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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 09/02/2008 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 106, 2008, EXTENDIN ITEM NUMBER: 17 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: September 2, 2008 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Jim O'Neill SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 106,2008,Extending the Custodial Contracts for Porter Industries and Varsity Contractors Through December 31, 2009. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. FINANCIAL IMPACT Funds are currently included in the 2008($895,468)and 2009($944,807)budgets to cover the cost of these contracts. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Currently, most City buildings are cleaned after normal working hours. Because of the wide variation in facility usage by City employees and the public, janitorial companies must provide cleaning staff on multiple shifts of various length beginning after 4:00 p.m. and ending somewhere around 4:00 a.m. Switching to daytime cleaning will simplify the staffing requirements for the vendors and result in various cost savings for the City. Staff already conducts building maintenance and repair during the working day with minimal disruption of regular activities. Improvements in cleaning technology, including lower decibel vacuums, micro fiber cloths, and green chemicals allow cleaning operations to be less obtrusive. City staff is requesting that Council approve an extension of the agreements for an additional year so that the day cleaning transition can be made with existing contractors who know the buildings and will be stakeholders in the success of the effort. BACKGROUND Contractors were chosen by competitive bid in 2003. They have done a good job and are anxious to assist in implementing daytime cleaning. Because City employees are not used to cleaning operations conducted during the work day and because some City buildings may present unknown problems related to daytime cleaning,some time is needed to make the transition and to resolve with any issues that may arise. In addition, City departments are in the process of revising procedures for dealing with trash and recyclables. Staff September 2, 2008 -2- Item No. 17 may be asking the custodial vendors to change the way trash is handled and to be part of the recycling effort. Combining these unresolved issues and a shift to day cleaning with the selection of new custodial vendors would introduce unnecessary complications. In order to make the transition in an orderly manner, staff is requesting an extension of the existing custodial agreements for an additional year. DAYTIME CLEANING: ENERGY SAVINGS AND OTHER ADVANTAGES • Cleaning contractors estimate a 5% savings in overall costs. Fewer supervisory personnel are needed for a primarily day shift operation and firms report lower turnover because daytime hours are more to employees' liking. Fewer labor hours are generally required for daytime cleaning. • Immediate savings in energy in all buildings. Staff estimates a 5-7%savings in utility costs due to the elimination of cleaning during peak or coincidental peak energy hours. The only cleaning that will be done at night, after 10 p.m.,will be heavy duty floor stripping and scrubbing. Most cleaning would start at 5 a.m. in office buildings. The most wet and noisy cleaning would be completed before most City staff arrive for work each day. Recreational buildings would be cleaned starting at 4 a.m. In either case, cleaning would be done by early afternoon. • Greater retention of employees by contractor. Because employees prefer working daytime hours, there is less turnover in vendor staff, which equates to better and more consistent service for us. • City employees and contract custodians will feel like part of the same team. When cleaning staff are present during normal business hours,they become part of the work environment instead of off-stage ghosts, never seen in the light. Firms using daytime cleaning report a better working relationship between contractor staff and firm employees. Work is conducted in an atmosphere of respect, mutual assistance and cooperation. • Public awareness of the City's innovative energy and cost saving efforts. Since daytime cleaning staff is visible to the public, it would be obvious that the City is caring for its buildings and practicing good stewardship of the public property in a manner equal to and perhaps in advance of the private sector. The energy savings would assist the City in meeting overall energy reduction goals. • Cleanup work needed during the day is easily available. Rest rooms can be cleaned multiple times, if necessary,during the highest use period of the day. Spots or spills could be handled immediately. Because City staff would no longer have September 2, 2008 -3- Item No. 17 to deal with such issues, it might be possible to eliminate or reduce a few hourly positions in Recreation buildings. • Entities report fewer theft problems with daytime cleaning. When cleaning staff and regular employees work together there are fewer opportunities for theft. It is more difficult for either group to blame the other for missing items. CONCLUSION A pilot program at 215 North Mason and EPIC will be used to gain experience in the conversion to daytime cleaning. After two to three months, the City will begin switching more buildings to daytime cleaning, using the lessons learned from the pilot. The City currently has two excellent contractors with a great deal of experience in daytime cleaning. Varsity formed a nationwide company team of managers to assist clients with the switch to day cleaning. Porter is also willing to work for a positive outcome. A transition to daytime cleaning will work and will save money. Offices are cleaned only once a week. Vacuuming would be done early, followed by trash collection and other cleaning during the day. Floor scrubbing and buffing will be done by small crews working on weekends or after 10 p.m. weekdays, in order to avoid coincidental peak energy hours. City staff is requesting that Council approve an extension of the agreements for an additional year so that the day cleaning transition can be made with existing contractors who know the buildings and will be stakeholders in the success of the effort. ORDINANCE NO. 106, 2008 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS TO EXTEND THE CUSTODIAL CONTRACTS FOR PORTER INDUSTRIES AND VARSITY CONTRACTORS THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2009 WHEREAS, the Porter Industries and Varsity Contractors (the "Service Providers") were selected by a competitive process to provide custodial services in City facilities for the last five years; and WHEREAS, the City has decided to switch to daytime cleaning for most City facilities in an effort to reduce expenses, which change in policy will complicate the process of completing another competitive process for custodial services prior to the expiration of the current contracts on December 31, 2008; and WHEREAS, the City desires to extend the current contracts with the Service Providers for an additional year to provide time to develop and execute a successful transition to day-time cleaning and to include the revised cleaning schedule and related processes in a competitive process to be completed in 2009; and WHEREAS,the Service Providers have agreed to provide services for 2009 at the same cost for service as in 2008 plus an increase not to exceed the Denver-Boulder CPI-U; and WHEREAS,because the Service Providers are familiar with City facilities and requirements, the evaluation and implementation of day-time cleaning is best done with the help of the Service Providers; and WHEREAS,due to the complicating factors involved with the change to day-time cleaning and related demands on City personnel, the Purchasing Agent has determined that a competitive process cannot reasonably be used and, if used,would result in substantially higher cost to the City and may result in the impairment of the City's delivery of services to the public, and the Purchasing Agent has submitted the requisite justification for this determination to the City Manager for approval; and WHEREAS,the City Manager has reviewed and approved the justification for this extension; and WHEREAS, Section 8-186(a) of the City Code requires all contracts in excess of five years be approved by ordinance. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the Purchasing Agent is authorized to enter into an extension of the current contracts with Porter Industries and Varsity Contractors for the year 2009. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 2nd day of September, A.D. 2008, and to be presented for final passage on the 16th day of September, A.D. 2008. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 16th day of September, A.D. 2008. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk