Background/Discussion
The City contracts for the curbside collection and disposal of trash, recyclables, yard waste, bulky waste, and appliances from approximately 19,600 residences. The existing contract will end June 30, 2023.
A study of the existing collection program was undertaken to understand what changes would be necessary with a new contract. SCS Engineers, a consultant that specializes in solid waste, was hired to assist the City with the study. The result was a recommendation to modernize the collection system by implementing an automated/semi-automated collection process. This requires the use of City-provided wheeled carts for both solid waste and recycling. It was also recommended that yard waste be combined with trash in a single curbside container. Recycling material could be comingled (known as “single stream”) and collected bi-weekly.
Public Works presented the vision of the new modernized collection system to the public and sought feedback during two public meetings. The outreach process revealed concerns about the size of carts, and the need for additional solid waste volume during peak yard waste season. Based on this input, changes were incorporated into the contract documents to include options for half-size carts, and additional yard waste collection for six weeks in the spring and six weeks in the fall. Residents will also have the opportunity to purchase an additional container directly from the contractor to double their available capacity. The sticker program will continue as another option for occasionally placing additional bags at the curb for pick-up.
The initial term of the contract will be ten years, with the option to extend for two additional five-year periods.
The new solid waste contract RFB was posted to Ion Wave and two proposals were received on July 13, 2022.
Bid items E-1, E-2, and E-3 will be paid directly to the contractor by the homeowner for additional services, however the costs were included for comparison reasons.
The total one year cost estimated by SCS Engineers was $4,030,000.
A team of evaluators reviewed the proposals and scored the components of the submittals, including: 10-yr cost; Health and Safety Plan; Reporting and Monitoring Route Exceptions; Quality of Service; Financial Capacity; Facility Infrastructure; Rolling Fleet; Fuel Type; Number of Trucks and Staff; Operations Plan; Cart Selection; Plan for Yard Waste; and Customer Service.
Under the current contract, the FY23 cost for curbside collection is $16.14 per household per month. Based on the bid results, the first year of the new contract with Waste Connections will be $14.04 per household per month. This amount does not include the exceptional service costs for options available to homeowners, and does not include the cost of processing the recyclable items at a Material Recovery Facility (MRF).
Based on this comprehensive review of both the services to be provided and the costs, it is recommended that the base bid package and all alternate program services be awarded to Waste Connections.