of all interior surfaces including the steam cleaning of passenger seats, graffiti removal, cleaning and waxing of flooring, cleaning of all lighting fixtures, windows, and detail cleaning of the operator area. Exterior cleaning includes but is not limited to a complete and thorough cleaning of the exterior body panels, windows, tires, and wheels. Additionally, the exteriors of buses and service vehicles receive an application of a polishing wax to maintain the paint color and to reduce paint oxidation and fading.
Regular detailing minimizes the deterioration of upholstery, sidewalls, floors, and other interior and exterior bus panels.
DOT has historically contracted out the detailed cleaning of its fleet of transit buses in accordance with the guidance set forth in the “Contracted and As-Needed Staffing Review Policy, Practice, Recommendations” report approved by Council on January 13th, 2015. DOT contracts this work due to the need for specialized cleaning equipment and space to store that equipment, and the need for workforce flexibility requiring a large pool of employees to serve as back-ups to cover any call-outs.
Bid #4440 requires the vendor to provide all equipment and materials needed to provide detailed cleaning services saving the City costs associated with the purchase and storage of equipment. In addition to the cost savings, the nature of the bus detailing work needed requires a large employee pool that would work every morning. Staff recommends award of Bid #4440 to Uniserve.
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Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidder UNISERVE Facilities Service Corporation
Evaluation Criteria
Price; the ability, capacity, and skill of bidder to perform bus detailing services, the capacity of bidder to provide detailed cleaning services to the City's fleet of transit buses promptly and reliably, and training, experience, and efficiency of bidder.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.180
Submittals Received
Executive-Suite Services, Inc. $ 927,575 Fleetwash, Inc. $ 809,153 Premier Property Preservation,
LLC $ 595,212
Ultimate Maintenance
Services $ 600,936
UNISERVE Facilities Service
Corp. $695,076
Bid Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertised In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
1/24/2023
City's Online
Bidding Site Santa Monica Daily Press 22 2/2/2023
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Bidder Justification
Bids were evaluated based on the criteria in SMMC 2.24.180 including price, ability to provide service, experience, and capacity to provide reliable service. While Uniserve was not the lowest bidder, they are the lowest bidder with experience providing detailed cleaning of heavy-duty vehicles and specialized heavy-duty equipment. Uniserve is the incumbent and has eleven years of experience providing detailed cleaning of transit buses, which requires unique skills and experience when compared to the cleaning of facilities. Their experience includes knowledge of safe work practices while working onboard buses with high-voltage propulsion systems and high-pressure compressed natural gas systems, cleaning while protecting onboard technology, cleaning, and waxing of bus body panels, polishing bus wheels, and basic knowledge of transit bus propulsion compartments. Bidders without this experience would need additional training and management while they learn how to work on transit buses.
Environmental Review
The project is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 15301 exempts Class 1 (Existing Facilities) projects from CEQA, which include the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The award contract would address maintenance responsibilities of existing transit buses, and therefore, it has determined that the project is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines. Furthermore, staff has determined that none of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions set forth in the CEQA Guidelines, section 15300.2 apply to this project.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the Big Blue Bus Fund to award a contract with Uniserve Facilities Services Corporation for detailed cleaning of the City’s fleet of transit buses. Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Contract Request
FY2022-23 Budget
Request Amount
Department Account # Total Contract
Amount
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$35,706 60600008.550012 $695,076
Prepared By: David Nanjo, Administrative Analyst
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Uniserve Oaks