Avon Commercial Composting RFP Final.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (“RFP”)

AVON COMMERCIAL COMPOSTING PILOT PROGRAM 2025-2026

INTRODUCTION: The Town of Avon (“Town”) is seeking proposals from qualified solid waste and organics hauling companies (“Proposer” or “Hauler”) to provide commercial composting services for Avon’s 2025– 2026 Commercial Composting Pilot Program.

The selected hauler will provide waste containers, collection, hauling, and reporting for the Town, as well as participating restaurants, food-service businesses, and hotels during the pilot.

This RFP is intended to identify a single hauler to ensure efficient routing, competitive pricing, transparent reporting, and greenhouse gas (“GHG”) data collection in support of the Town’s climate action and circular economy goals.

BACKGROUND

• The Avon Town Council has adopted composting as a 2025 official goal, with commercial composting as the starting point.

• Council has allocated Town funds to support the 12-month pilot.

• Participation in the pilot is open to all Avon businesses that generate food waste, including hotel restaurants. Total number of pilot participants will be limited by the allocated budget and is anticipated to include at least one large hotel and 3–8 smaller businesses.

• The pilot will collect data to evaluate the relative cost of hauling food waste vs. solid waste, the impact of solid waste volume, and long-term climate action goals like greenhouse gas reduction and water conservation.

• Pilot results will inform a potential Colorado Circular Communities (“C3”) Impact Grant application for program expansion.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The successful hauler will:

1. Containers & Service

a. Provide outdoor and wildlife-resistant containers appropriate for each business type.

b. Provide guidance on container sizing and pickup frequency.

2. Collection & Hauling

a. Offer reliable collection and hauling service that meets participant needs with frequency and seasonal flexibility (including service around holidays), sufficient to mitigate issues with odor and receptacle capacity.

b. Identify the compost facility or facilities where material will be delivered, such as Wolcott, Pitkin County, South Canyon, or other locations.

c. If applicable, provide cost and GHG differences for using the different facilities.

3. GHG Data Inputs

a. Provide data sufficient for the Town to calculate GHG impacts, including:

i. Truck type and fuel used,

ii. Truck capacity (volume/weight),

iii. Mileage per trip,

iv. Number of trips per week,

v. Volume/weight of organics collected.

4. Education & Contamination Control

a. Support staff training at participating businesses (in English and Spanish).

b. Provide contamination feedback and collaborate with Town staff on corrective actions.

5. Reporting

a. Haulers should provide reports every 3 months on:

i. Volume & weight of food waste collected; and, if applicable, how this affects the solid waste volume & weight.

ii. Contamination incidents,

iii. Any operational issues.

CONFIDENTIALITY UNDER CORA: The Town of Avon is subject to the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), which generally requires public disclosure of documents received by the Town. However, CORA includes an exemption for trade secrets and confidential commercial or financial data, provided that disclosure would likely cause substantial harm to the competitive position of the proposer.

Proposers who wish to request confidentiality for specific portions of their proposal must:

• Clearly mark the relevant sections as “Confidential/Proprietary”;

• Provide a written justification explaining how disclosure would cause substantial competitive harm or impair the Town’s ability to obtain similar information in the future.

The Town will review each request and make the final determination regarding disclosure under CORA.

Marking a section as confidential does not guarantee non-disclosure.

The Town may request that proposers submit:

• A public summary of their proposal suitable for release, and

• A confidential annex containing sensitive information.

If the Town receives a CORA request, it will notify the affected proposer prior to disclosure and will redact information deemed confidential in accordance with CORA and applicable legal standards.

PROPOSAL CONTENTS: Proposals must include:

1. Cover Letter o Company information and statement of interest.

2. Company Qualifications o Company history, service area, organizational capacity, safety record, Avon business registration record, and relevant experience.

3. Service Plan o Container plan, service frequency, contamination control measures.

o Drop-site disclosure and comparison (local vs. regional facilities).

o If applicable, a description of the ability to return or facilitate the return of finished compost to Avon.

4. Pricing o Itemized cost proposal, with line items for hauling, containers, service frequency, facility costs, and optional services.

o There should be clear indication whether the cost is by container or by weight.

5. GHG Data Inputs o Required operational data for GHG calculations (see Scope).

6. References o At least two references from commercial accounts of sizes similar to hotels or commercial HOAs.

EVALUATION CRITERIA: Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Responsiveness and clarity.

• Cost-effectiveness and transparency.

• Demonstrated ability to meet service needs.

• Completeness of facility disclosure and compost return plan.

• Availability and accuracy of GHG input data.

• Commitment to staff training and contamination control, or willingness to collaborate with the Town on this.

• References.

DEADLINE & SUBMISSION

Deadline: September 24, 2025.

Submission: One (1) digital copy in PDF format emailed to:

Charlotte Lin, Sustainability Manager (clin@avon.org)

Questions must be submitted no later than three (3) business days before the deadline.

SELECTION & TIMELINE

• Proposals reviewed by Avon Sustainability.

• Interviews may be requested.

• Target award: October 8, 2025.

• Service launch: Fall 2025 (before ski season).

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

The Town of Avon reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive irregularities, and to select the proposal deemed to provide the best value to the Town. This RFP does not commit the Town to award or contract, nor to pay any costs incurred in preparation of proposals.