HomeMy WebLinkAboutSR - C26560 - LMA No. 9REQUEST:
SUBMITTED BY:
CONTRACTOR:
DATE:
CONTENTS:
Recommendation:
CITY OF PALM DESERT
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
Award Contract No. C 26560 for Professional
Horticultural Services for Landscape Maintenance Area No.
9 to Hort Tech, Inc. of Palm Desert, California (Project
Number 909-07)
Mark Greenwood, P.E.
Director of Public Works
Hort Tech, Inc.
PO Box 3284
Palm Desert, California 92261
July 12, 2007
Proposal
Agreement
Vicinity Map
By minute motion, award Contract No. C26560 for Professional
Horticultural Services for Landscape Maintenance Area No. 9 to Hort
Tech, Inc. of Palm Desert, California in the amount of $231,000.00;
include extra work and services at the specified contract amount; and
authorize the Mayor to execute the agreement.
Discussion:
Historically, contracts for the City's landscape maintenance areas have been bid
and awarded as standard public works projects, with the contracts going to the
companies with the lowest "responsible" bid. This practice has allowed lesser -
qualified companies to bid the work and kept the contract prices unrealistically
low. The consequences of these low prices include a noticeable and significant
decline in the aesthetics and survivability of City landscapes, the withdrawal of
better -qualified companies from the bidding process, and the spending of an
inordinate amount of staff time on the management of these contracts. Although
this decline affects all of the City's landscapes, the most obvious areas are the
City's specialty landscapes comprising Landscape Maintenance Area 9 (El
Paseo, the Civic Center, the Baja Park, Entrada del Paseo and San Jacinto and
Award Landscape Maintenance Area No. 9 to Hort Tech
Page 2 of 3
July 12, 2007
Santa Rosa Monument Visitors Center) and Landscape Maintenance Area 6
(Desert Willow Golf Resort Parkways and Entry Road).
In an attempt to reverse this negative trend, staff has consolidated all of the
City's specialty landscapes (except the Desert Willow parkways and entry road)
into Landscape Maintenance Area No. 9 and has sought proposals for
professional horticultural services from qualified companies. This approach has
been used successfully by the City of Moreno Valley to address the same issue.
The process will eliminate the unrealistic suppression of contract prices and allow
them to rise to realistic levels, allowing better -qualified companies to successfully
compete for the work. In addition, the decline of City landscapes as a result of
poor maintenance practices will cease and staff will be free to address other
landscape work.
On May 22, 2007 the City Clerk advertised and called for proposals for
professional horticultural services for the City's Landscape Maintenance Area
No. 9. On June 19, 2007 the following firms responded to the request for
proposal:
Hort Tech, Inc. of Palm Desert, CA
Merchants Landscape Services of Santa Ana, CA.
Vintage Associates, Inc. of Bermuda Dunes, CA
Proposals were opened, reviewed in a two-step process and then numerically
ranked by a selection panel of staff. The first step in the review process was to
evaluate and assign a numerical value to the following areas: company staff
expertise and training, experience, facilities, equipment, work scheduling,
estimated materials, communications, traffic and safety, green waste recycling
and overall proposal presentation. Proposing firms receiving a minimum
aggregate total of 225 points from the selection panel were placed on a "short
list." Hort Tech and Vintage Associates received enough points to make the
short list; Merchants Landscape Services did not.
The second step in the review process was to evaluate and assign a numerical
value to the financial compensation package of all firms meeting the Step 1
criteria. The soundness and balance of each firm's proposed financial
compensation were compared to related information given in the Step 1
proposal.
Finally, the two numerical values from Step 1 and Step 2 were combined to
determine the final score for each short listed firm.
This process identified Hort Tech, Inc. as the top-ranking firm.
Funds are available in account 110-4614-453-3320.
G: Wub Works\Staf Reports12007UuIy 12105 Award contract LMA 9 Hod Tech 909-071Award Contract LMA 9 909-07 doc
Award Landscape Maintenance Area No. 9 to Hort Tech
Page 3 of 3
July 12, 2007
Therefore, staff recommends that, by minute motion, City Council award Contract
No. C 26560 for Professional Horticultural Services for Landscape
Maintenance Area No. 9 to Hort Tech, Inc. of Palm Desert, California in the
amount of $231,000.00; to include extra work and services at the specified
contract amount; and authorize the Mayor to execute the agreement.
Prepared By:
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H. open
Landsca Mager
Approva
Homer Croy
ACM for Development Services
Carlos L. Ortega
City Ma
David J. �f Nin
City Attorney
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Department He
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Mark Greenwood, P.E.
Director of Public Works
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Paul G'n
Finan a Director
CITY COUNCIL�.ACTION:
APPROVED ✓ DENIED
RECEIVED ..,. OTHER
MEETI
AYES:
NOES:,
ABSENT : /A
ABSTAIN:
VERIFIED
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BY: KI)K (vYIGi',Y)
on File wit-t'i City Clerk's OffirE
G:IPubWorks1PROJECTS1909-XX LMA 912007-20081Staff Reports107-12-07 Award contract LMA 9 Hort Tech 909-071Award Contract LMA 9 909-07.doc