Trash Collection.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - MUNICIPAL TRASH AND RECYCLABLES COLLECTION

CITY OF HILLSDALE, MICHIGAN

1. Introduction The City of Hillsdale, Michigan (City) is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors for the provision of residential trash and recyclable material services, along with trash and recyclable materials collection services for the City owned municipal facilities.

The City intends to award a contract as a result of this RFP process. A start date for collection services is to be set by mutual agreement between the City and the contractor, and is anticipated to be no later than February 1, 2024

1.1 Current Services

The current contract for services expires on January 31, 2024. The contract includes approximately 1862 residential trash customer accounts, approximately 876 residential recycling accounts and is currently provided weekly and recycling services are biweekly.

Included in this bid, for City operations, shall be: four 4-yard year round trash dumpsters, two seasonal (April-

November) 4-yard trash dumpsters, a 10-yard special waste dumpster for street sweepings, collection for sixteen

City owned street side cans in the Downtown and five carts/bins. Locations to be identified at a later date.

1.2 Submittal of Proposals

To be considered, proposals must be submitted in a sealed envelope, clearly marked: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

- WASTE COLLECTION and received by 3:00 pm on Thursday, January 4, 2024 by mail or hand delivery to:

City of Hillsdale

97 N Broad St

Hillsdale, MI 49242

Proposals arriving after the date and time will remain unopened and will be disqualified. Any proposal may be withdrawn by giving written notice to the City Clerk before the stated proposal opening time.

Questions regarding the proposal may be directed by email to:

Jason Blake, Director of Public Services - City of Hillsdale jblake@cityofhillsdale.org

Questions must be received by Wednesday, December 27, 2023. Answers will be posted as they are received in the Bids section of the City's website at www.cityofhillsdale.org for the benefit of all interested firms. It is the responsibility of the interested firms to check the website for new questions and answers prior to submitting proposals. The names of firms and individuals submitting questions will not be disclosed.

2. General Information

2.1 Demographics

The City has an estimated population of 8,300 people residing in an approximately 2.08 square mile area. The

City contains an estimated 3,000 residential units. All residents electing trash and/or recycling collection services will be required to do so through the selected contractor.

There are approximately 3 municipal accounts. Commercial and industrial complexes are not part of this request for proposals.

2.2 City Goals and Objectives

The City intends to provide trash pick-up and curbside recycling options for all residents within the City. The contractor currently bills this service direct to the customer. The City is interested in bid costs for direct billing by the contractor.

The City believes in maintaining a high level of commitment to quality customer service. In procuring the services described in this RFP, the City seeks to provide high quality public services that are convenient for the residents.

In addition, the City seeks to provide services that help citizens decrease the amount of solid waste sent to landfills and increase waste reduction and recycling practices.

2.3 Reservation of Rights

The City reserves the right to accept any proposal, to reject any or all proposals, to waive defects in proposals submitted in response to this request, and to select the proposal deemed to be in the best interests of the City.

Issuance of this proposal does not obligate the City to award a contract. The City accepts no responsibility for reimbursing consultants for expenses incurred in responding to this Request for Proposals.

The City further reserves the right to issue clarifications and other directives concerning this RFP, to require clarification or further information with respect to any proposal, and to determine the final terms of any contract.

Interviews may be required by the City with selected contractors to clarify contractor proposals and to allow for contract negotiations. Acceptance of any proposal will be based upon factors including, but not limited to: costs for service; completeness of proposal; thoroughness of information provided; customer service standards; value added service; and prior successful contractor performance with waste collection systems similar to a scale described herein.

3. Basis of Proposal

Proposals submitted will be for the contractor to provide exclusive collection services for residential trash and recyclables within the City limits, and trash and recyclables collection for municipal facilities. The proposal will also include the cost associated with a City-wide spring clean-up, to include large items. Proposals must include, by paragraph numbers, basic information addressing the following:

3.1 Unit-Based Pricing

Residential customers are currently provided 2, 95-gallon wheeled carts for trash and recycling. The contractor should identify the size and type of carts/bins that it intends to provide to residential customers. The City's preference is 95-gallon wheeled carts for both services. Customers may currently elect trash and/or recycling services.

Using the table in Appendix A, the contractor shall provide a proposed unit-based price structure for the following:

1. Residential

A. Weekly trash removal

B. Recyclables Collection (specify weekly or bi-weekly collection).

2. Municipal Facilities

A. Weekly trash removal.

B. Recyclables Collection (specify weekly or bi-weekly collection).

3.2 Additional Services

Using the table in Appendix B, the Contractor may provide a list of additional services that may be provided, together with a price list for such services. The contractor should indicate the cost associated with an annual

City-wide spring clean-up/drop-off event. Other services may include but are not limited to bulky item pick-up and green recycling.

3.3 Recyclable Material

The contractor should provide a proposal of what type and how recyclables will be accepted, and how often they will be collected (i.e. size of tote or number of bins).

3.4 Hours and Days of Operation

All collections shall, except as expressly permitted by the City, be limited to the hours between 7:00 a.m. and

7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday collections are not permitted unless expressly authorized by the Director of Public Services. Continuation of the current schedule is desirable, but not required.

The contractor should state the intended collection day(s).

3.5 Holiday Schedules

Holidays shall be New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (4th of July), Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If the holiday falls on or before the regular collection day, the trash and/or recyclables may be collected one day later; the Saturday following the holiday may be authorized as a catch-up collection day.

