Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, July 02, 2024
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION NO. 24-060 AND APPROVAL OF A CONTRACT SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH GRAFFITI PROTECTIVE COATINGS, INC. (GPC) FOR GRAFFITI REMOVAL SERVICES (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
The increase of graffiti nuisances throughout the City of Carson has become a challenge and public safety concern for staff and the community at large. The Public Works Department has always utilized in-house staff (Facility Maintenance Technicians) to abate graffiti in the City’s parks and public rights-of-way. However, with the current demand of graffiti abatement actions requiring a specialized and immediate response, staff has explored alternative graffiti abatement solutions to improve the City’s desire for a more innovative and proactive approach to managing the graffiti issues in the City.
Staff is requesting that the City Council approve the proposed graffiti abatement program proposal and award a Contract Services Agreement (Exhibit 4) to Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc. (GPC), to piggyback on a competitively bid contract between the City of Torrance and GPC. The City’s Purchasing Manager, pursuant to Carson Municipal Code Section 2611(f), has approved the proposed procurement via piggybacking procedures. Resolution No. 24-060 (Exhibit 3) is also being presented for approval to transfer the necessary funds for this service should the contract be awarded to GPC.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. AWARD a Contract Services Agreement to Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc. (GPC) in a total amount not-to-exceed $129,600.00 for Graffiti Removal Services for a one-year term with the option to extend for two additional one-year terms.
2. AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute a Contract Services Agreement following approval as to form by the City Attorney.
3. WAIVE further reading and ADOPT Resolution No. 24-060, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF CARSON CITY COUNCIL AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2024-25 BUDGET IN THE GENERAL FUND.”
Body
III. ALTERNATIVES
1. DO NOT APPROVE the award of a Contract Services Agreement to GPC.
2. TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate consistent with the requirements of the Law.
IV. BACKGROUND
The Public Works Department currently utilizes Facility Maintenance Technicians to perform expanded graffiti abatement on city facilities and in the public right of way. The Facility Maintenance Technicians’ primary duty is to perform routine maintenance on City facilities with graffiti removal within and around those facilities as part of the job specifications. With these technicians exclusively performing graffiti abatement tasks, the existing facilities maintenance operations experience understaffing and delays in completing scheduled work orders.
To combat this shortfall, staff have engaged the services of the Los Angeles County Conservation Corps (LACCC) to augment the efforts of in-house personnel. LACCC also assists our Public Works operations in performing various other clean-up work in our rights-of-way, including the pick-up of abandoned items, and weed abatement.
The City of Torrance released RFP No. B2022-25 for Graffiti Removal Services in May 2022 (Exhibit 1). The proposals received were evaluated by a team of three (3) interview panelists on June 8, 2022, which included Public Works, Police and Finance. Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc. (GPC) was ranked number one (1) and subsequently awarded a five (5) year contract beginning July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2027. In accordance with Carson Municipal Code Section 2611(f), Piggyback Purchasing, the Purchasing Manager has determined that the City of Torrance’s contract was selected in compliance with the proposal solicitation requirements of the City of Carson and has issued a Purchasing Waiver (Exhibit 2) approving the piggyback contract.
Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc. has demonstrated valuable customer service and dedication as a leading graffiti removal company over the past 32 years. They are in good standing with the State of California and has provided graffiti abatement services for the City of Torrance for almost 20 years. GPC places substantial emphasis on their ability to actively seek out and abate graffiti before it is reported by citizens or police. GPC defines professional graffiti abatement as removal that leaves no traces of past vandalism.
GPC documents graffiti nuisances in real-time which will assist the City of Carson in its partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s efforts for potential prosecution of and seeking restitution from perpetrators. GPC has its own phone app called APP-Order and will offer its use to City staff as part of the service provided. The app provides monitoring, inputting, and retrieving work orders with photos in real-time. GPC will be available to City staff 24 hours per day, seven days per week for the reporting of graffiti nuisances, with a pledge of removing graffiti within 24 hours.
Their service includes on-site color matching, water and sodium bicarbonate (soda) blasting, and the ability to remove graffiti from any surface leaving no trace. Additionally, GPC uses a “graffiti wash” coating that provides protection against graffiti damage. GPC automatically tags affected locations via GPS for automatic mapping and tracing and has a real-time, web-based database. They will create work zones within the City and assign technicians to each zone created. Their response time is to be within 24 hours because they can dispatch work orders in real time to the technician within the respective zone. GPC will be available five days a week to actively monitor and canvas the city for graffiti, but will also be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for urgent abatement service calls.
The cost of the Pilot Program is a flat fee all-inclusive price of $10,800 per month with an annual cost of $129,600. The GPC technician will respond to City requests via direct communication from City staff as well as
App-Order and be available for reactive emergency service calls on the weekends.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
Should the City Council approve the staff’s recommendation, funds to support this service for FY 2024/25 will be transferred to Account No. 101-80-840-109-6004 in the amount of $129,600.00 per Resolution No. 24-060. Staff will budget appropriate funds in Account No. 101-80-840-109-6004 for FY 2025/26 and FY 2026/27 should the additional contract options be executed.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Bid Docs from City of Torrance (pgs. 4-103)
2. Purchasing Waiver (pgs. 104-105)
3. Resolution No. 24-060 (pgs. 106-107)
4. Contract Services Agreement with GPC (pgs. 108-138)
Prepared by: Dr. Arlington Rodgers, Jr., Director of Public Works