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
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May 19, 2015
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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).
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May 19, 2015
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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
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May 19, 2015
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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
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May 19, 2015
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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
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May 19, 2015
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• 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.
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May 19,2015
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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.