SFUSD board approves new security contract after union concerns; board warns of oversight

The San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education voted to award a security services contract to ABC Security after staff presented procurement results and the board debated labor and oversight concerns.

Chief Facilities Officer David Golden told commissioners the district received five bids and after vetting found ABC Security to be the lowest responsible bidder. "Their paperwork is in order. Their bond is in order. Their bid is in order," Golden said, adding ABC represented itself as a union contractor and staff saw no basis to deem the bid nonresponsive.

Union organizers and security officers urged caution during public comment. Carl Walter, organizer with Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, said the district should ensure that officers' wage rates and benefits would be honored if a new contractor takes the contract. "We're concerned that based on the bid submitted by ABC Security, that the officers' wage rates, currently in place will not be honored," Walter said.

Jontell Washington, also with SEIU, recounted a similar episode three years earlier when ABC initially bid low and later withdrew, and urged the board to hold any new contractor to the collective bargaining agreement. "We have not gotten any clear response from them in the way of abiding by the terms of the collective bargaining agreement," she said.

Security officer Keith Ward described past problems at local sites where he said ABC failed to pass on annual raises. "They have a tendency to not give their raises to their security officers," Ward said, adding that his concern was that an underbid contract would harm officers.

Board members pressed staff and legal counsel on monitoring mechanisms and remedies. General counsel said routine monitoring of wage payments is not part of every district contract; the district investigates complaints and has contractual remedies, including a typical 30-day termination clause. As Golden explained, "If they are not performing, the district would begin a relatively speedy process to terminate the contract." Golden said staff would insist on clear contractual expectations up front and would exercise termination rights if necessary.

Commissioners also questioned discrepancies between the bid amounts and the budgeted award. Golden said the bid figures were based on a common formula provided to bidders; the amount listed in the contract documents reflects the budgeted funding level, and the district could return to the board to amend the contract if required.

When the board took the roll-call vote, five members voted in favor, two against, and the board approved the award. The board recorded the votes as: Mister Logan yes; Miss Feuer yes; Mister Haney no; Miss Moffus no; Miss Mendoza yes; Doctor Marazzi aye; Miss Winns aye; Miss Norton yes (outcome: approved).

The contract was identified on the agenda as item 2Q13813-C2. Staff said ABC would be required to "honor and respect the contract they signed with us or it's not going to be a very happy relationship," and commissioners requested follow-up reporting if any complaints arise. The board noted that, as with other public contracts, it could reject all bids and rebid if it chose to do so.

The board also heard that only a small number of security staff are permanently stationed at district sites and that staff were offering assistance to those employees to explore district employment options if changes occur. Golden said roughly three people are stationed at desks long-term and others serve as roving positions; about 120 positions were associated with the contract scope in recent cycles.

The board's vote concluded the severed-consent-item discussion; the remainder of the consent calendar proceeded separately.