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Board awards $900,000 campus landscaping contract to local firm Absolute Lawn Solutions
Summary
The board approved a five-year, roughly $900,000 campus landscaping and grounds-maintenance contract with Absolute Lawn Solutions LLC; the vendor will begin service April 1 on a prorated basis and assume equipment storage responsibilities off the spring sports complex.
The Dinwiddie County School Board voted to award a campus landscaping and grounds-maintenance contract to Absolute Lawn Solutions LLC after receiving seven proposals. The five-year contract was described in the meeting record as approximately $900,000 and includes an option for either party to terminate with three months' notice each year.
Facilities staff said Absolute Lawn Solutions is a local firm and that the company will begin work April 1 on a prorated basis for April through June, then enter the five-year contract on July 1. Staff explained the early start followed ABM, the existing contractor, seeking to terminate its contract effective March 31. The presenter said the district “did prorate, April, May, and June for their, for their I guess it wasn't a contract officially, was it, Brenda? It was just they're gonna they're gonna do it for 3 months for the prorated amount, and then they'll enter enter their contract July 1.”
Questions from the board covered whether grass cutting was included (staff: yes), equipment storage plans, and why the district has moved many maintenance functions to contractors over time. Facilities staff said the district has reduced in-house landscaping staff largely through attrition and that contracting provides predictable budgeting and specialized crews: “The efficient part of it is it is cost efficient in that, we're able to predict exactly what our needs are. We're able to budget that much easier. But the big thing is we're also able to get more of a professional type service where our schools, you know, so they look nicer.”
Board members moved to accept the contract; the board approved the award by voice vote.
The athletic-fields maintenance contract remains separate and was re-bid. The district said Absolute Lawn Solutions will bring its own equipment and that the district will relocate mulch and equipment storage to a different site rather than leave materials in the spring sports complex.
