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Committee questions single-vendor landscaping awards after contractor withdrawal; minutes amended to fix Cheapscapes amount
Summary
Committee members pressed staff on Cheapcapes taking over additional landscaping zones after another vendor withdrew, asking about capacity, competitive pricing and contingency plans. The committee approved amending April minutes to correct the Cheapscapes amount from $58,000 to $5,200.
The Finance and Operations Committee examined a series of landscaping items on June 15 after staff said a previously-awarded vendor withdrew and remaining zones were reassigned to the only responsive vendor, Cheapcapes. Members questioned whether awarding many zones to one contractor creates capacity or competition concerns and asked about contingency plans if the vendor cannot meet demand.
Dr. White explained the sequence: the district originally awarded roughly 22 zones to several vendors, added two more zones, and then lost a previously-awarded contractor during the contracting process. "We had originally awarded 22 zones then added two zones when a previous contractor ... didn't respond," Dr. White said, adding that Cheapcapes was left to cover the remainder.
Committee members sought clarity on whether the shift increased the landscaping budget; staff said the change represents a reallocation within the existing landscaping budget rather than a net new appropriation. Members also pressed staff to investigate why the prior vendor withdrew; staff said they would follow up with purchasing and report back.
Several committee members raised concerns about over-concentration with a single vendor and suggested strategies to increase competition, including breaking zones into smaller groupings that would be more accessible to small contractors and exploring future intermunicipal agreements or insourcing options when the district's facilities department is fully staffed.
As a separate procedural correction, staff noted that the April 6 meeting materials mislisted the Cheapcapes amount in an agenda description. The committee voted to amend the April minutes to correct the agenda-listed amount from $58,000 to $5,200 in the record; supporting documents had shown the correct $5,200 figure.
Staff described contingency plans if the vendor cannot service all sites: parks department overtime was used previously and could be used again in an emergency; if performance lags the contract includes remedies such as requiring corrective action or re-bidding the zones at a natural time of the year.
Ending: The landscaping items (7.01, 7.02, 7.03) were advanced to the full board as part of the committee's package of procurement items; staff will follow up on the withdrawn vendor's reasons and report back to the committee.
