HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 13766
City of Palo Alto (ID # 13766)
City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: 9/12/2022 Report Type: Consent Calendar
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Approval of Amendment Number 1 to Contract Number C20177684
with SCA for Street Sweeping Services, for Modification and Increase of
Contract by $1,080,674 to Include Prevailing Wages for a Revised Not to
Exceed amount of $6,688,906 for the Remaining Three Years of a Five Year
Contract; and Approval of Budget Amendment in the Refuse Fund
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Public Works
Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council:
1. Approve and authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute Amendment No. 1
to Contract No. C20177684 with Sweeping Corporation of America (SCA), formerly
Contract Sweeping Services (CSS), for street sweeping services; which includes
a. The removal of Task 2 (Debris Management) from the Scope of Services for
contract years 3 through 5; and
b. Increasing the total not-to-exceed compensation by $1,080,674, from
$5,608,232 to a new total not-to-exceed compensation amount of $6,688,906;
and
2. Amend (by a 2/3 majority) the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Appropriation for the Refuse
Fund by:
a. Increasing the Public Works appropriation for Contract Services by $83,158; and
b. Decreasing the Rate Stabilization Reserve by $83,158.
Background
The Public Works Department’s Public Services Division is responsible for maintaining
cleanliness throughout various City-owned public places, including sweeping over 17,000 curb
miles of streets annually. Street sweeping is a key maintenance task that includes removing
leaves, trash, and particulate debris such as metal particles from street surfaces and gutters,
preventing these materials from entering our storm drain system and the San Francisco Bay, as
required by State and Federal laws.
On April 20, 2020, following a Request for Proposals (RFP) competitive solicitation process,
Council approved a five-year contract with Contract Sweeping Services (CSS) for the provision of
services through April 25, 2025 (Staff Report ID#11012). Contract Sweeping Services (CSS) has
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since been acquired by SCA of CA, LLC, and the City has approved an assignment agreement
assigning the contract to SCA of CA, LLC. The current five-year contract provides street
sweeping services for all residential and light commercial areas throughout the City. The
contract includes debris management provisions that address removal and disposal of debris.
The debris removal provisions allow SCA to temporarily place debris on City streets during leaf
season or when approved by the City. The debris disposal provisions direct SCA to haul street
sweeping debris to the Sunnyvale Materials Recovery and Transfer Station (SMaRT Station)
located in Sunnyvale for processing. The cost of hauling the debris is built into the contract
under Task 2.
On May 24, 2021, City Council approved a new contract for solid waste processing with
GreenWaste Recovery (GWR) (Staff Report ID#11632) that began on January 1, 2022. Through
the GWR contract, staff incorporated the processing of yard trimmings (from City crew work
including sweeping debris) previously taken to the SMaRT Station to be processed at the Zanker
Road Resource Recovery Operation and Landfill (Zanker), with the City Collector, GreenWaste
of Palo Alto (GWPA), transporting the material rather than SCA. The cost of processing the
debris is allocated in the City’s Refuse Fund within the solid waste processing expenses.
Discussion
Since January 1, 2022, GWPA has transported street sweeping debris to Zanker for processing.
Staff has evaluated the transition in transporting the material between the two companies and
found it to be successful, resulting in no major issues. This amendment to the SCA contract
removes Task 2 from the contract, which means that SCA will no longer be permitted to haul
debris. Responsibilities associated with Task 2 include the hauling of debris and the placement
of debris on City streets during leaf season. Staff has evaluated the placement of debris on City
streets for the last two years of the contract and this practice has yet to be utilized.
Additionally, storage of sweeping debris on City streets has negative impacts including reduced
level of cleanliness, unsightliness, and potential flooding concerns. Sweeping debris is currently
taken to a bunker located at the Municipal Services Center (MSC) yard prior to being
transferred to the processing center; this practice will continue with SCA. This expense is being
removed from the contract and will only be reflected in the GreenWaste Recovery contract.
Lastly, the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), the State agency that oversees prevailing
wage laws, issued a determination last fall that street sweeping work is subject to prevailing
wages. As DIR previously held that such work was not subject to prevailing wages, this contract
did not previously require them. In order to comply with DIR’s new directive, staff recommends
amending the contract to include this requirement using prevailing wage rates specified by the
DIR. The new curb mile rate is $74.27, an increase from $44.01. The difference in additional
contract expenses for Year 3 (April 26, 2022- April 25, 2023), due to this prevailing wage
increase and reduction of debris transportation expense, is $349,224, resulting in a funding
need of $83,158 for Year 3. The contract had unspent budget of $266,066, as shown on Table 1,
from the first two years which will be used in Year 3 to help cover the increased cost.
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Table 1: Unspent Budget within Contract
Current Budget
(Tasks 1-4) & Additional Services
Actuals
(Tasks 1-4)
Unspent
Budget
Contract Year 1 $1,035,432 $828,752 $112,550
Contract Year 2 $1,076,849 $825,438 $153,516
Total $2,112,281 $1,654,190 $266,066
Resource Impact
The increase to this contract is not currently funded. To support this unbudgeted expense, an
appropriation increase of $83,158 for contract services in the Refuse Fund is recommended,
offset by a $83,158 decrease of the Refuse Fund Rate Stabilization Reserve. Subsequent years
of the contract are subject to appropriation of funds through the annual budget process. The
Refuse Fund Rate Stabilization Reserve (RSR) balance for Fiscal Year 2023, including this
recommended use of $83,158, will have sufficient funds. The RSR is projected to be greater
than the recommended 20 percent of sales metric RSR guideline.
Table 2 shows the compensation for the amendment by contract year. Table 3 shows a
comparison of the original contract against the amendment by contract year, as well as the
difference and additional funding needed. Additional Services funding has been removed for
the remaining three years to help offset the increase in contract expense. The funding from the
first two years will be sufficient for the remainder of the contract.
Table 2: Compensation for Amendment by Contract Year
Year Services (Tasks 1-4) Additional Services Subtotals
Contract Year 1 $941,302 $94,130 $1,035,432
Contract Year 2 $978,954 $97,895 $1,076,849
Contract Year 3 $1,469,147 $0 $1,469,147
Contract Year 4 $1,524,838 $0 $1,524,838
Contract Year 5 $1,582,640 $0 $1,582,640
Subtotals/Totals $6,496,881 $192,025 $6,688,906
Table 3: Comparison of Original and Amended Contract
Current Budget
(Tasks 1-4) &
Additional Services
Proposed Budget
(Tasks 1-4) &
Additional Services Difference
Unspent
Budget
Additional
Budget
Needed
Contract Year 1 $1,035,432 $1,035,432 $0
Contract Year 2 $1,076,849 $1,076,849 $0
Contract Year 3 $1,119,923 $1,469,147 $349,224 $266,066 $83,158
Contract Year 4 $1,164,720 $1,524,838 $360,118 $360,118
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Contract Year 5 $1,211,308 $1,582,640 $371,332 $371,332
Subtotals/Totals $5,608,232 $6,688,906 $1,080,674 $266,066 $814,608
Stakeholder Engagement
This contract amendment is for a continuation of existing street sweeping services. Work
groups within Public Works were consulted regarding the coordination of services provided
under multiple contracts.
Policy Implications
This recommendation does not represent any change to existing City policies.
Environmental Review
The recommended action is CEQA exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act
pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).