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Laredo ISD presents multiple plant‑facilities contract renewals; trustees ask whether district staff can perform work in‑house
Summary
Staff reviewed renewals and solicitations for electrical subcontractors, landscaping, civil engineering, moving services, hardwood floor maintenance and fire alarm testing; trustees asked about in‑house capacity for electrical work and the rationale for outsourcing landscaping after crew reductions.
Laredo ISD plant facilities staff presented a package of planned solicitations and renewals for routine plant‑facilities services and asked the committee to review estimated amounts and operational rationale.
The procurement items listed in the committee packet included: RFP 24‑007 (electrical items and supplies) at an estimated $190,000; RFP 24‑010 (subcontractors for electrical services) at an estimated $100,000; RFQ 2023‑001 (civil engineering and surveying; costs determined project‑by‑project); Board Co‑op 737‑24 (annual maintenance and refinishing of hardwood floors) at an estimated $50,000; Sourcewell Co‑op 121024 (CTL fire alarm test, inspection and monitoring) at an estimated $250,000; RFP 25‑011 (landscaping services) at an estimated $100,000; and RFP 24‑011 (moving services, year two) at an estimated $50,000.
Mister Velasquez told trustees that district electricians can perform many routine tasks but the in‑house crew lacks the equipment and capacity to commit multiple technicians to a single large project while still covering district‑wide work orders. “Committing all our employees to one specific project that is large in scope…would not be cost effective or feasible,” he said, explaining that outsourcing would be used selectively for large, urgent, or specialized tasks such as concrete saw cutting or trenching.
On landscaping, Velasquez said a prior budget cut reduced the district’s grounds crew by the equivalent of four employees; the landscaping RFP is intended to outsource the acreage those four employees covered. He said the RFP is structured as a pilot that could be reversed if staffing levels change in future budgets.
Trustees also asked about the civil‑engineering RFQ; Velasquez said most civil‑engineering work is bundled with construction design contracts and historical spending outside those projects has been minimal, “no more than probably $50,000 a year,” mostly for small surveys tied to downtown property work.
Velasquez and trustees discussed vendor liability and operational benefits of outsourcing: outside vendors carry their own insurance and can be scheduled for weekend work or concentrated task crews, which staff said produces operational savings despite the appearance of added contract costs. "When you put it all together…there's savings," Velasquez said.
Clarifying details: estimated contract amounts were presented as procurement estimates and do not constitute awarded contracts; RFQ 2023‑001 is a qualifications list that will return cost‑specific work orders to the board when projects arise; the landscaping item replaces four eliminated crew positions and is intended as a temporary measure to maintain service levels.
Next steps: solicitations and renewals will proceed through procurement; specific cost proposals or contract awards were not voted on at the committee meeting and will be presented to the full board as required.
