TITLE:
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AWARD THE MAINTENANCE SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR TREE MAINTENANCE SERVICES AND TREE CARE WITH WEST COAST ARBORISTS, INC.
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DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT/MAINTENANCE SERVICES DIVISION
PRESENTED BY: RAJA SETHURAMAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
CONTACT INFORMATION: ROBERT RYAN, MAINTENANCE SERVICES MANAGER (714) 754-5123
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Award the Maintenance Services Agreement (MSA) with West Coast Arborists, Inc. for tree maintenance services and tree care in the annual amount of $1,100,000, based on pricing provided through a cooperative agreement with the City of Rialto, for a term for an initial three-year period, effective December 1, 2024 - June 30, 2029, with the option of two one-year renewal period.
2. Authorize a ten percent (10%) contingency annually for emergency response, special events and other unforeseen costs, and approval for Consumer Price Index (CPI) escalation and de-escalation.
3. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute the agreement and future amendments to this agreement within Council authorized limits.
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BACKGROUND:
The City of Costa Mesa maintains approximately 24,000 trees. The Public Works Department’s Parks Maintenance section directs, monitors, and coordinates tree maintenance citywide. The maintenance consists of tree and palm trimmings, tree plantings, small tree care, tree removals, root pruning, arborist services, tree and tree canopy assessments, GIS tree inventory, and tree-related work associated with the City’s curb and sidewalk projects. The City has contracted with West Coast Arborists, Inc. (WCA) for tree maintenance services for more than twenty-five (25) years. The City’s current agreement with WCA had an initial term from December 1, 2019, through November 30, 2022. Subsequently, the City exercised two extension options, extending the final term of the agreement through November 30, 2024.
ANALYSIS:
Maintaining the City’s urban forest is consistent with the City Council-approved goals and priorities of improving city parks and investing in infrastructure including parkways, medians, and trees.
Staff analyzed various contracts and Requests for Proposals between tree maintenance contractors and municipalities and determined that WCA’s pricing and services aligned the most with the required services. WCA has conducted business in Southern California for over fifty (50) years and has provided tree maintenance services to the City of Costa Mesa for more than twenty-five (25) years. WCA contracts exclusively with government agencies and municipalities, local agencies including the Cities of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin, County of Orange, Orange County Fire Authority, and the Orange County Sanitation District.
In order to identify a scope of work and a contract that met the maintenance needs of the City’s Urban Forest, staff reviewed and compared contracts between WCA and other municipalities utilizing a competitive pricing agreement. Several key elements were identified, including an online Urban Forestry Management System, mobile applications, GIS tree inventory, a work order tracking system, urban forest valuation reports, and recycling reports. Further, staff considered the cultural practices that support the overall health of urban forests, items such as young tree care, preventive and ongoing maintenance to protect trees against invasive insects and disease, trimming standards, and vertical mulching.
Subsequently, staff identified a cooperative agreement between the City of Rialto and WCA for tree trimming and removal services, which contained a well-defined scope of work that addressed all of staff’s concerns and criteria. The term of the agreement is for an initial three (3) year period through June 30, 2027, with the option of two one-year renewal period. This agreement meets the City’s purchasing requirements. These agreements were competitively bid by the City of Rialto through a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process, assuring a low price and that a highly qualified, responsive vendor was obtained (Attachment 1).
During the analysis of the contract, staff discussed the cooperative agreement and scope of work with WCA to obtain further clarification on the agreement and confirmed that the quality of the proposed services aligns with the City of Costa Mesa’s goals and expectations.
Staff is recommending City Council approval of the proposed Maintenance Services Agreement with West Coast Arborists, Inc. for the City’s tree maintenance services and tree care for a term of four years and seven months effective December 1, 2024 - June 30, 2029, in the annual amount of $1,100,000 (Attachment 2).
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council could direct staff to conduct a formal RFP process to acquire tree maintenance services. However, this process is unlikely to obtain pricing below that of the City of Rialto. The agreement with the City of Rialto was based on an extensive formal RFP process.
FISCAL REVIEW:
The funding for this contract is available in the FY 2024-25 Public Works Department’s Adopted Budget in the General Fund (Fund 101).
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed this report, prepared the Maintenance Services Agreement, and approved them both as to form.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES:
This item supports the following City Council goal:
• Strengthen the public’s safety and improve the quality of life.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Award the Maintenance Services Agreement (MSA) with West Coast Arborists, Inc. for tree maintenance services and tree care in the annual amount of $1,100,000, based on pricing provided through a cooperative agreement with the City of Rialto, for a term of four years and seven months, effective December 1, 2024 - June 30, 2029.
2. Authorize a ten percent (10%) contingency annually for emergency response, special events and other unforeseen costs, and approval for Consumer Price Index (CPI) escalation and de-escalation.
3. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute the agreement and future amendments to this agreement within Council authorized limits.