Guam Museum maintenance: contract staffing for janitorial, grounds and a $129,789 personnel-cost comparison; HVAC pump issues prompt lapsed-funds amendment

Department of Chamorro Affairs officials told legislators on Oct. 21 that current contracting remains the most flexible approach for janitorial and grounds work at the Guam Museum and that recent HVAC problems required quick, funded repairs to avoid risks to collections.

Janitorial and grounds contracting: cost comparison

DCA provided a cost analysis comparing contracted services and the estimated cost of hiring in-house staff. The museumwhich hosts public programs and frequent after-hours eventscurrently holds a janitorial contract that covers four cleanings per week and a separate grounds/landscaping contract. DCA reported annual contract costs of $62,423.76 for janitorial services and an estimated $41,100 for grounds and landscaping (figure used as a ballpark from the prior fiscal year while this year's award remains with GSA). Supplies were estimated at $2,000 annually. DCA calculated an equivalent annual personnel cost (two building custodians and one maintenance worker, including salaries and benefits) at $127,789, or roughly $26,000 more than contracting.

Director Melvin Wampat Borja and Guam Museum staff said contracting provides flexibility for weekend and evening events because the facility frequently hosts after-hours programming and community gatherings. "Our contract allows for cleaning of the museum 4 times a week, Monday through Saturday," Borja said. Staff also noted the contract includes up to 24 "special services" per year for events that exceed normal schedules.

Procurement and oversight: agency staff said the current contracts were competitively procured through the Government Services Agency (GSA) and the museum administrator and on-site staff verify services before payment. The current janitorial contract is with a company identified in testimony as Plan B; the previous contractor for grounds maintenance was JJ Global. The grounds contract was described as still under GSA award for the new year at the time of testimony.

HVAC maintenance and urgent repairs

Museum officials described recent failures and subsequent repairs to the museum's chiller and pump systems. Borja said two main chillers were replaced with ARPA funds after failures were identified; subsequent inspection revealed auxiliary problems with pumps and variable-frequency drive (VFD) controllers that regulate pump speed. Those components can degrade chiller performance and, over time, shorten pump life if VFDs fail to modulate properly.

"When the pump fails, it gives us an error that the suction is too low," Borja said. "If that happens, the unit can shut down as a safety feature."

The museum reported they purchased a compatible replacement pump using non-appropriated funds and that the system is operational but components remain stressed; staff said they will install replacements and pursue a full GSA bid for comprehensive repairs early next year. They also plan to add a voltage regulator to mitigate Guam's inconsistent power supply, which officials said can damage HVAC components.

Budget amendment: continuing appropriation for HVAC repairs

Committee members discussed a FY2026 budget amendment introduced by legislators that would provide continuing appropriation authority allowing the Department of Chamorro Affairs to use lapsed agency funds for critical HVAC repairs and maintenance. Witnesses supported the amendment as a tool to respond quickly to urgent systems failures that threaten environmental stability for artifacts.

Ending note: senators pressed for documentation on bids, procurement oversight and internal controls; DCA officers said they will provide supporting materials and that they view a mixed modelcontracted specialty services plus trained in-house maintenance techniciansas the best path for operational reliability and preservation of the collection.