REPORT TO

MAYOR AND COUNCIL

PRESENTED: MARCH 23, 2009 - SPECIAL MEETING REPORT: 09-40

FROM: RECREATION,CULTURE AND PARKS DIVISION FILE: 2320-20
SUBJECT: MOWING MAINTENANCE CONTRACT AWARD 2009 - 2011

RECOMMENDATION(S):
That Council authorize the award of contract for 2009 – 2011 Mowing Maintenance RFQ #PRE
09-302 to Newlands Landscaping.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Township contracts the lawn mowing maintenance for a sizable inventory of its municipally
owned public open space. Parks Operations manages this contract for services provided
throughout the Township. Costs are distributed across the several Divisions. The 2009-2011
Mowing Maintenance RFQ #RE 09-302 closed on March 17, 2009. Staff have evaluated the
quotations received from seven potential contractors. Staff are recommending the award of
contract to Newlands Landscaping who have provided this service since 2005. The
recommended award of contract will result in higher annual costs for the 2009 - 2011 mowing of
grassed areas in public spaces. The approved 2008 budget for this service was $269,682. The
Newlands Landscaping quotation will require $373,710 for 2009, $381,476 in 2010 and
$389,954 in 2011and includes $23,100 for additional spring time mowing visits when the grass
grows most vigorously, and for additional fall leaf pick-up. The contract increase for 2009 is
$104,028 over the 2008 base budget amount. With Council’s award of this contract, the Draft
Operating Budget will be adjusted to include the additional expenditure requirement of $104,000
for 2009, and the additional marginal increases for 2010 and 2011 will be added to the 5 Year
Financial Plan.

The increase in mowing costs is due to a one-time market adjustment as well as the inventory
growth since 2005 in grassed public areas from new land developments, new capital
improvement projects and capital reconstruction projects. This contract allows for the mowing
of approximately 454,000 total square meters of grass, scheduled 31 times during the growing
season, at over 100 different locations.

Grass in public spaces needs to be maintained to an acceptable standard to preserve the asset
and satisfy the public’s expectations that the Township will maintain what it allows to be
constructed in a pleasing and attractive manner that contributes to the aesthetics of its
neighbourhoods.

PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to seek authority from Council to award RFQ #PRE 09-302
2009-2011 Mowing Maintenance Contract to Newlands Landscaping.
MOWING MAINTENANCE RFQ 3PRE09-302
Page 2 . . .

BACKGROUND/HISTORY:
The last time the mowing contract was awarded it went to Newlands Landscaping in 2005. The
mowing contract was for 2005-2006 with an option to extend it for another two years. The first
two years of the contract the prices were fixed, however as the grass area inventory increased
so did the annual costs. In 2007 and 2008 the option years of the mowing contract the Township
Parks Department renegotiated the contract with Newlands Landscaping and settled upon a
2.5% increase in each of the years. There were no further renewal options in the contract with
Newlands Landscaping, and staff entered into a Request for Quotation process in early 2009 for
the mowing of approximately 454,000 square meters of Township grass inventory, 31 times per
year, at over 100 locations throughout the municipality.

DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
The Request for Quotations process resulted in the submission of seven competitive bids.
These bids were scored based on the following criteria: 3 year cost, experience of the firm,
history of firm with Township of Langley, equipment inventory of firm, references. Newlands
Landscaping were the 3rd least expensive submission, but are being recommended as a result
of their total score that also included their experience, positive history with the Township,
equipment inventory and positive references. As a result, their submission scored significantly
better than the next best submission based on the evaluation criteria.

Evaluator #1

3 Year
Contractor Quote Cost Exp History Equip Ref Total
Sunshine $811,388 20 25 0 15 15 75
Ecoworks $858,367 17.5 0 0 10 15 42.5
Newlands $1,075,839 15 25 20 20 15 95
Poplar Landscaping $1,200,178 12.5 25 0 15 15 67.5
DJ. Weedbusters $1,194,653 7.5 25 0 20 15 67.5
Beaver Landscaping $1,761,089 10 25 0 20 15 70
Horizon Landscaping $1,942,986 5 25 0 20 5 55

Evaluator #2

3 Year
Contractor Quote Cost Exp History Equip Ref Total
Sunshine $811,388 20 25 0 8 15 68
Ecoworks $858,367 17.5 0 0 6 15 38.5
Newlands $1,075,839 15 25 20 16 15 91
Poplar Landscaping $1,200,178 10 25 0 14 15 64
DJ. Weedbusters $1,194,653 12.5 25 0 4 15 56.5
Beaver Landscaping $1,761,089 7.5 25 0 14 15 61.5
Horizon Landscaping $1,942,986 5 25 0 15 5 50
MOWING MAINTENANCE RFQ 3PRE09-302
Page 3 . . .

