HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 14161
City of Palo Alto (ID # 14161)
City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: 6/20/2022 Report Type: Consent Calendar
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Approval of Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. C18168154 with SWA
Services Group, Inc. for Janitorial Cleaning and Maintenance Services in
Order to Extend the Term by Six Months through February 28, 2023 and
Increase the Compensation by $1,242,777 for a New Total Not-to-Exceed
Amount of $12,272,542.
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Public Works
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager or their
designee to execute Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. C18168154 with SWA Services Group,
Inc. (SWA), increasing the total compensation by $1,242,777 for continued janitorial cleaning
and maintenance services, and extending the term through February 28, 2023, for a new total
not to exceed amount of $12,272,542.
Background
On August 14, 2017, City Council approved a five-year contract in the amount of $10,652,615
with SWA (SR #8323) for janitorial cleaning and maintenance services after a request for
proposal process. On December 12, 2018, City Council approved Amendment No. 1 (SR #9514)
to include the addition of services at the Police Department in a new total amount of
$11,029,765.
On March 21, 2022, speakers at a City Council meeting raised concerns about SWA’s labor
conditions and wages associated with the contract. Staff reviewed the issue and determined
there was a discrepancy with the contract requirements pertaining to hourly wage rates.
Following a discussion with SWA management, the issue was addressed.
Discussion
The current five-year contract term is scheduled to end on August 31, 2022. In the past, the
timing of this contract expiration and the services procurement conflicted with the annual
budget process in that new contract pricing was not finalized at the time of the budget hearings
and approval, leading to the need for immediate budget amendments and contract approval
following the Council break. Staff is recommending this six-month extension to the existing
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contract to reset the contract expiration date for better alignment with the budget planning
process.
SWA’s original 5-year contract term ends on August 31, 2022. The new compensation and fee
schedule for the six-month extension includes a 4% cost increase over year 5 pricing (total price
increase over the six- month extension is $45,395). The price increase includes the required 3%
hourly wage increase for contract employees for Year 6 per contract terms.
The procurement process that resulted in the current contract with SWA included defined
service levels and used selection criteria that prioritized fair wages for the contract employees
over the lowest cost to the City. In preparation for the upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP),
staff is actively evaluating options to structure employee wage requirements in the RFP. For
example, the RFP could simply rely on Palo Alto’s existing minimum wage ordinance
requirements, or could use the California Public Utilities Code prevailing wage provisions for
Santa Clara County, even though these provisions may not formally apply to the City. (Further
research will be conducted to ascertain the applicability of such provisions.)
Staff is currently preparing the new RFP, and anticipates releasing it and bringing a new
contract to Council for approval in late 2022 or early 2023.
Resource Impact
Funding for the six-month contract extension recommended in this report is included in the
Fiscal Year 2023 Proposed Budget, pending Council approval, and will cover all but the $45,395
cost increase for basic services and any additional services costs. The $45,395 for basic services
and any additional services costs will be absorbed by the Public Works, Public Services Custodial
operating budget.
Policy Implications
Approval of this amendment is consistent with current City policies.
Stakeholder Engagement
Preparation for soliciting a new contract has already begun and scope of work change
requests and related budget considerations from affected City Departments have been
collected.
Environmental Review
This is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).