Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
West Branch council opens RFP process for solid waste removal after vendor service concerns
Summary
City staff briefed the council on options to replace the current solid waste vendor; the council directed staff to issue a 30-day RFP after the city attorney said the city would enforce a 5% contract penalty against LRS for insufficient service. Two prospective vendors present said they could swap carts in 30–45 days.
City Administrator Adam Kofoed told the West Branch City Council on June 15 that a cost comparison showed in-house solid waste collection (city purchasing trucks and handling disposal) would be more expensive than contracting externally. Based on that analysis and service concerns, the council directed staff to initiate a procurement process for solid waste removal.
City Attorney Kevin Olsen advised that the city would send a notice to current vendor LRS enforcing a 5% penalty for failure to provide service under the contract’s "Insufficient Service" provisions. The minutes record that the RFP process would begin the following day, allow 30 days for companies to submit bids and include an additional 20–30 days for the city to review proposals.
Representatives from two companies present at the meeting (identified in the minutes as ABC and Kleasnor) responded to council questions and said they could provide the number of carts required and complete cart exchanges within about 30–45 days if awarded the contract. Both vendors asked for details to be included in their bids. They also raised the possibility of the city purchasing carts outright to avoid future cart-exchange delays.
The minutes indicate the council prefers to pursue external contracting rather than a city-run service based on the initial cost breakdown, and they authorized staff to issue the RFP. The minutes do not record a formal award or a firm contract at this meeting.