Grass in public spaces consists of parks, greenways, trails, boulevards, medians, cemeteries
and civic facilities. These areas are created through land development, new capital projects and
reconstruction projects. The grasses in public spaces are community assets and are valued by
our residences, which have expectations that the Township will maintain them in a pleasing
appearance in perpetuity.

The increase in mowing costs is due to one-time market adjustment and the growth in grassed
public areas from new land developments, new capital improvement projects and capital
reconstruction projects. This contract will allow for the mowing of approximately 454,000 total
square meters of grass, 31 times during the growing season at over 100 different locations.
These locations include public areas such as:

• Passive areas of parks • Murrayville Five Corners

• Community Centre locations
• Pump House locations
• Fire Hall grounds
• Water Treatment facility
• Boulevards,Greenways and Medians
• Community Police Offices
• Reservoir locations
• Langley Centennial Museum
• Operations Centre
• RCMP grounds and boulevard
• Detention Pond locations
• Welcome to Langley Township
locations
• Overpasses
• Water Tower 73A Ave.
• Ft. Langley Spirit Square

The inventory of Township grass in public spaces has been growing since 2005, as has been
experienced with Township’s Planted Area Maintenance inventory. Grass in public spaces
needs to be maintained to an acceptable standard to preserve the asset and satisfy the public’s
expectations that the Township will maintain what it allows to be constructed in a pleasing and
attractive manner that contributes to the aesthetics of its neighbourhoods.

The graph below illustrates the increased cost of mowing maintenance since 2005 and includes
the 3 year quotation from Newlands Landscaping.
MOWING MAINTENANCE RFQ 3PRE09-302
Page 4 . . .

Mowing Maintenance Costs

450000

400000 $389,954
$373,710 $381,476

350000
DOLLAR VALUE

300000
$269,682

250000
$222,905

200000 $185,399

$156,219
150000

100000
2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011
50000

Interdivisional Implications:

Although Parks Operations staff administer this contract, the financial implications are shared
amongst a number of business units within the Township. The following table provides the
breakdown of locations and budget implications.

Account Code Responsibility for Service Contract

Tender 2009
Description Account Budget 2008 Costs Increase

Parks 01-2744-5300 $130,730.51 $216,965.00 $86,234.49

Aldergrove Kinsmen Centre 01-2712-5300 $1,678.62 $2,170.00 $491.38
Eng. Water 20-2412-2700 $5,400.11 $9,455.00 $4,054.89
Fire Dept. 01-2250-2525 $8,178.20 $12,865.00 $4,686.80
Eng. Water 20-2412-2700 $1,234.44 $4,340.00 $3,105.56
Eng. Water 20-2413-2700 $858.77 $1,861.00 $1,002.23
Eng. Roads & Drainage 01-2302-2700 $111,451.53 $109,610.00 -$1,841.53
Aldergrove Comm. Police 01-2389-2700 $715.18 $930.00 $214.82
Operations Centre 01-2388-2700 $2,317.34 $3,410.00 $1,092.66
WC Blair 01-2714-5300 $2,205.60 $3,100.00 $894.40
Eng. Sewers 04-2422-2700 $350.99 $2,479.00 $2,128.01
Museum 01-2724-5300 $723.16 $2,325.00 $1,601.84
Walnut Grove Comm. Centre 01-2723-5300 $3,837.90 $4,200.00 $362.10

TOTAL $269,682.35 $373,710.00 $104,027.65

MOWING MAINTENANCE RFQ 3PRE09-302
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The Engineering – Roads and Drainage account decrease is due to a reallocation of many of
these mowing areas to Parks Operations. The reallocation occurred by accurately mapping out
the mowing areas in the Township an assigning them with a responsibility code as part of this
process.

The award of the RFQ Mowing Maintenance Contract will commit Council to expenditure this
year of $104,028 that will result in an increase to 13 different operating budgets.

Financial Implications:

The 2009 Draft Operating Budget will be adjusted to include the additional expenditure
requirement of $104,000.

Respectfully submitted,

Tab Buckner
PARKS OPERATIONS MANAGER
for
RECREATION, CULTURE AND PARKS DIVISION

This report has been prepared in consultation with the following listed departments.

CONCURRENCES
Division Name
Finance Derrick Sparks
Engineering Rene Payer