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15-0519_MARINA LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE_D3_Agenda ReportTO: City of San Juan Capistrano Agenda Report Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council 5/19/2015 03 FROM: Keith VanDer Maaten, P.E., Public Works and Utilitiee5,..!~ire tor~ Submitted by: David Hubler, Public Works Manager<..,l/ .!'(__/ DATE: SUBJECT: Prepared by: Jill Thomas, Senior Management AnaiY§! , • May 19, 2015 Consideration of Personal Services Agreements for Landscape Maintenance and Repair Services (Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc.) RECOMMENDATION: By motion, 1. Approve a Personal Services Agreement with Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. to perform Landscape Maintenance and Repair Services for City Facilities, City Parks, City Parkways and Medians, City Sports Fields, Los Rios Park, Open Space, Landscape Maintenance Districts and Reata Park and Event Center for a three (3) year period commencing on July 1, 2015, and authorize the City Manager to approve three (3) one (1) year optional extensions within the Personal Services Agreement term, upon staff review of satisfactory contractor performance; and, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The current landscape maintenance service contract with Merchants Landscape Services, Inc. and Soltis and Company will expire on June 30, 2015. Based on results of the Request for Proposals sent out in January 2015, staff is recommending City Council approval of a Personal Services Agreement with Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. to perform landscape maintenance and repair services for a three (3) year period commencing July 1, 2015, and authorize the City Manager to approve three (3) one (1) year optional extensions within the Personal Services Agreement terms, upon staff review of satisfactory contractor performance. Total compensation for the services provided shall not exceed the total amount in the City's adopted fiscal year operating and capital improvement budget for landscape maintenance and repair City Council Agenda Report May 19, 2015 Page 2 of? services, payable at the rates as set forth in Exhibit B and Exhibit C of the Personal Services Agreement. Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. is the lowest qualified bidder in each of the areas listed. Regular contract maintenance for this contract is $600,112.48 annually, excluding repairs as required. There is sufficient funding in the adopted Fiscal Year 2015/2016 Budget ($633,780) to fund this regular maintenance. Additionally, as turf maintenance in City Parks and City Parkways and Medians is discontinued, Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. will apply credits as shown on Attachment 1, Exhibit C and also on Attachment 6 ($2,294.50 monthly for a total of $27,534 annually). These credits, as well as water savings realized, will be applied to the required irrigation retrofits to save the City's trees in these areas. DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: As a result of the drought and the Urgency Ordinance passed by the City Council on May 5, 2015, the City has turned off the water to all turf grass irrigation in parkways, medians, and neighborhood parks. Based on the areas affected, Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. has submitted modified pricing. See Attachment 5 for a list of credits by area due to the reduced scope for turf maintenance ($27,534 annually). There will also be savings in water costs for these turf areas estimated at $73,500. The action of turning off the water to all turf grass irrigation in parkways, medians, and neighborhood parks will require irrigation systems to be modified to protect the trees located in these turf areas. Approval of the work to modify irrigation systems to protect the trees will be addressed in a separate staff report and separate Personal Services Agreement from the annual landscape maintenance Agreement. Additionally, due to the two-day a week watering restrictions, planned sports field turf replacement/renovations will not be performed (part of regular maintenance) and the scope of work will be modified to include additional credits which will be determined at a later date. The City of San Juan Capistrano currently maintains the landscaping of 26 public parks, 56 medians and parkways, 17 City-owned buildings and parking lots, six (6) landscape maintenance districts, six (6) Sports Fields locations, as well as open space areas. The scope of work includes the mowing, edging, over-seeding, dethatching, aerification, fertilization, sod replacement in turf areas, shrub pruning, ground cover weeding, trimming and fertilization, maintenance of all irrigation systems, pest control, truck watering where no irrigation exists, trash pickup, pet waste dispenser filling for all areas, and orchard maintenance where required. (Baseball and softball infield maintenance and tree trimming maintenance services are provided for in separate agreements). City Council Agenda Report May 19, 2015 Page 3 of7 In January 2015, staff sent out Requests for Proposals (RFP) to 28 landscape maintenance firms. The RFP was also posted on the City's website. A mandatory pre- proposal meeting was held on January 28, 2015, to provide detailed information regarding the scope of work, as well as to answer questions regarding the City's specifications. The pre-proposal meeting was important as the RFP sent out in January 2015 differed greatly from those sent out in the past. On