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Oviedo council to start residential solid-waste RFP; consultant hired to help shape options
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Summary
The council agreed to open a residential solid-waste request-for-proposals process for the contract that ends Sept. 30, 2027, and to keep current weekly service levels while testing alternatives. The council budgeted up to $50,000 for consultant John Culbertson to support procurement and potential protests.
The Oviedo City Council voted to begin a residential solid-waste request for proposals process on Tuesday, directing staff to use a consultant to help shape procurement options and evaluation criteria.
City staff said the municipal residential contract expires Sept. 30, 2027, and that an early RFP will give any new vendor sufficient lead time for trucks and equipment. John Culbertson, the consultant the city has used previously, walked the council through service options — frequency of refuse and recycling collection, bulky and yard‑waste setouts, carting alternatives and procurement strategy — and argued the RFP should test multiple service-level options so elected officials can weigh costs against service.
“We're here to represent the interest of our clients,” Culbertson said, explaining his role as an independent adviser that does not represent haulers. He outlined trade-offs: reduced recycling frequency typically lowers costs but can change resident behavior; carted yard waste and automated collection can increase efficiency but have equipment and footprint trade-offs.
Councilors questioned why the city was budgeting roughly $50,000 for consultant support. Staff said that figure was a round-up of a prior task order and would be used only as needed — for drafting procurement documents, building evaluation matrices and handling potential bid protests. Several councilors noted the consultant had been helpful during the prior procurement and a subsequent protest and that staff lacks in-house technical expertise for a full procurement.
The council also discussed recycling contamination, glass markets and tipping fees; staff said the county is reviewing recycling processing fees and that the city’s contamination data have not flagged immediate contractual issues. After debate, the council reached consensus to proceed with an RFP that preserves current weekly service levels while allowing bidders to price alternate options.
Next steps: staff will prepare the RFP, with consultant support as needed; the city expects to advertise in January so a new or renewed contractor can be ready before the current contract expires in September 2027.