3.6 Trucks and Equipment

The contractor shall provide information about the size and types of trucks and automation that it proposes to use. The contractor shall indicate its ability to provide municipal dumpsters of comparable size to the current dumpsters and to service them within existing enclosures.

The City reserves the right to visit the facilities of all interested contractors and observe the equipment used and the operational methods. These site visits will be coordinated with the appropriate representative(s) from each of the interested contractors. Any contract entered into by the City may contain provisions regarding equipment weight, leak proofing, and similar performance standards.

3.7 Use of Subcontractors

Contractor shall indicate in the proposal whether or not it intends to use subcontractors for any part of the service being provided, together with a list of all said subcontractors.

3.8 Promotion and Education

The contractor will work with the City to provide service-oriented information to customers and for developing and executing public education to encourage waste reduction and diversion. The contractor will work with the City to develop a billing insert to educate the customers of its services. This insert will inform City residents of the specifics of the trash and recyclables collection program, including a collection schedule, a listing of what materials can go into the recyclable materials bin, instructions on the proper handling of the collection bins, instructions on what customers are to do with trash that does not fit into the collection bins, etc. The contractor shall provide another such insert at six months into the contract, and each twelve months thereafter. The contents of the insert will be approved by the City.

3.9 Public Informational Meetings

Upon selection, but prior to implementation of the trash collections service, the selected Contractor may be required to participate with City staff and Council in one or more public meetings which will describe its services to City residents/customers.

3.10 Customer Service

The contractor shall be responsible for providing all customer service functions including informing customers of current services, handling customer requests, how requests for changes in bin sizes will be accommodated and resolving customer complaints. The proposal shall include information addressing the contractor's proposals for methods and a time frame for communicating with the customers and responding to their questions and complaints. The contractor shall also include, with the proposal, a copy of their customer service standards.

3.11 Proposed Term of Contract

The contractor shall provide proposals based on three (3) or five (5) year contract terms. Alternatives for longer terms may be presented for consideration.

4. Contractor Qualifications

The City requires the submission of the following certified supporting data regarding the qualifications of the contractor in order to determine whether it is qualified and responsible.

1. Satisfactory evidence that the contractor possesses not less than five years of experience providing trash and/or recycling collection services.

2. Evidence that the contractor is in good standing in the State of Michigan.

3. A copy of the latest available financial statements of the contractor (or, if the contractor is a subsidiary or division, then a financial statement of the parent corporation).

4. The name(s) and resume(s) of the individual(s) who will be responsible for the City contract.

5. Such additional information as will satisfy the City that the contractor is adequately prepared to fulfill all of the terms of the contract.

5. General Terms

The contract with the City shall include, but not be limited to, general terms that are substantially as follows.

5.1 Maintenance of Records and Reporting

The contractor shall maintain in its Michigan (local) office full and complete operation and customer service records that shall at all reasonable times be open for inspection and copying for any reasonable purpose by the

City. Reports shall be submitted by the tenth day of each month to the City documenting the following information:

1. The customers to whom service was provided;

2. A log of complaints and resolutions for trash and recycling collection services;

3. A log of missed collections and responses;

4. A description of any vehicle accidents or infractions; and

5. A listing of all accounts having a change of service during the month (i.e., 95 gallon service to 64 gallon service, etc.); and

6. Weights, in tons, of garbage and recyclable materials collected by commodity and where those items were transported to by truck number.

5.2 Compensation Payment Schedule

The contractor shall bill the City monthly for municipal trash and recycling services. The City will retain full auditing rights of contractor's accounting records as they pertain to the City's contract.

5.3 Final Contract Stipulations

The City expects high levels of customer service and collection service provisions. The final contract will include provisions for performance failures, penalties for certain infractions, contract default, force majeure, indemnifications and insurance. These items, and others, will be negotiated as part of the final contract.

5.4 Compliance with Laws and Miscellaneous

The contractor shall be responsible at its expense for obtaining and complying with all necessary permits, ordinances, and laws. The contract shall also include provisions concerning independent contractor status, equal employment opportunity, non-assignment, disclosure of information and records, applicable law, and such other terms and conditions as the City may require.

6. Self-Reliance

The City makes no guarantee on any of the estimates contained in the RFP and provides this data for informational purposes only. Contractors are expected to conduct their own investigations and research of relevant information used to develop their proposals.

Notes:

Collection Frequency Price/Unit Cart/Bin Size provided

Residential - Trash Weekly

Residential - Recyclables

Special - Municipal Facility Weekly 10 yard dumpster

Contract Term: 3 Years _________ 5 Years _________ Other _________ (please specify)

Trash - Municipal Facility Weekly 4 yard dumpster

Trash - Municipal Facility Weekly

Recyclables - Municipal Facility

Option 1 - Residential Trash and/or Recycling Apendix A - Unit Pricing

Trash - Downtown and Park Cans Weekly Can's owned by City

Contractor Information:

Name of Authorized Representative: _________________________________________________________________________________

Apendix B - Additional Services

Signature: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Contractors may use a form of their own, provided that all information requested above is included. Contractors must supplement this form to include the additional information requested in the Request for Proposals.

A. Unit pricing for additional services offered (i.e. annual city-wide spring clean up, curbside bulk items not in cart/bin, large item pick up, etc.)

Service

1. ________________________________________________ $ ________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________ $ ________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________ $ ________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________ $ ________________________________________________

Unit Pricing

Name of Firm: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: ________________________________________________ Email: _________________________________________________