Graffiti Abatement Services

The City of Santa Cruz is soliciting proposals for comprehensive graffiti abatement services within city limits and on water equipment and property in water service areas outside city limits. The procurement seeks a qualified contractor to provide graffiti removal services using multiple techniques including paint matching (up to 99% color match), pressure washing, and chemical abatement across various surfaces such as sidewalks, bridges, medians, fences, light poles, street signs, parking meters, and sewer outlets. Contractors will be expected to respond to approximately 50-60 graffiti reports monthly, with expedited response times of 24 hours for gang and hate crime graffiti and 48 hours for standard reports. Proposal evaluation will be comprehensive, considering factors such as responsiveness (5%), firm background (10%), qualifications and experience (15%), team qualifications (20%), technical approach (25%), cost proposal (20%), and references (5%). Key dates include a non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting on January 14, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams, with questions due by January 15, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., and proposals due January 23, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. through the City's e-Procurement Portal.

The contract will be awarded for an initial one-year term with potential for two additional one-year extensions at the City's discretion. Contractors must maintain specific insurance coverages, including Professional Liability ($2,000,000), Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), Auto Liability ($1,000,000), and Workers' Compensation. The City has implemented a local business preference policy, providing a 2% preference for local businesses and an additional 4% for locally owned businesses meeting specific criteria. Contractors must be registered with California's Department of Industrial Relations and comply with prevailing wage requirements. Performance and payment bonds will be required within ten business days of contract award. While no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are explicitly mentioned, the local business preference suggests a commitment to supporting local economic development. The contract will require detailed monthly reporting, maintenance of adequate supply inventories, and submission of before and after photographs for each graffiti abatement project.