Title
Department of Transportation recommending the Board:
1) Make findings in accordance with Section 3.13.030(C) of the County Ordinance that due to the temporary or occasional nature of the work, there is a need to engage an independent contractor for as-needed bike path snow staking and snow removal services in the Tahoe Basin;
2) Find in accordance with Procurement Policy C-17 Section 3.4.2, Sole Source/Single Source that Agreement for Services 8386 with Amacker Construction to provide Bike path snow staking and snow removal services in the Tahoe Basin is exempt from the competitive bidding process; and
3) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Agreement for Services 8386 with Amacker Construction with a not-to-exceed amount of $300,000 for a three-year term effective upon final execution to provide as-needed bike path snow staking and snow removal services in the Tahoe Basin.
(District V)
FUNDING: South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority Measure R/S(2006) Funds.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
In previous years, the contract dollar amount was within the threshold in accordance with Procurement Policy C-17 to use Section 3.3.2, Informal Solicitation, where requests for quotes were solicited form a minimum of three vendors and the quote was received by a stated deadline in writing or via email to determine the lowest responsive and responsible vendor for as-needed snow staking and snow removal services for the County’s class 1 bike paths in the Tahoe Basin.
However, few companies possess compact, lightweight snow-blowing tractors equipped with essential snow removal attachments such as plow blades, rotary blowers, and broom sweepers, which are crucial for maintaining smaller-sized bike paths and the low-weight capacity elevated boardwalk near the Lake Tahoe Golf Course. For several years, the department has received only one bid for this work.
Given this history of difficult bidding, Transportation received approval in 2023 from the Procurement and Contracts Division of the Chief Administrative Office to use the exemption from competitive bidding in accordance with Procurement Policy C-17 Section 3.4.2, Sole Source/Single Source due to the specialized equipment needed for the snow staking and snow removal contract with Amacker Construction.
County residents in the Tahoe Basin rely heavily on these bike paths and alternate modes of transportation. Without this contract, the bike paths would remain uncleared during the snowy months, leading to an increase of bicyclists and pedestrians on County and State roadways.
Individual work orders identifying the specific locations for snow removal would be issued by the Contract Administrator after qualifying weather events before any snow removal work is performed. The proposed cumulative not-to-exceed amount for all such work orders is proposed to be set at $300,000.
Transportation recommends the Board make findings in accordance with Section 3.13.030 (C) of the County Ordinance that due to the temporary or occasional nature of the work, there is a need to engage an independent contractor for as-needed bike path snow staking and snow removal services in the Tahoe Basin.
The El Dorado County Employees Association, Local 1, was informed of the proposed Agreement.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose to direct Transportation to make changes to the proposed Agreement. Transportation would make changes as requested and return to the Board for approval. Alternatively, the Board could choose not to approve the Agreement, which would leave the County’s class 1 paths in the Tahoe Basin unusable after snow events.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel; Risk Management; and Procurement and Contracts Division of the Chief Administrative Office.
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funding for this proposed Agreement will come from the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority (JPA). The JPA receives funding from Measures R and S(2006), which were approved by voters to provide funding for maintenance of bike paths and other recreational facilities. The JPA distributes funding to the County annually for maintenance of its bike paths in the Tahoe Basin. Additionally, Transportation has received funds from the Transient Occupancy Tax - Local Discretionary Funds to cover any additional costs related to the maintenance or snow removal for the bike path system.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) The Clerk of the Board will obtain the Chair’s signature on two (2) originals of the Agreement.
2) The Clerk of the Board will forward one (1) fully-executed original of the Agreement to Chief Administrative Office, Contracts & Procurement Unit, for further processing.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Infrastructure
CONTACT
Rafael Martinez, Director
Department of Transportation