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CITY OF EL CERRITO PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE RFP Q & A To: All Proposers April 27, 2015 The following are answers to questions received during the Pre-Proposal Meeting held on April 23, 2015 regarding the RFP for Landscape Maintenance Services. This RFP was posted April 13, 2015 on the City of El Cerrito website at http://www.el-cerrito.org/bids.aspx?bidID=27 . Questions: 1. There is an inconsistency in the stated contract terms listed on page 1 of the RFP and under Item 3, “Term,” of the RFP (pg Which is the correct term? Answer: The term shall be for a period of 3 years, with a possible extension of up to 2 years. The inconsistency will be corrected in a forthcoming addendum. 2. Will there be a public bid-opening? Answer: No. Selection of the contractor(s) will be based on the proposals that provide the best value, where price will be one of several factors contributing to a successful proposal. As such, the proposals will be reviewed by a Selection Committee comprised of City Staff and other technical experts before a selection is made. 3. Are there any bonding requirements? Answer: No. 4. What type of license is required to qualify? Answer: Contractor shall have a valid C-27 Landscaping license. ---PAGE BREAK--- 5. How does the City want the proposers to price mulch where the Technical Specifications require a minimum 3-inch layer of mulch even though the existing conditions in many areas currently have no mulch? Answer: The contractor should only provide pricing for the labor required to maintain existing mulch at the specified levels. As specified in Attachment 2, Section II.B the City will provide mulch for use in City landscapes. The City will issue a forthcoming addendum that will include applying mulch in new areas in the Cost Proposal Form under “As Needed Services.” 6. Does the City control and program the irrigation? What type of work is expected when it comes to irrigation repair? Answer: The City controls and programs its irrigation systems. Please refer to the relevant sections in the Technical Specifications (Attachment 2, Sections II.D.1a, 2a) regarding the scope of Contractor’s work in this regard. 7. What are tipping wall procedures? Answer: The City has a permit with Contra Costa County to maintain a tipping wall for the transfer of waste generated from City facilities. All users of the tipping wall must attend a one-hour training, which will cover safety procedures, what can be dumped at the site, logging in and out, and cleanliness expectations. 8. Can you post the City’s current landscape maintenance contract? Answer: Yes. The City will make this available on the RFP website. 9. Is this RFP more comprehensive than the current contract scope of services? Answer: Yes, this RFP is more comprehensive than the current scope of services. 10. Will the City award to just one contractor? Answer: The City maintains the right to award to one or more contractor(s) and to award one, two, or three bundles to proposers based on the demonstrated best value to the City for each one of the bundles. 11. Does the City expect the contractor to do rodent control? Answer: Per the Technical Specifications (Attachment 2, Sections II.D.1f, 4h), the City will be the primary agent controlling gophers and other rodents. However, the Contractor shall assist the City in keeping all turn and landscaped areas free of rodents causing damage to City property by being vigilant and immediately reporting evidence of rodent activity to the City. ---PAGE BREAK--- 12. Does the City expect the contractor to include plant replacement in his/her overall pricing? Answer: No. Labor for plant replacement is included on the Cost Proposal Form (Attachment 5) under “As Needed Services.” On a case by case basis, the actual plants will either be obtained by the contractor at the proposed mark-up rate or be purchased directly by the City. 13. In the Technical Specification (Attachment 2, Section II. E in the City Facilities and Service Levels) the mowing frequencies for turf are specified as “1 time per week or more during the growth season”. Should we then assume 56 mowings per year in our cost proposal? Answer: No. This section in the Technical Specifications is to provide an understanding as to the City’s expectation for the Contractor’s scope of work. The Cost Proposal Form (Attachment 5) asks for a “Cost per Service” and specifies the assumed service level to compute the annual cost. If additional (or less) mowings are needed, the Contractor will use the Cost per Service amount to bill the City. 14. What constitutes General Clean-Up? Answer: Please refer to the Technical Specification (Attachment 2) Section II. D.6 “General Maintenance and Clean Up” for the maintenance and clean up scope of work. 15. Any specification on the type of mower needed? Answer: No. However, please refer to the Technical Specification (Attachment 2) Section II. D.1.b “Mowing” for the specification for how the Contractor is to mow. 16. What are the limits on tree pruning? Answer: Please refer to the Technical Specification (Attachment 2) Section II. D.3 “Tree Pruning and Maintenance” for permissible tree pruning activity. The contractor will be expected only to do minor and clearance pruning on branches less than 14 feet high. No structural pruning will be required.