CC 03-21-2023 Item No. 6. On Call Tree Maintenance Services Contract_Desk Item
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
DESK ITEM
Meeting: March 21, 2023
Agenda Item #6
Subject
Consider authorizing execution of an On‐Call Tree Maintenance Services Contract with
West Coast Arborists, Inc.
Recommended Action
Authorize the City Manager to execute an On‐Call Maintenance Service Contract with
West Coast Arborists, Inc. for three years, at an annual amount not‐to‐exceed $200,000
per year, for a total of $600,000 and if performance is satisfactory, allow up to two
additional years of service.
Background:
Staff’s responses to questions received from councilmember are shown in italics.
Q1: Please provide the RFP for context. (Chao)
Staff response: Please see attached.
Q2: I believe the state law requires the city to choose the lowest bid, unless the city
council adopted a resolution to allow another to select based on the qualifications. What
resolution the city has adopted for tree maintenance service to allow selection based on
both bid amount and qualification? (Chao)
The staff report states ʺThis is an on‐call contract to provide services on unanticipated
needs. As a means of comparing potential costs of the proposal, each vendor provided
sample unit or line item pricing in the RFP for services that the City would likely request
the successful firm to perform. When tree maintenance services are needed, the unit
prices will be used to determine the overall cost of the work request. Based on these unit
costs and an assessment of the qualifications of each firm, West Coast Arborists was
identified as the most advantageous vendor for the City.ʺ
I understand that the lowest bid may not always be the best method. But the intent is to
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ensure fair opportunity for everyone, especially underprivileged businesses.
Staff response: The selection of the contractor was conducted pursuant to the competitive bidding
procedures under Section 3.22 of the City’s Municipal Code. Pursuant to CMC 3.22.060(C), the
City undertook a competitive process to determine the lowest responsible bidder. As reflected in
the table below, West Coast Arborists provided the lowest bid amount. The recommended selection
of West Coast Arborists is based on their bid amount.
On Call Tree Maintenance Contractor Total Unit Price
Comparison
Anderson Tree Care Specialists, Inc. $18,438.00
The Professional Tree Care Co. $9,962.00
Bay Area Tree Specialists $9,074.00
Community Tree Service, Inc. $9,067.99
Arborist Now, Inc. $8,188.00
West Coast Arborists, Inc. $7,890.00
Q3: What evaluation criteria or scoring methods were used to determine the qualification
of the applicants? Are the criteria made available to the applicants in the RFP? (Chao)
Staff response: The selection of the contractor was conducted pursuant to the competitive bidding
procedure under Section 3.22 of the City’s Municipal Code; therefore, the firm submitting the
lowest cost proposal was selected. The City also reviewed the contractor’s proposal to verify the
firm was responsible, i.e. qualified, to perform the scope of services
Q4: Whatʹs the unit costs and ranking of qualification of all 6 of the firms who submitted
their responses to RFP? (Chao)
Staff response: Please see below.
On Call Tree Maintenance Contractor Total Unit Price
Comparison
Ranking Based on
Total Unit Cost
Anderson Tree Care Specialists, Inc. $18,438.00 6
The Professional Tree Care Co. $9,962.00 5
Bay Area Tree Specialists $9,074.00 4
Community Tree Service, Inc. $9,067.99 3
Arborist Now, Inc. $8,188.00 2
West Coast Arborists, Inc. $7,890.00 1
Q5: Has the city or any city staff worked with any of the 6 firms before or do they have
existing contract with the city? (Chao)
Staff response: The City Public Works Department has worked with Anderson Tree Care
Specialists, Inc. in the past and has an existing on‐call agreement. The City’s Community
Development Department has worked with West Coast Arborist, Inc. and has an existing on‐call
agreement.
Q6. Please provide the RFP for this item. That is my only request at this time. (Moore)
Staff response: Please see attached.
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Attachments Provided with Original Staff Report:
A. Draft Contract ‐ from published agenda
Attachments Provided with Desk Item:
B. Tree Maintenance Services RFP 2022