SR-112707-1I~_
c;cvor City Council Report
Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: November 27, 2007
Agenda Item: ~ -_
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Craig Perkins, Director -Environmental and Public Works Management
Subject: Award Contract with ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance, Inc., for
Woodlawn Cemetery Landscaping Services
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a one year contract with ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance, Inc., for grounds
landscape maintenance services at Woodlawn Cemetery in the amount of $391,948
plus a 10% contingency for a total of $431,143, with an option to extend annually for up
to five years.
Executive Summary
In September 2006, Council authorized the City Manager to award a one year
landscape contract to address ongoing staffing shortages which resulted in inconsistent
maintenance of the Cemetery grounds and less than acceptable appearance of the
grounds and markers. Since the contract work began in October 2006, the appearance
of the Cemetery grounds has improved and City staff has been able to concentrate on
mausoleum cleaning and maintenance as well as internments, and marker and
monument resetting. Staff has examined the costs and benefits of adding additional
City staff in lieu of continuing to contract out and concluded that the contract for
landscaping services provides the most effective service and is the most cost effective
option.
Discussion
Presently, interment related services and maintenance of Woodlawn Cemetery
Mausoleum is provided by City staff, under the direction of the Environmental and
Public Works Management Department. Seven permanent maintenance positions are
budgeted for this purpose. The Department is proposing to continue to utilize salary
savings resulting from leaving three of the four vacant maintenance positions not filled
to off-set the cost of the landscape maintenance contract. The remaining filled staff
positions will continue to concentrate on performing mausoleum cleaning and
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maintenance, performing all the tasks associated with interments, and augmenting
grounds maintenance activities whenever possible.
Services under the contract will include daily turf mowing, aeration, fertilization,
weeding, grave marker edging and trimming, flower bed maintenance, trash collection,
green waste collection and trimming of the perimeter fence hedge both inside and
outside the Cemetery grounds. It is also important to note that the contractor has
numerous experts on staff to analyze any disease or bug infestation that may have
affected the lawns, scrubs, trees or bushes at the Cemetery and will take immediate
action to eliminate the problem. The contract would be for aone-year term with options
to extend up to five years.
Alternative
An alternative to contracting the grounds landscape maintenance of Woodlawn
Cemetery would be to utilize City staff to perform those duties. To achieve a similar
level of service, it would be necessary to hire seven Cemetery maintenance workers at
an annual cost of $440,362. Additional equipment would also need to be purchased at a
cost of approximately $258,480. Additional operating costs bring the first year
implementation cost of having City staff perform the grounds maintenance to $738,699.
The annual on going costs would be approximately $486,592. This cost does not
include the related collateral costs for recruitment and training of new City staff, the as-
needed costs that would be required to maintain a consistent staffing level, nor the cost
to build adequate facilities to house the permanent employees. It is noted that the
Cemetery fund balance will not be able to absorb this additional annual cost, and will
therefore require an additional loan from the General Fund in order to avoid an
operating budget deficit.
Contract Cost Versus Citv Staff Cost
Staff compared the bid proposal of ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance, Inc., to City
costs for the same level of services as required by the scope of work and specifications.
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Cost Comparison Given Same Level of Coverage
Contractor City Staff
Staff 6 FTE 6 FTE
Equipment N/A $281,116"
Expenses N/A 39,857
Salaries N/A 440,362
Total Cost $391,948 $738,699"
'Includes depreciation
"After the initial equipment expenditures to the Cemetery, which would require a General fund loan, the
annual operating cost to the City would be approximately $486,592.
Previous Council Actions
On September 12, 2006, Council authorized the ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance,
Inc., to provide landscape services for the Woodlawn Cemetery in the amount of
$242,176 for one year.
Contractor/Consultant Selection
In August 2007, a request for bids was issued to 54 contractors and the City received 4
complete bids. It was determined that of the responses, .ValleyCrest Landscape
Maintenance, Inc., meets the bid specifications. Following Environmental and Public
Works Management and Finance Department staff's analysis of the bids and contractor
work history, ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance, Inc., is recommended as the best
overall bidder. ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance, Inc., possesses the experience,
equipment, available staffing and understanding of the conditions to perform the various
tasks successfully. The contractor has successfully completed several projects for
other cities and agencies to include a current one-year contract with Woodlawn
Cemetery.
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When ValleyCrest took over maintenance at the Cemetery the grounds were in
extremely poor conditions. It took them almost six months to rehabilitate the grass and
render it green and healthy and weed free. They re-seeded the grounds around the
markers so that grass once again buttressed the markers and upright monuments. They
weeded around the numerous trees and placed mulch around the trees to enhance the
appearance of the grounds. ValleyCrest was able to edge all of the markers and upright
monuments and perfect a method of "flare edging" an application of an environmental
grass growth inhibitor to control the grass growth around the markers. Since ValleyCrest
has taken over the grounds the complaints about the appearance of the Cemetery have
been greatly reduced. ValleyCrest has learned the importance of being flexible to avoid
working in the area of services and burials. Their staff has always carried themselves in
a respectful and courteous manner and there has been no turnover in ValleyCrest
staffing since beginning work at Woodlawn. It should be noted that landscape
maintenance of a cemetery is vastly different from any other landscape maintenance
such as a park, golf course, etc. and ValleylCrest's experience at Woodlawn was an
important factor in theirselection.
The State Contractors' License Board verified that the contractor's license is current,
active, and in good standing.
Contractor Bid
Wurzel Landscape $288,960
ABM Janitorial Services $290,300
Trugreen Landcare $379,638
ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance, Inc. $391,948
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Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
The contract will be awarded in the amount of $431,143 which includes a 10%
contingency to be employed in the event that maintenance projects are added during
the term. The following budget actions will be required to fund the contract:
Freeze hiring of the three vacant ground maintenance positions at the Cemetery;
transfer the $178,806 in estimated salary savings to Cemetery account
#37641.555010 (Contractual Services); appropriate $231,442 to account
#37641.555010 from the General Fund as a loan to the Cemetery Fund; and
award the contract for aone-year term with option to extend up to five years.
Prepared by: Joan Akins, Assistant Director of EPWM
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
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Craig Perki s, Director P. L ont Ewell
Environme tal and Public Works Manager
Management Department
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Reference Contract
No. 8860 (CCS)