City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: September 8, 2026
Agenda Item: 4.J
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Department of Transportation, Transit Maintenance
Subject: Award Bid #4524 to and Authorize the City Manager to enter into an Agreement With UBM Enterprise, Inc. for Custodial Services at Big Blue Bus Facilities for the Department of Transportation
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) and a finding of no possibility of significant effects pursuant to Section 15061 (b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Award Bid #4524 to UBM Enterprise, Inc. for custodial services at Big Blue Bus facilities for the Department of Transportation;
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with UBM Enterprises, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $1,549,611, with a $154,961 contingency, for a total amount not to exceed $1,704,572 over a five-year period with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The Santa Monica Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) Big Blue Bus (BBB) division operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a campus that includes its operations/administrative building; maintenance building including maintenance shops, offices, and training facility; and its transit bus fuel and wash facility. Each of these buildings require ongoing custodial services, which include daily cleaning in all offices, restrooms, breakrooms, and public areas.
Because of the industrial nature of BBB’s facilities and the volume of employees within the facilities, ongoing detailed cleaning is required to maintain sanitary and safe working conditions. Staff recommends that Bid #4524 be awarded to UBM Enterprise, Inc., to 2 of 5
provide custodial services for DOT’s Big Blue Bus facilities, and that Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement in an amount not to exceed $1,704,572 for a five-year period.
Discussion
DOT’s Big Blue Bus facility includes 95,000 square feet across three buildings that see a high volume of foot traffic and industrial use. The facilities’ heavy use requires consistent detailed cleaning on an ongoing weekly and monthly basis. The custodial services currently provided include regular cleaning and disinfecting of all offices, restrooms, breakrooms, and public high-touch spaces. In addition, the vendor must clean several types of flooring that require consistent care using specialized equipment.
Awarding Bid #4524 to UBM Enterprises, Inc. and executing an agreement for custodial services would ensure that working conditions at BBB’s facilities remain clean and sanitary, and that no slip hazards arise from material spills or lack of floor cleaning. As part of the agreement, UBM Enterprises, Inc., will be responsible for providing qualified personnel trained in best practices for custodial services.
DOT has historically contracted custodial services due to the need for cleaning equipment and supplies, storage space, and workforce flexibility operating a 24 hour a day, seven day a week service. The “Contract and As-Needed Staffing Review Policy, Practice, Recommendations” report approved by Council on January 13, 2015, recommends that custodial and building maintenance services be contracted out. Bid #4524 requires the vendor to provide all equipment needed to deliver the contracted services, saving the City costs associated with the purchase and storage of equipment.
In addition to these cost savings, the nature of the custodial work needed requires a large employee pool that works both days and evenings and includes the requisite supervision during work hours. Custodial staff service all three of the buildings at the Big Blue Bus facility in two shifts daily. The bid award would enable the City to maintain a clean and safe work environment for employees at its Big Blue Bus facilities. Staff recommends Bid #4524 be awarded to, and the City Manager be authorized to 3 of 5
negotiate and enter into an agreement with, UBM Enterprise, Inc., to provide custodial services for DOT’s Big Blue Bus facilities.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidder UBM Enterprises, Inc.
Evaluation Criteria Cost; Experience
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.100(a)
Submittals Received
Base Hill Inc. $1,692,003 DMS Facility Services $2,092,904 UBM Enterprise, Inc. $1,704,572 Yo-boy sanitation experts $2,100,113 CCS Facility Services - Los
Angeles, Inc. $1,739,821 Priority Building Services $2,191,177 US Metro Group, Inc. $1,784,645 UMS INC $2,264,362
H.N.W. Building
Maintenance, Inc. $1,796,305 ULTIMATE MAINTENANCE SERVICES $2,317,953 Apex Team Solutions Inc $1,828,102 CM Simple Janitorial LLC $2,349,312
PRECISION MATERIAL
MANAGEMENT $1,914,251
Margarita's House Cleaning Inc. and
Janitorial Services $2,459,616
Coastal Building Services,
Inc. $2,021,276 Vested Solutions Janitorial, LLC $2,883,881 UNISERVE Facilities
Services LLC $2,048,918 RSG Solutions LLC $4,390,972
SoCal Cleaner, LLC $2,089,222 Premier Property Preservation, LLC Disqualified Taylor DM Brands, Inc. No Bid
Bid Data
Date
Posted Posted On
Advertise In
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened (City Charter &
SMMC)
7/9/2026 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily
Press 61 7/28/2026
Best Bidder Justification
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Bid #4524 was evaluated by the evaluation committee from the Department of Transportation, Transit Maintenance Division based on the criteria in SMMC
2.24.100(a) including cost and experience. Although UBM was not the lowest bidder, their bid was within 1% of the lowest bidder’s cost, where cost made up 70% of the evaluation score. The evaluation committee reviewed all bidders’ experience statements and contacted each bidders’ references and determined that UBM was the best bidder based on reference feedback and their experience providing custodial services for large City and County agencies.
Environmental Review
The contract for custodial services is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) and Section 15061 (b)(3) of the CEQA guidelines. Section 15301 exempts Class 1 (Existing Facilities) projects from CEQA, which includes 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 custodial services contract would not result in any modifications to existing facilities at the Big Blue Bus facility and would not expand or materially change existing transit operations or increase the City’s fleet of transit buses. Therefore, this is categorically exempt as set forth in Section 15301 of the CEQA guidelines. Additionally, the contract is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061 (b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The contract for custodial services would not have a physical impact on the environment.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Big Blue Bus Fund to award an agreement with UBM Enterprise, Inc., to provide custodial services for buildings at DOT’s Big Blue Bus Facility.
Contract Request
FY 2026-27
Request Amount
Future Years
Amount Department # Total Contract Amount
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$291,876 $1,412,696 60600011.550016 $1,704,572
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: David Nanjo, Administrative Analyst
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. UBM Oaks Form
B. UBM Levine Act Form