February 11, 2015, the City received nine (9) proposal packages in response to the RFP (Attachment 2). As discussed above, some companies chose to only bid on certain areas. Only two firms, Merchants Landscape Services and Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. bid on all components of the RFP. The summary of all proposals received is shown on Attachment 3. An evaluation team comprised of four (4) members of City staff evaluated all proposals for completeness, experience, and the ability to provide a high level of service at a fair price to the City. The evaluation team then performed interviews with seven (7) firms and went "in-depth" with the proposers as to what resources were planned and would be available for each area and how each area would be serviced. Evaluation criteria considered for final recommendation included: completeness of proposal, available resources, transition and staffing plans, experience and expertise by area, water conservation principles, methods of daily business, and reference and site checks. Several companies were disqualified due to either poor past performance or incomplete/inadequate proposal response and/or resources. Staff is recommending Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. for Landscape Maintenance and Repair Services for City Facilities, City Parks, City Parkways and Medians, City Sports Fields, Landscape Maintenance Districts, Los Rios Park, Open Space, and Reata Park and Event Center Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. has been in business for over 40 years. They have a broad background in the landscape maintenance and construction industry with sports complexes, public parks, streetscapes, and water conservation retrofit projects. Staff has performed reference checks on Marina's performance and the results received were very positive. In addition, random field checks of the areas which Marina currently maintains were made with positive results. Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. currently maintains the Sports Parks at the City of Lake Forest and the City of Fountain Valley. In addition, they perform landscape maintenance for the Irvine Company, City of Laguna Beach, and City of Anaheim. Staff also contacted other local cities who have had experience with Marina in the past and received positive feedback. Staff is confident that Marina Landscape Maintenance is well qualified to provide a high level of service in the recommended areas. In addition to lowest pricing of the qualified bidders, based on interviews, Marina Landscape Maintenance stood out from the rest of the bidders. As water management is central to their business, they presented the City with their plan which first and City Council Agenda Report May 19, 2015 Page 4 of7 foremost included a "water audit" of the areas to be serviced. For areas that are not affected by the immediate turf irrigation shut-off such as Sports Fields and Landscape Maintenance Districts, the first steps of their proposed operation would include pre- inspection of sites with automated irrigation to identify areas where water application is not at optimal conservation efficient levels. This would also include written reports outlining the plan of action to be taken to correct deficiencies. They also exhibited extensive knowledge and application of "fertigation." Fertigation is defined as the integration of a fertilizer injection system into the existing irrigation systems. This is important as this system allows for the most efficient application of fertilizer which is more economical and eco-friendly to the City's landscaped areas. Additionally, they have an advanced electronic work order system which is reviewed nightly by top management. They utilize in-house information technology staff, e-mail, and all the digital tools available for efficient communication. They placed an emphasis on safety and education, and employee longevity indicated very low turnover. Especially important for Los Rios Park and the Reata Park and Event Center, Marina Landscape Maintenance has a strong background and experience with native plantings and related education of all their staff in this sensitive area. Landscape Maintenance Districts The lowest qualified bidder (EarthCo Commercial Landscape) withdrew their proposal. The next lowest bidder, Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc., has extensive background working with landscape maintenance districts as well as homeowners associations. Homeowner association landscape maintenance is very similar to landscape maintenance district services in that it requires heavy interaction with property owners. They currently provide landscape services to the Westridge Homeowners Association/Landscape District and Tesoro del Valle, one of the largest homeowners associations in Southern California with over 1 ,400 homes. They have extensive experience in water conservation retrofit and construction projects. Staff performed reference checks and received overwhelming positive feedback. Staff is confident that Marina Landscape Maintenance is best suited for this specialty landscape service area. They will be working with the residents and staff to identify turf replacement projects for implementation upon resident and City Council approval. The RFP sent out in January 2015 differed greatly from those sent out in the past. Notable changes to proposal process, scope, and specifications are summarized below: Service Areas -In the past, the City selected only one contractor to service all areas of the City. Since the City is very diverse in its public landscape components, staff decided that it would make more sense to break down the bid proposal sheets by areas of like maintenance, thereby, choosing a contractor who has the unique skill sets to maintain a particular area and achieve a better work product. This is especially true in the areas of native plantings (Reata Park and Event Center and Los Rios Park), as well as sports field maintenance. It is important to select quality landscape contractors who City Council Agenda Report May 19, 2015 Page 5 of? understand the importance of modern irrigation and conservation methods, and are best qualified to handle the demands of each particular service area which includes City Facilities, City Parks, City Sports Fields, Los Rios Park, Open Space, Reata Park and Event Center, as well as the City's six landscape maintenance districts. Staff is recommending the lowest qualified bidder to service the City's landscaping needs in each particular service area (Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc.) Landscape Pest Control -Rodent control and turf grass weed control has been performed only on an as-needed basis. Staff has included this service into these specifications as to better preserve and protect the City's assets, i.e., parks, fields, etc. Prevailing Wage Compliance -The California State Department of Industrial Relations has determined that all Public Works Maintenance, with the exception of janitorial contracts, are subject to the State of California's Prevailing Wage Law requirement and this is included in the new specifications. This requirement results in higher pricing for public agencies, as it requires contractors to pay higher wages based on State mandated requirements (estimates are approximately 30% higher) on public entity contracts. Increased Insurance Limits -Comprehensive General Liability Insurance and Automobile Liability Insurance have both been increased to $5,000,000 per occurrence and $5,000,000 annual aggregate from $1,000,000 each. Specification Enhancements The following specifications are included in the proposals: • Pest control includes all landscape rodents and weed control in turf grass. • Sod replacement for sports fields has been increased from 25,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet. This is replacement of existing turf, not additional. • Aerification to parks increased to two (2) times per year to aid in the absorption of water into the landscaped turf areas. • Aerification to sports fields increased from two (2) times per year to four (4) times per year to aid in the absorption of water. This is especially important on sports fields to offset the increased compaction that our fields undertake on a regular basis. • Turf fertilization frequency increased from every four (4) months to every three (3) months. New Areas of Service Added The following new areas are included in the proposal: • Dog Park -Open Space City Council Agenda Report May 19, 2015 Page 6 of7 • 2C Ranch -Open Space • Northwest Open Space Staging Area -Open Space • El Camino/Don Juan Parkway and Median • Los Rios Park -Unimproved adjacent parcel • Reata Park and Event Center FISCAL IMPACT: Overall, the total cost City-wide for regular contract maintenance with Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. of $600,112.48 represents a 23.2% increase ($112,852.04) over what the City is paying under the current contracts with Merchants Landscape, Inc. and Soltis and Company combined ($487,260.44,) due to prevailing wages and additional areas to be serviced. This annual contract is a (5.3%) decrease over the Adopted Fiscal Year 2015/2016 Budget ($633,780). See Attachment 4. As a result of the Phase I Drought Response changes in turf maintenance in Parks and Parkways and Medians, the City will realize $2,294.50 monthly for a total of $27,534 annually in savings for regular maintenance and water usage of approximately $73,500 in Fiscal Year 2015/2016. These savings will be applied to required immediate irrigation retrofit repairs in these areas to protect the City's trees (under separate Personal Services Agreement with Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc.). There is sufficient funding in the Adopted Fiscal Year 2015/2016 Budget in all fund sources for this Personal Services Agreement. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: In accordance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) standards, maintenance and repair of existing infrastructure is determined not to have a significant effect on the environment and is, therefore, exempt from the provisions of CEQA. PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW: Not applicable. COMMISSION/COMMITTEE/BOARD REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Not applicable. City Council Agenda Report May 19,2015 Page 7 of? NOTIFICATION: EarthCo Commercial Landscape Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. Mariposa Landscape, Inc. Merchants Landscape Services Midori Gardens Priority Landscaping Services, LLC Soltis and Company, Inc. Stewart and Associates, Inc. Valley Crest Landscape, Inc. Mr. Trevor Dale Mr. and Mrs. Harris Mr. Mark Rottman Mr. ian Smith ATTACHMENT(S): Attachment 1 -Personal Services Agreement-Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc. Attachment 2-Request for Proposals-Landscape Maintenance Services 2015 Attachment 3 -Summary of All Proposals Attachment 4-Recommendation Comparison and Impact by Fund Source Attachment 5 -Phase I Drought Response Credits -Marina Landscape Maintenance, Inc.